An Alabama man convicted of killing a woman during a 1997 gas station robbery was executed Thursday, despite pleas from the victim’s son to spare his life.
Geoffrey Todd West, 50, was put to death at William C. Holman Correctional Facility using nitrogen gas, a method Alabama began employing last year. His execution was one of two nationwide that night, coinciding with Texas carrying out the execution of a man convicted of killing his girlfriend’s 13-month-old daughter.
West had been convicted of capital murder in the 1997 killing of Margaret Parrish Berry , 33.
When asked by the warden if he had final words, West replied, “No sir.” Strapped to the gurney with a blue-rimmed gas mask covering his face, he gave a thumbs-up to his attorney as the execution began around 5:56 p.m.
During the first two minutes, West appeared to struggle for breath, his head rocking side to side, left fist curled, and foam forming slightly at the mouth. Around 6:01 p.m., he took a series of long, staggered breaths before becoming still at 6:07 p.m. He was pronounced dead at 6:22 p.m.
In a final statement delivered 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 had been baptized in the Catholic Church this year and was “at peace because I know where I am going.”
Berry, a mother of two, 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 eliminate witnesses. Court records note that $250 was taken from a cookie can holding the station’s money. A jury voted 10-2 in favor of a death sentence.
In a recent interview, West did not deny killing Berry. At 50, he said he struggles to understand his actions as a young man. Desperate for cash, he and his girlfriend targeted the station, where he had once been employed.
“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. He emphasized that he wanted Berry’s family to know he regrets his actions.
A plea from the victim’s son
Will Berry had urged Alabama’s governor to commute West’s sentence to life imprisonment, stating that taking another life would not bring closure to his family. He exchanged letters with West prior to 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 said prosecutors had encouraged the family to support a death sentence. Now a father and grandfather, Berry said time and faith had reshaped his perspective.
Governor Kay Ivey, in a Sept. 11 letter to Berry, indicated she would allow the execution to proceed, acknowledging his belief but emphasizing her responsibility 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 after the execution. “Tonight, the lawfully imposed death sentence has been carried out, justice has been served, and I pray for healing for all.”
Will Berry also issued a statement Thursday, expressing surprise at the execution and offering condolences to West’s family.
“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 had requested to meet before the execution, but the Alabama Department of Corrections denied the request citing security protocols. The Federal Defenders Office of the Middle District, which represented West, described the denial as 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.
Nitrogen gas
The method used in West’s execution involved strapping a gas mask to his face and forcing him to breathe pure nitrogen gas, depriving the body of oxygen.
Asked about West’s movements during the execution, Corrections Commissioner John Hamm said he believes they were largely involuntary and that the procedure went “just as expected, according to protocol.”
Alabama became the first state to carry out a nitrogen gas execution in 2024. Nationwide, the method has now been used in seven executions: six in Alabama and one in Louisiana.
