MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WDNews)
– Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall released a statement Thursday night following the execution of death row inmate Gregory Hunt at Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore. Hunt was executed by nitrogen hypoxia, marking Alabama’s fifth use of the method since it became available in 2018.
“Tonight, we pause to reflect on a long-overdue moment of justice for Karen Sanders Lane and for the family that has carried the weight of her loss for thirty-five years,” Marshall said. “Karen was a young woman whose life was stolen in the most brutal and dehumanizing way imaginable.”
Marshall said Hunt, who spent more than 30 years on death row, had ample opportunity to present new evidence but did not do so. “What he and his supporters offered instead was a last-minute spectacle aimed at rewriting history and distracting from the truth,” Marshall stated.
He also criticized those who he said focused more on Hunt than on Lane, calling it a “disgrace.”
“Karen Lane was a daughter and a sister. She was a human being. And tonight, we honor her by speaking the truth and by refusing to let it be buried under political theater,” Marshall added.
The execution was cleared to proceed at 5:56 p.m., and Hunt was pronounced dead at 6:26 p.m.
Background of the Crime
Gregory Hunt was convicted in the brutal 1988 murder of Karen Sanders Lane, a 32-year-old woman from Walker County. The two had briefly dated after Lane began staying with her friend Tina Gilliland in Cordova. Tensions quickly escalated, and on the night of August 1, 1988, Hunt reportedly chased Lane, set fire to her home, and later returned to Gilliland’s apartment.
In the early hours of August 2, Hunt forced his way into the residence and fatally beat Lane. A pathologist documented approximately 60 separate injuries, including broken ribs, facial fractures, and internal organ damage. Her body was discovered on the kitchen floor with signs of severe trauma and sexual assault.
A jury convicted Hunt of capital murder, and he was sentenced to death.
The Alabama Department of Corrections first used nitrogen hypoxia as an execution method in January 2024, describing it as a humane and effective alternative to lethal injection.
