Alabama executes man with nitrogen gas for 1997 shooting death of store clerk

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ATMORE Ala. (AP) — An Alabama man convicted of killing a woman during a 1997 gas station robbery was put to death Thursday after apologizing to his victim's family and pleas from the woman's son to spare his life.

Geoffrey Todd West, 50, was executed at William C. Holman Correctional Facility by nitrogen gas, a method Alabama began using last year. It was one of two executions on the night in the country, as Texas put to death a man convicted of killing his girlfriend’s 13-month-old daughter.

West was convicted of capital murder in the 1997 killing of Margaret Parrish Berry, 33.

West said “No sir” when asked by the warden if he had final words. Strapped to the gurney with a blue-rimmed gas mask covering his face, he gave a thumbs-up in the direction of his attorney as the execution began at about 5:56 p.m.

West's eyes were open as he appeared to gulp and struggle for breath during the first two minutes. His head rocked from side to side, his left fist curled up and he appeared to slightly foam at the mouth. At about 6:01 he began to take a long series of breaths with long pauses in between before becoming still at about 6:07. He was pronounced dead at 6:22.

In a final statement provided by his attorney, West said: “I have apologized privately to the family of Margaret Parrish Berry, and am humbled by the forgiveness her son, Will, has extended.”

He added that he was baptized in the Catholic Church this year and was “at peace because I know where I am going.”

Berry, the mother of two sons, was shot in the back of the head while lying on the floor behind the counter at Harold’s Chevron in Etowah County on March 28, 1997.

Prosecutors said she was killed execution-style to ensure there was no witness. Court records state that $250 was taken from a cookie can that held the station's money. A jury voted 10-2 to recommend a death sentence.

West, in an interview last week, did not deny killing Margaret Berry. He said that at age 50, he struggles to understand what he did as a young man. He and his girlfriend were desperate for cash and went to the station, where he once worked, to rob it.

“There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t regret it and wish that I could take that back,” West told AP by telephone. He said he wanted Berry’s family to know he regrets what happened.

Will Berry urged Alabama’s governor to commute West’s sentence to life in prison. He said taking another life will not help his family. He exchanged letters with West ahead of the execution.

“I forgive him and so does my dad. We don’t want him to die,” Will Berry said.

He was 11 when his mother was killed, and he said prosecutors urged the family to support a death sentence. Now a father and grandfather, Will Berry said time and faith have given him a different perspective.

Ivey said in a Sept. 11 letter to Berry that she intended to let the execution go forward. She wrote that she appreciates his belief but said it is her duty to uphold Alabama law.

“Almost 30 years ago, Margaret Parrish Berry went to work at the convenience store, but she would never get to return home. Geoffrey West went in with the intent to rob and kill, and he cowardly shot Ms. Berry in the back of the head,” Ivey said in a statement issued after the execution.

“Tonight, the lawfully imposed death sentence has been carried out, justice has been served, and I pray for healing for all,” the governor added.

Also in a statement Thursday, Will Berry expressed astonishment at the execution and offered condolences to West's loved ones.

“From what we understand, he acted out of character that night. People he grew up with said he was a good person who got off track,” Berry said. “We pray that he gains peace when he meets his maker.”

Berry and West asked to meet ahead of the execution, but the Alabama Department of Corrections denied the request citing security regulations.

The Federal Defenders Office of the Middle District, which represented West, said in a statement that denying the meeting was a “lost opportunity — for closure, for healing, for humanity.”

“The execution of Mr. West demands that we reflect as a society: on how we handle capital punishment, on how age and life circumstances are considered, on how we balance justice, mercy, and the possibility of redemption,” his attorneys said in a statement.

The execution method used to put West to death involved strapping a gas mask to his face and forcing him to breathe pure nitrogen gas, depriving him of the oxygen needed to stay alive.

Asked about West's movements during the execution. Corrections Commissioner John Hamm said he believes they were largely involuntary and things went “just as expected, according to protocol.”

Alabama became the first state to carry out a nitrogen gas execution in 2024. Nationally, the method has now been used in seven executions: six times in Alabama and once in Louisiana.