MONTGOMERY, Alabama — Alabama has set February 6, 2025, as the date for the execution of Demetrius Terrence Frazier, who will be the first person executed in the state in 2025. This will also be Alabama’s fourth execution using nitrogen gas, a method that has faced criticism for needing further review.
Frazier, 52, was convicted of killing Pauline Brown during a burglary at her Birmingham apartment in 1991. Prosecutors said that Frazier admitted to the crime while in police custody in Detroit for a separate offense. He confessed to raping and shooting Brown after stealing $80 from her purse. A jury recommended the death penalty by a 10-2 vote, and a judge sentenced him to death.
Alabama became the first state to carry out executions using nitrogen gas last year. Three executions were done using this method, which involves placing a gas mask over the inmate’s face and replacing oxygen with pure nitrogen. The state claims this causes a quick and painless death, but critics argue that it may not be as effective as promised.
Frazier’s lawyers have filed a lawsuit to stop the execution unless Alabama changes how it carries out nitrogen gas executions. They claim that nitrogen gas causes the inmate to suffocate while still conscious, and that the previous executions did not result in a quick, painless death. The state, however, argues that the movements seen in past executions were involuntary and has asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit. They also pointed out that Frazier had chosen nitrogen gas as his preferred method of execution years ago.
While lethal injection is still the main method of execution in Alabama, the state approved nitrogen gas in 2018 as an alternative option. This allows inmates to choose between lethal injection and nitrogen gas. Frazier, along with other inmates, selected nitrogen gas, but at the time, the state did not have a working system for using it.
Alabama’s use of nitrogen gas has been controversial, and the upcoming execution will likely bring more attention to the method and its effectiveness.
