An Alabama death row inmate convicted in the brutal 1993 murder of Gregory Huguley has made a last-minute plea to Republican Governor Kay Ivey.
Anthony Boyd, 53, is asking Gov. Ivey to personally meet with him before his scheduled execution later this week.
Boyd is set to be executed by nitrogen gas on Thursday evening at the William C. Holman Correctional Facility for Huguley’s killing.
Prosecutors described Huguley’s killing as a burning-alive murder over a $200 drug debt.
Boyd has maintained his innocence for decades.
In a recorded message played during a press conference hosted by the Execution Intervention Project and his spiritual adviser, Rev. Jeff Hood, Boyd appealed directly to the governor.
“Before an innocent man is executed, come sit down with me and have a conversation with the guy you deemed one of the worst of the worst,” Boyd said.
Boyd said that if Ivey met with him and found him “deceptive or evasive,” she should proceed with the execution.
“If not, then I ask you to stay this execution, to stop this execution, to have my case fully and fairly investigated,” he added.
Governor’s Office Responds
Mike Lewis, a spokesman for Gov. Ivey, said the governor personally reviews every execution case, but does not meet individually with inmates.
In a statement to the Associated Press, Lewis said:
“At this point, however, we have not seen any recent court filings disputing Mr. Boyd’s guilt in the horrific, burning-alive murder of Gregory Huguley.
“Nor have we received a clemency submission to such an effect.”
He described Boyd’s request as “especially unworkable,” emphasizing that Ivey’s case reviews do not include one-on-one meetings with condemned prisoners.
Ivey, who has served as Alabama’s governor since 2017, has stopped only one execution during her tenure.
Background of the Case
Huguley’s burned body was discovered on August 1, 1993, at a rural baseball field in Talladega County.
Prosecutors said Boyd was one of four men who kidnapped Huguley the day before and later participated in his murder.
A prosecution witness, who testified in exchange for a plea deal, told jurors that Boyd taped Huguley’s feet together before another man poured gasoline on him and set him on fire.
Prosecutors said Huguley was burned alive as retaliation for failing to pay a $200 drug debt.
Boyd’s attorneys have maintained that he was attending a party at the time of the murder.
Despite that claim, a jury voted 10–2 to convict him of capital murder during a kidnapping and recommended the death penalty.
Controversy Over Nitrogen Gas Execution
Boyd is set to die using nitrogen hypoxia, a new execution method that Alabama began using in 2024 with the execution of Kenneth Smith, which drew national attention.
Boyd’s attorneys sought to block the execution, urging federal courts to further scrutinize the method, but a federal judge denied the request.
On Monday, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals also rejected Boyd’s appeal for a stay of execution.
Shawn Ingram, identified by prosecutors as the man who poured the gasoline and lit the fire, was also convicted of capital murder and remains on death row.
Boyd’s execution would mark Alabama’s second use of nitrogen gas, a method critics have called experimental and supporters describe as a swift and humane alternative to lethal injection.
READ MORE – Death Row Inmate Executed in Missouri for Killing State Trooper
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