Death Row Killer's Final Hand Sign Sends Chills

Gregory Hunt didn't say a word before he died — but his hands spoke volumes. On the evening of his execution at a south Alabama prison, Hunt flashed a peace sign and a thumbs-up before a mask was strapped over his face and pure nitrogen gas filled his lungs.

It was the latest use of nitrogen hypoxia — a controversial execution method that has now claimed six lives, most of them in Alabama. Supporters say it's painless. Critics say Hunt's final moments tell a different story.

Gasping for Air

Hunt, 65, was convicted of murdering 32-year-old Karen Lane in 1988. Prosecutors alleged that he broke into her apartment in a jealous rage, sexually assaulted her, and inflicted 60 injuries in a brutal beating. Jurors found him guilty in 1990 and voted 11-1 for the death penalty.

But what played out in the death chamber decades later raised new questions about what the state considers a humane death.

Strapped to a chair, Hunt was masked with a blue-rimmed device covering his face. Prison officials released nitrogen gas — cutting off his oxygen. In the next four minutes, he convulsed, moaned, gasped, and lifted his feet before falling still. Prison Commissioner John Hamm claimed the motions were expected. "There is involuntary body movement," he told reporters, according to The U.S. Sun.

A Silent Goodbye

Unlike many inmates who deliver final words, Hunt said nothing. His only farewell came through subtle but haunting gestures — a peace sign and a thumbs-up. He declined a dinner but accepted a lunch tray earlier that day: bologna, black-eyed peas, carrots, and fruit punch.

The execution was watched by Lane's family, who emphasized that the night was not about closure or revenge. "This night represents justice and the end of a nightmare that has coursed through our family for 37 years," they said in a statement, according to The U.S. Sun.

A Justice System Under Fire

While the state touted the execution as a success, civil rights advocates raised deeper concerns.

According to the Equal Justice Initiative, Hunt was one of the longest-serving inmates on Alabama's death row and had been convicted under troubling circumstances. His court-appointed defense attorneys received just $20 per hour with a maximum of $1,000 for out-of-court work at each trial phase. One attorney wasn't even appointed until two weeks before the trial. Altogether, his legal team only logged 45 hours preparing his case.

The prosecution's case also leaned heavily on a jailhouse informant who claimed Hunt confessed to the crime. Though prosecutors assured jurors the witness would serve at least 15 years under the state's habitual offender law, charges were dropped less than a month after his testimony, and he was freed and returned to probation.

A Non-Unanimous Death Sentence

Adding to the controversy was Alabama's use of a non-unanimous jury decision to impose a death sentence. Hunt's 11-1 recommendation wouldn’t have qualified for the death penalty in most other states. But Alabama remains one of only two states that permit such sentencing without full jury agreement.

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Hunt's appeal just three hours before his execution. He had argued that prosecutors misled the jury about the sexual abuse evidence — a claim the Alabama attorney general's office dismissed as meritless.

Nitrogen Deaths Continue

Hunt's execution marked Alabama's third of the year and the fifth in the state using nitrogen gas — a method only recently authorized. Hunt had previously selected nitrogen over the electric chair or lethal injection before procedures were finalized. He may not have anticipated what those four minutes would actually look like.

In a separate execution that same day, Florida inmate Anthony Wainwright died by lethal injection. But it was Hunt's death — silent, gasping, and controversial — that reignited a national debate over the limits of state power and what we call humane.

References: Death row killer made chilling last hand gesture before being suffocated to death & left convulsing in 4 minute ordeal | Alabama Executes Gregory Hunt