From behind prison walls at William C. Holman Correctional Facility, Anthony Boyd’s voice carried over speakerphone on October 8, 2025, delivering a message he has maintained for over three decades:
“I didn’t kill anybody. I didn’t participate in any killing.” With just two weeks before his scheduled execution by nitrogen gas, the 53-year-old death row inmate’s family and supporters gathered in Talladega to launch a desperate campaign to save his life.
A Three-Decade Fight for Life
Boyd has spent 30 years on Alabama’s death row for his alleged role in the brutal 1993 murder of Gregory Huguley.
Prosecutors claimed Boyd taped Huguley’s feet together before another man, Shawn Ingram, doused the victim with gasoline and set him on fire over a $200 cocaine debt. The horrific nature of the crime shocked the Talladega community and led to capital murder convictions for both men.
At his trial, Boyd’s defense team maintained he was at a party the night of the murder and had no involvement in Huguley’s death.
However, a witness testifying as part of a plea agreement told a different story, placing Boyd at the scene and describing his participation in restraining the victim. The jury found the testimony compelling enough to convict, recommending death by a 10-2 vote.
The case highlights several troubling aspects of capital punishment in Alabama:
- Non-unanimous jury recommendation for death.
- Reliance on plea-bargain testimony.
- Decades-long appeals process.
- Questions about actual innocence.
These factors have fueled Boyd’s supporters’ campaign to halt the execution and reexamine the evidence.
Billboard Campaign and Public Pressure
The Execution Intervention Project and Boyd’s spiritual adviser, Rev. Jeff Hood, organized Wednesday’s news conference beneath a billboard reading “Save Anthony Boyd.”
The nonprofit group has placed similar billboards across Alabama, hoping to generate public support and political pressure for clemency.
Boyd’s mother became visibly emotional during the event, collapsing to the ground as Hood demonstrated the nitrogen gas mask similar to the one that will be used in the execution chamber.
The spiritual adviser, who witnessed Alabama’s first nitrogen execution, painted a disturbing picture of what Boyd faces.
“What I saw was almost eight minutes of heaving back and forth,” Hood said, challenging the state’s promise that nitrogen hypoxia would provide a swift, humane death.
Alabama’s Controversial Execution Method
Alabama made history in 2024 when it became the first state to use nitrogen gas for executions. The method involves placing a gas mask over the inmate’s face and replacing breathable air with pure nitrogen, causing death by oxygen deprivation.
State officials have defended the method as more humane than lethal injection, but witnesses to previous nitrogen executions have described prolonged struggling.
The state has argued in court filings that observed movements during nitrogen executions were either “inmates actively resisting” or “involuntary movements associated with dying.”
This clinical description does little to address concerns about the method’s humanity or the ethical implications of experimenting with new execution techniques.
Boyd selected nitrogen as his execution method when Alabama first authorized it, though at the time, the state had not yet developed procedures for its use. This choice now places him among the first inmates to face this controversial method.
The State’s Response
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall’s office released a pointed statement defending the conviction and dismissing calls for clemency.
“There was no billboard campaign to save Huguley, and Boyd showed no concern for the ethics of execution when he helped murder Huguley,” the statement read.
The Attorney General’s office emphasized that Boyd’s case has been litigated for three decades and “he has yet to provide evidence to show the jury got it wrong.”
This response reflects the state’s consistent position that lengthy appeals processes have already provided adequate review of death penalty cases.
A Voice from Death Row
Despite his circumstances, Boyd has become a prominent voice against capital punishment. As current chair of Project Hope to Abolish the Death Penalty—an organization founded by death row inmates—he has worked to humanize those facing execution.
“I want people to know that people on death row are not the monsters that the public or the justice system portrays,” Boyd said during the phone call.
His case raises profound questions about Alabama’s death penalty system:
- The reliability of testimony obtained through plea agreements
- The appropriateness of non-unanimous death recommendations
- The humanity of experimental execution methods
- The possibility of executing innocent individuals
Shawn Ingram, the man prosecutors identified as actually setting Huguley on fire, also sits on death row, adding another layer to this complex case.
The Final Days
With the execution date rapidly approaching, Boyd’s legal team continues pursuing last-minute appeals while his supporters intensify their public campaign.
The billboard campaign represents a modern approach to death penalty advocacy, using public visibility to generate discussion about a process that typically occurs behind prison walls.
For Boyd’s family, each passing day brings them closer to an irreversible loss. His mother’s emotional breakdown at the news conference illustrated the human toll of capital punishment on families who maintain their loved one’s innocence.
Understanding Criminal Appeals and Post-Conviction Rights
When facing serious criminal charges or navigating post-conviction proceedings, understanding your rights and options within Alabama’s legal system becomes crucial.
The complexity of capital cases demonstrates how vital experienced legal representation is at every stage of the criminal justice process.
Our experienced criminal defense attorneys here at Baxley Maniscalco understand the high stakes involved in criminal cases and the importance of thorough representation.
While we don’t handle death penalty cases, we help clients navigate appeals processes, post-conviction matters, and other serious criminal legal issues.
If you or a loved one needs assistance with criminal appeals, understanding your legal rights, or navigating Alabama’s criminal justice system, contact Baxley Maniscalco at (256) 770-7232 for a confidential consultation about your case.
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