Alabama murderer forgiven by victim’s family, Texas toddler killer executed minutes apart

Two death-row cases concluded Thursday evening, separated by minutes, in Alabama and Texas: Geoffrey Todd West was executed by nitrogen hypoxia at the William C. Holman Correctional Facility, while Blaine Milam was pronounced dead at the Texas state penitentiary. West’s execution followed weeks during which the victim’s son publicly urged mercy for the man who killed his mother, while Milam’s death preceded final disposition in a case that prosecutors described as a brutal, prolonged assault.

Geoffrey Todd West, 50, was sentenced to death in 1999 for the murder of Margaret Parrish Berry, a 33-year-old mother of two who was shot in the back of the head during a gas station robbery carried out with his then-girlfriend. West spent years on death row, and in the weeks before the execution he and Berry’s son Will Berry exchanged letters. Will forgave West and urged the state not to take revenge in his mother’s name. West did not offer final words when asked by the warden; he was strapped to a gurney and had a gas mask placed over his mouth as nitrogen was pumped. He died about 26 minutes after the nitrogen began, at 6:22 p.m. The two men never met in person; Will and West had discussed forgiveness by letter, and Will had written to the governor seeking mercy, a request that accompanied other communications about mercy.

In the weeks leading up to the execution, West and Will exchanged notes in which West acknowledged guilt and Will maintained his forgiveness. Their interactions have been cited by supporters of mercy in capital cases, while West’s legal team noted his long acceptance of responsibility and his spiritual journey. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey previously commuted a death sentence in another case, but she did not intervene in West’s case, saying the duty to enforce state law rests with the executive branch. West’s supporters described him as a man who sought peace through faith and reconciliation, a narrative that stood in stark contrast to the violence of the crime.

Two states away, Blaine Milam, 35, was executed by lethal injection in Texas for the murder of Amora Carson, the 13-month-old daughter of Milam’s girlfriend. Prosecutors said the infant suffered extensive injuries, including blunt-force trauma and bite marks, after being assaulted over a period described by authorities as an exorcism intended to expel a demon the girl’s mother believed possessed her. Milam and his girlfriend were teenagers at the time of the crime; the girlfriend faced charges in the case but did not receive the death penalty. Milam’s appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court were rejected shortly before his death, after previous stays of other executions in his career. In his final remarks, Milam spoke of faith and love for those present but did not recant the acts for which he had been condemned.

National context for the night’s twin endings shows the ongoing complexity of the death-penalty landscape in the United States. Through the year, about 33 people have been put to death nationwide, with three executions stayed and one elderly inmate dying of natural causes on death row, according to authorities. The cases highlight the tension between victims’ families seeking closure, prosecutors’ duties to uphold the law, and the broader legal and moral debates surrounding capital punishment.