Demetrius Terrence Frazier, 52, is scheduled to be executed in February after being convicted of the November 1991 rape and murder of Pauline Brown, 40, in Birmingham. Michigan supports Alabama’s efforts to have Frazier’s lawsuit dismissed. (Alabama Department of Corrections)
The state of Alabama executed Demetrius Terrence Frazier by nitrogen gas Thursday eveningĀ for the rape and murder of Pauline Brown in Birmingham in 1991.
Frazier, 52, the fourth person the state has executed by nitrogen gas, was pronounced dead at 6:36 p.m., according to Gov. Kay Iveyās office.
āFirst of all, I want to apologize to the friends and family of Pauline Brown, what happened to her should never have happened,ā Frazier said when he made his final statement. āI want to apologize to the Black community.ā
Frazier also criticized Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for not intervening in his case. Frazier was transferred to Alabama in 2011 while serving a life sentence in Michigan for the 1992 murder of Crystal Kendrick, 14. His legal team had urged Whitmer to take custody of his case and have him transferred back to the state for the crimes he committed in Michigan. Whitmer did not intervene.
A member of the Corrections staff adjusted Frazierās mask at about 6:10 p.m. and the nitrogen gas began to flow a few minutes afterward. Media witnesses reported that Frazier struggled to breathe for several minutes during the execution.
At one point in the execution, Frazier lifted his legs and his body twitched, according to media witnesses. That is similar to what other witnesses observed from the three other executions that the state carried out using nitrogen gas.
Witnesses said that they observed Frazier take his final breath at about 6:20 p.m.
āIt went according to plan like our protocol says,ā ADOC Commissioner John Hamm said at a news conference following the execution.
The state executed Kenneth Eugene Smith by nitrogen gas in January 2024. Alan Eugene Miller was put to death under the method in September. Carey Dale Grayson followed in November.
āIn Alabama, we enforce the law,ā Ivey said in a statement Thursday evening. āYou donāt come to our state and mess with our citizens and get away with it.ā
The governor said that justice was carried out on behalf of Brown and her loved ones.
āI pray for her family that all these years later, they can continue healing and have assurance that Demetrius Frazier cannot harm anyone else,ā Ivey said.
Frazier was convicted of Kendrickās death in 1993 and sentenced to life in prison. An AlabamaĀ jury convicted Frazier of capital murder in 1996 and recommended he be put to death by a vote of 10-2. While arguing that Frazier should be returned to Michigan, Frazierās legal team also argued the nitrogen gas protocol violated Frazierās Eighth Amendment protections against cruel and unusual punishment, citing the distress that media witnesses reported among the men who had previously been subjected to it.
The federal courts rejected both arguments. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said they would not ask for Frazier to be returned to their state.
Frazierās family and supporters petitioned Whitmer to intervene. Frazierās mother, Carol, penned a letter that requested Whitmer get involved, and a petition collected more than 4,000 signatures.
āWe are disappointed that Michigan chose to ignore requests to intercede, to ignore its own history, and failed to have Mr. Frazier returned to Michigan to complete his life sentences,ā Frazierās legal team said in a statement after Frazierās execution Thursday. āWe are disappointed that Gov. Ivey has not granted clemency, especially under these uniquely unfair and painful circumstances.Ā Martin Luther King, Jr. said āInjustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.ā Tonight, we grieve for everyone.ā
Alabama Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alabama Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Brian Lyman for questions: info@alabamareflector.com.