Alabama Executioners Cut Off Killer's Final Public Words Before State's Unique Method Is Used for a Third Time
Thirty years after being convicted of a horrific murder, Carey Dale Grayson spent less than 30 minutes in Alabama’s execution chamber before his death. However, his final moments were anything but peaceful.
As the third individual to be executed in Alabama using nitrogen hypoxia, Grayson’s last words were deemed so offensive that officials at Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Alabama, cut him off mid-sentence.
The execution began at 6:06 p.m., according to WKRG-TV in Mobile, with the curtains opening to reveal Grayson strapped to a gurney, a gas mask affixed to his face.
When Warden Terry Raybon asked if he had any final words, Grayson responded, “Uh, yeah, for you, you need to f*** off,” WKRG reported.
His microphone was promptly muted.
“That was enough,” stated John Q. Hamm, Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Corrections, as per WKRG. “He’s cussed out most of our employees tonight, so we’re not going to give him the opportunity to just spew that profanity.”
Even after being silenced, Grayson continued his defiance. Moments before the nitrogen gas was released at 6:11 p.m., he raised both middle fingers in a final act of defiance, WKRG noted.
Attorney and spiritual advisor Kacey Keeton approached Grayson during the execution and later shared that Grayson had expressed remorse for his actions and criticized the death penalty. Grayson was pronounced dead at 6:33 p.m.
The crime that led to Grayson’s execution was the brutal murder of 37-year-old Vicki DeBlieux in 1994. DeBlieux, the mother of a 12-year-old, was hitchhiking when Grayson, then 19, and three younger teenagers offered her a ride. Instead of helping her, they drove to a wooded area where they committed unspeakable acts of violence.
According to court records, the group initially threw bottles at DeBlieux before chasing her down, tackling her, and repeatedly kicking her. When they realized she was still alive, one of them stood on her throat, supported by Grayson, until she died.
After killing her, they placed her body in a pickup truck, stripped her of clothing and valuables, and disposed of her remains by throwing her off a cliff at Bald Rock Mountain. The group later returned to mutilate her body further, stabbing her 180 times and removing body parts.
Grayson was the only member of the group sentenced to death, as the others were minors at the time of the crime. While two of the juveniles were initially given death sentences, the Supreme Court ruled in 2005 that executions for crimes committed by individuals under 18 are unconstitutional.
Alabama remains the only state to have carried out executions using nitrogen hypoxia, though Mississippi and Oklahoma have also approved its use, according to The Associated Press.
In a statement released Thursday, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey defended the method.
“Some thirty years ago, Vicki DeBlieux’s journey to her mother’s house and ultimately, her life, were horrifically cut short because of Carey Grayson and three other men,” Ivey said, as reported by the AP.
“She sensed something was wrong, attempted to escape, but instead, was brutally tortured and murdered … An execution by nitrogen hypoxia (bears) no comparison to the death and dismemberment Ms. DeBlieux experienced.”