An Alabama man convicted of killing a lady throughout a 1997 gasoline station theft was put to demise Thursday after apologizing to his sufferer’s household and pleas from the lady’s son to spare his life.
Geoffrey Todd West, 50, was executed at William C. Holman Correctional Facility by nitrogen gasoline, a way Alabama started utilizing final 12 months. It was one in all two executions of the night time within the nation, as Texas put to demise a person convicted of killing his girlfriend’s 13-month-old daughter.
West was convicted of capital homicide within the 1997 killing of Margaret Parrish Berry, 33.
West stated “No sir” when requested by the warden if he had ultimate phrases. Strapped to the gurney with a blue-rimmed gasoline masks protecting his face, he gave a thumbs-up within the path of his legal professional because the execution started at about 5:56 p.m.
West’s eyes have been open as he appeared to gulp and battle for breath throughout the first two minutes. His head rocked back and forth, his left fist curled up, and he appeared to barely foam on the mouth. At about 6:01, he started to take an extended sequence of breaths with lengthy pauses in between earlier than turning into nonetheless at about 6:07. He was pronounced useless at 6:22.
In a ultimate assertion supplied by his legal professional, West stated: “I’ve apologized privately to the household of Margaret Parrish Berry, and am humbled by the forgiveness her son, Will, has prolonged.”
He added that he was baptized within the Catholic Church this 12 months and was “at peace as a result of I do know the place I’m going.”
Berry, the mom of two sons, was shot behind the top whereas mendacity on the ground behind the counter at Harold’s Chevron in Etowah County on March 28, 1997.
Prosecutors stated she was killed execution-style to make sure there was no witness. Courtroom information state that $250 was taken from a cookie can that held the station’s cash. A jury voted 10-2 to advocate a demise sentence.
West, in an interview final week, didn’t deny killing Margaret Berry. He stated that at age 50, he struggles to grasp what he did as a younger man. He and his girlfriend have been determined for money and went to the station, the place he as soon as labored, to rob it.
“There’s not a day that goes by that I do not remorse it and need that I may take that again,” West instructed AP by phone. He stated he wished Berry’s household to know he regrets what occurred.
Will Berry urged Alabama’s governor to commute West’s sentence to life in jail. He stated taking one other life won’t assist his household. He exchanged letters with West forward of the execution.
“I forgive him and so does my dad. We do not need him to die,” Will Berry stated.
He was 11 when his mom was killed, and he stated prosecutors urged the household to assist a demise sentence. Now a father and grandfather, Will Berry stated time and religion have given him a distinct perspective.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey stated in a Sept. 11 letter to Berry that she meant to let the execution go ahead. She wrote that she appreciates his perception however stated it’s her obligation to uphold Alabama regulation.
“Virtually 30 years in the past, Margaret Parrish Berry went to work on the comfort retailer, however she would by no means get to return residence. Geoffrey West went in with the intent to rob and kill, and he cowardly shot Ms. Berry behind the top,” Ivey stated in an announcement issued after the execution.
“Tonight, the lawfully imposed demise sentence has been carried out, justice has been served, and I pray for therapeutic for all,” the governor added.
Additionally in an announcement Thursday, Will Berry expressed astonishment on the execution and provided condolences to West’s family members.
“From what we perceive, he acted out of character that night time. Folks he grew up with stated he was an excellent one that bought off monitor,” Berry stated. “We pray that he beneficial properties peace when he meets his maker.”
Berry and West requested to satisfy forward of the execution, however the Alabama Division of Corrections denied the request, citing safety rules.
The Federal Defenders Workplace of the Center District, which represented West, stated in an announcement that denying the assembly was a “misplaced alternative — for closure, for therapeutic, for humanity.”
“The execution of Mr. West calls for that we replicate as a society: on how we deal with capital punishment, on how age and life circumstances are thought of, on how we stability justice, mercy, and the potential for redemption,” his attorneys stated in an announcement.
The execution technique used to place West to demise concerned strapping a gasoline masks to his face and forcing him to breathe pure nitrogen gasoline, depriving him of the oxygen wanted to remain alive.
Requested about West’s actions throughout the execution. Corrections Commissioner John Hamm stated he believes they have been largely involuntary and issues went “simply as anticipated, based on protocol.”
Alabama turned the primary state to hold out a nitrogen gasoline execution in 2024. Nationally, the strategy has now been utilized in seven executions: six occasions in Alabama and as soon as in Louisiana.
