Amy and T.J. have an update to the planned execution of Geoffrey West. Despite the powerful pleas from the victim’s son, West was declared dead at 6:22pm CT Thursday night, executed by the state of Alabama using nitrogen gas. West was convicted of the 1997 murder of a mother of two who was working at the gas station West and his girlfriend robbed, but in the wake of West’s execution, her son has a lesson for us all.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hey there, folks. It is Friday, September the twenty six
and we here at Amy and TJ don't normally dedicate
an episode to an execution that's taken place in the
United States, but we are making an exception because this
was an exceptional and heartbreaking and really unbelievable case. Welcome
(00:22):
to this episode of Amy and TJ. Bottom line and
execution Robes was carried out last night in Alabama, and
it was against the strong, powerful public please of the
man whose mother was murdered by this conflict, he has
been begging the state not to kill this man and Robes.
(00:45):
Last night they went forward.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Anyway, that's right.
Speaker 3 (00:48):
Jeffrey West, fifty year old Jeffrey West was declared dead
at six twenty two pm Central Time last night at
the William C. Holman Correctional Facility. This happened in at Moore, Alabama.
And yes, he was executed. You nitrogen gas. This was
first used in Alabama last year. Correct, that was the
first incident of nitrogen gas. It's a new option, so
(01:11):
to speak. It sounds awful to say that, but a
new option for inmates who are on death row. They
get to choose the way the manner in which they
are executed, and this.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
Got a lot of attention in the nitrogen gas. We'll
tell you how that went last night and why that
has been so controversial, But the case itself controversial just
for that. I mean, he killed a woman in nineteen
ninety seven who had two sons, one of them was
eleven years old at the time, and that eleven year
old is now what in his thirties and has been begging,
begging the state not to kill this man. In itself,
(01:43):
we've seen cases like this before, this one still kind
of stood out where the family of the victim is
advocating that the state not put the inmate to death.
His pleas and his reasons rose made this case so
heartbreaking that you find yourself rooting for a death row
(02:04):
inmate's life to be spared, because that's what the victim wants,
and you couldn't help by listening to Will Barry make
this case, you couldn't help but feel his pain.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (02:14):
I mean, we actually did a podcast on this earlier
because his words were so moving, his forgiveness so inspiring,
and the reasons he gave for anyone who values life,
and I would imagine that's everyone listening here made a
lot of sense because do we give people, do we
honor people because they've done horrible things, if they've turned
(02:36):
their life around, if they're sorry for what they did,
and if they can have an impact on people, if
they could actually touch the lives of people before they
make mistakes like they did, if they could actually have
a positive, positive impact on the world. Is there not
value then into letting that person, yes, still be punished,
remain behind bars, but actually do good and make up
(02:58):
for the bad.
Speaker 1 (02:59):
I'm on board everything you said about the possibility of
there being value to this person's life. I think that's
harder for the public to get on board with thinking
that a murderer, a guy who shot a woman who
was laying on the floor behind a counter, shot her
in the head so there wouldn't be any witnesses. It's
hard for any of us to look and go, okay,
that human being has value somewhere down the road. That's
(03:19):
a harder lift, but it's an easier lift when you
hear Will Barry say why he doesn't want this man killed.
I mean, he was an leven year old boy who
lost his mom and he said, this has been the
most painful thing that has shaped his life. He argued
that the thing that could help him Robes was to
get closure, to meet with West, to pray with West,
(03:42):
to forgive West. He actually said he needed that, and
it's been denied him. That's the part that I think
all of us as human beings have to look. You
don't feel sorry for the killer, but you feel sorry
for Will Barry.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
Correct.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
And if this country, our legal system are justice system
has historically and repeatedly and currently not valued or not
even considered the feelings, And I would argue it should
be the rights of victims to have a say in
what happens in punishing the person responsible for their pain.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
I'd be on board with that one hundred percent. If
somebody is getting the death penalty and the victim's family
steps forward and says we don't want this to happen,
I think that should be a done deal. I agree
be okay with them getting that Right now, the governor,
who Will Berry appealed to to please commute this sentence,
say hey, my hands are tied by the law. I
(04:40):
am here to carry out the law for the people
of Alabama. So it was a weird response in that
it seems like, no, we know better than what you
who's been most impacted by this, We know better than you.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
I because she could have. I mean, she's saying she couldn't,
but she could have.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
That is just the truth. That is her discretion as
governor to make that call. She knows she'd be feeling
some heed for it, and she knows certain people and
a lot of folks might be upset about it, but
she still her she had the right to make her
decision based on her own moral conscience.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
And that's what we're not I guess you know what
you say? That is that not what we're supposed to
be dealing with here. Is there no room for moral
consciousness when we're talking about death penalty, when we're talking
about punishing someone who did some of the most heinous
crimes we heard of? Is there any place for that?
Speaker 3 (05:28):
I think there is, And I think that's why we
give governors the right at the very last minute, up
until the minute before the execution is set to begin,
there was a phone right there in the room, and
the governor can call up until the minute before and
can offer a reprieve or a stay of execution.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
And a reminder here that what has happened, and this
was why we first started covering this story and got
so interested in it, is that West, yes, West, the murderer,
and will Barry, the son who was eleven. You ten
years separate them in age.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
Yeah, he was twenty one when he can the crime
when he murdered his mother. So the two men are
only ten years apart.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
They've been exchanging letters in which Very extended forgiveness to
the man who killed his mother and West extended an
apology since silwell, he said it was a sincere apology
for killing him. This is the relationship they've built, and
they wanted to meet and they wouldn't allow it. My
(06:24):
first thing, well why not, what's the big deal? Well,
it is a big deal.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
Yes, there is security issues, and that does make sense
because they can't have victims, family members or friends of
the victim meet with the convicted murderer of said family
member because there's concern that violence could erupt and you
could say one thing and then do another when you
get into the prison. So just as a matter of
public safety and certainly security there at the prison, they
(06:48):
have a rule against that.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
I don't want anyone to exact revenge in my name
nor in my mother's. This guy has really for a
while been on a campaign to try to spit this
man's life, and it did not happen. Now we're gonna
give you a couple of the details, and again this
is Look, this is a year we've had thirty three
plus executions in this country. That's the highest number we've
seen in some ten plus years, and another nine or
(07:13):
ten scheduled for this year. So we're just on a
pace and a lot of it has to do robed
with For a while, some of the drugs were in
question and caught up in quart are they cruel and unusual,
So a lot of states didn't have the tools to
execute anybody. So now they've got new resources and now
we're seeing uptick in some of the options they have.
(07:33):
We had what was it last year this year the
firing squad, expiring squad, So this has been going on.
So nitrogen gas the process essentially put a mask over
your face and you're only breathing in this nitrogen gas.
You're being denied oxygen, which is what the body needs
to survive, so every cell in your body is getting
(07:55):
cut off. Someone described it I saw it's like your
inside being like cryovect like you're just shrink And they
talk about how painful this could possibly be. We don't
obviously know. But last night, this all got started right
before six o'clock. And this is how the process what
you've done.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
I have witnessed and execution.
Speaker 3 (08:14):
I witnessed a lethal injection when I was twenty three
years old, a man who had been on death row
for twenty seven years. And I can tell you from
my own personal observations it was not gentle, it was
not peaceful, and it certainly looked very painful. It was
lethal injection, and I think this is one of the
reasons why that method had been called into question in
(08:34):
terms of the order that the drugs were given, the
type of drugs that were given. But I saw this
man his chest shot up. He was actually making noises,
moaning and gurgling in pain. It was wildly difficult to
witness and watch. So this execution that happened last night,
the curtain opened, and yeah, they have curtains. I mean
that was my experience as well. It's very much like
(08:56):
what you see in the movie is it happens in
real life. The curtain opened at five point fifty two two,
West was situated so he was facing the viewing room,
and the warden read the execution warrant, and the warden
did ask him, as they do every time, do you
have any last words?
Speaker 2 (09:10):
And West responded, no, sir.
Speaker 1 (09:13):
He did have We'll share this with you in a second.
But he didn't have any words then, but he did
have a statement that was released by his lawyer afterwards.
Were going to share that in just a.
Speaker 3 (09:22):
Moment, yes, So then Wes gave a nod to the
priest who was in the room with him, father Patrick Badden,
he had just converted to Catholicism this past year, and
gave a thumbs up to his attorney in the viewing room.
And so then at five fifty five the correction officer
came in checked the seal on the gas mask, and
then Father Madden was able to step in to West
(09:44):
for a quick prayer.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
And the folks who.
Speaker 3 (09:46):
Were in the room, and they usually they always have
a member of the media there because that's a part
of the process so that they can say what they saw.
They are official witnesses. And according to them, Wes coughed
and then gasped, and then his head went to this
he was described as appearing to foam at the mouth,
and then it was at six oh one he started
to take deep.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
Breaths that turned to shallow.
Speaker 3 (10:08):
Five minutes later, at six oh six, witnesses say his
torso pulsed and then he appeared to stop moving. Soon
after that, at six seventeen, the curtains.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
Closed, and then we got the official word later that
six twenty two is when he was declared dead. Now,
they came out afterwards and a lot of questions about
the nitrogen gas that was used. They said it has
been different every time. I think it's the fifth or
sixth time they've done it in Alabama in the past
figure I believe in the past two years. And they
say every time the inmate, the body reacts differently. But
(10:40):
they said this was the least amount of movement that
they have seen in all of those six executions. They
said all the movements they believe were involuntary by the body.
And they say he was not feeling or experiencing any
of this or doing all of this on his own.
But that is what happened in that room last night. Now,
he did not say anything that moment. I think that's fascinating.
(11:00):
You have any last words and you actually say no,
you don't want to say anything.
Speaker 2 (11:04):
Most of the time that is what happens.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
That I say no, sir. But we always hear about
the ones when there is something that they say. Sometimes
they say something crazy when they are A guy.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
Said something Trump, Yes, yes, okay.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
Well this guy didn't say anything then, but he did
have a statement he released I'll excuse me, his attorney
released back.
Speaker 3 (11:19):
Can you imagine, I mean no, what it would be
like to know these are the last things coming out
of my mouth.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
You'd want to get it right. So maybe that is
why he chose.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
To put it in a statement that he wrote, instead
of something that he would have to memorize and might
not say correctly. So this was West's final statement. It
starts with three very powerful words with a period. I
am sorry period. I have apologized privately to the family
of Margaret Parish Barry and am humbled by the forgiveness
(11:45):
her son Will has extended. I was baptized into the
Catholic Church earlier this year and confirmed yesterday. I am
at peace because I know where I am going and
look forward to seeing missus Barry when I get there.
I urge everyone, a special young people to find God,
spend a few moments to consider the two possibilities. This
was all a fluke, or there was a creator and
(12:08):
a reason for everything. Your choice will determine where you
spend eternity.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
God bless you all.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
I know nothing of him other than the crime he committed.
I don't know before I read that statement who this
guy is now, because that flies in the face of
the crime, which by all accounts, I say all accounts
at least from the family will Barry. He said this
(12:36):
was a guy who was on the right path and
who was a good dude who had a detour something
went wrong in his life. He was open to forgiveness
and understanding that maybe this wasn't a terrible guy. Maybe
there's a good guy who did a bad thing. For
him to even be able to separate that as the
victim is amazing to me. But I don't I know.
Some folks quick to dismiss this is a convicted killer.
(12:58):
He shot the woman in the head. Who gives a
damn what he has to say? Maybe we should, I.
Speaker 3 (13:03):
Mean, yeah, considering the fact that he's twenty one years
old when he committed the crime. I'm not accusing that,
but twenty one twenty one is a big, big difference
than you know. I wonder if he had been twenty
or nineteen or eighteen. I know they can still try
you as an adult, but still he had just entered
his first year of official adulthood.
Speaker 1 (13:25):
Again, we are not no one'll ever make any use
at all, but it's just interesting to think about. I mean,
the people we end up learning most from the people
who have made mistakes, were screwed up the most. And yes,
sometimes people have done horrendous things like this. But to
hear his statement and in his final thing to say
to the earth is that he wished to see this
(13:46):
woman that he killed and to talk about forgiveness and
encourage others. I don't know. I know some people are
dismiss I just think as powerful as moving and it's
important and I'm glad to have it and see it.
I'm glad Will Barry brought this to our attention. We
look at it, we.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
Can learn from this.
Speaker 3 (14:01):
And in West's final days, we know that he had
several visitors, including his mom who is still alive, his father,
his pastor, his cousin, his brother, his nephew's like his
family all came to meet with him, which is pretty
cool that there's still a relationship there and that they
saw the value in what he was able to evolve
into over the years. His final meal, everyone always wants
(14:23):
to know that chicken.
Speaker 2 (14:24):
Quesadilla is always interesting. Yeah, everyone makes a different choice.
I would never have picked that one. I never would
have guessed that one. How about that?
Speaker 1 (14:30):
Okay, that's a good way. You expecting the steak and
potato or something like that. But that was his final meal.
But we want to tell you also we've been talking
about Will Barry again, the kid that was eleven years
old when this man killed his mom. Well, Barry has
been fighting and fighting for a while trying to keep
West from being executed. Well after it happen happened last night,
(14:51):
he put out a statement as well. We want you
to hear what he had to say after the State
of Alabama took from him something he he desperately needed
for healing in his life.
Speaker 3 (15:11):
Continuing now, on this episode of Amy and TJ, we
are talking about the execution by nitrogen gas. This of
course happened to in Alabama.
Speaker 2 (15:23):
This was.
Speaker 3 (15:25):
An execution we have been talking about for some time.
But this was an unusual execution because here we have
the victim's son, who was eleven years old at the
time that his mother was murdered, asking for the state
to spare this man's life, to spare the man's life
who killed his mother, and those pleased to the governor
(15:47):
and to anyone who would listen. Unfortunately went unanswered, and
the execution was carried out last night around six pm
Central time.
Speaker 1 (15:54):
They're doing their duty. We're not speaking as anyone here
or who has we think they did something wrong in
terms of the case, in terms of the law. It
is just from a human standpoint when you hear the
pleas of a man who says he needs this in
his life in some way to help with his healing process.
That's been going on since he was eleven years old,
and so now it's gone, the opportunity is gone. That
(16:15):
just sucks for him.
Speaker 3 (16:16):
Yes, so Jeffrey West was in fact executed, and Will
Barry after that execution, released this statement. Well, he said
vengeance isn't for the state, it's for the Lord. When
did he say that.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
He said that this week on the step of the Capitol.
They were there delivering a petition saying, please spare his life.
Speaker 3 (16:32):
Okay, so then his statement reads as follows, we are
stunned that this is happening. Please convey our condolences to
his mother and the rest of his 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. We pray that he gains peace
(16:52):
when he meets his maker. What a beautiful statement to
offer condolences to the man's mother who murdered your mother.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
That is remarkable.
Speaker 1 (17:04):
You could you could understand a tendency to look at
the family and go and hate them like you raise
this monster. Look what he did to my family. There
is something, Yes, I'll go back to Erica Kirk. There
is something in forgiveness. There is something, And we talked
about this faith you got. There is a certain level
of faith in people that I think allows for this
(17:27):
type of forgiveness. This type bro, we're not saying I'm
sorry or forgive you for stealing my candy out of
the drawer. We're not saying I'm sorry for breaking my heart.
When I say, is you murdered somebody that was everything
to me and I forgive you Jesus.
Speaker 3 (17:43):
And I am offering condolences now to your family because
I didn't think that you should die, and I hope
and pray that you'll be okay. I mean that that's
even an extra level to.
Speaker 2 (17:53):
Then offer condolences. I thought that was incredibly powerful.
Speaker 1 (17:57):
So I for Austin, for this story. There's just lessons here,
and there have been several of these lately, like I
just don't know. And I heard Erica Kerr. I think
Erica Kirk had a lot of people thinking about forgiveness. Yes,
not something to that level of course what was taken
from her, but all in our lives. And this is
(18:19):
a story where these people were talking to ether like
human beings, not like killers, not like anything other than
human beings. And life is precious and why kill another one?
Why lose another one? If there's value to his life,
even if it was for one person only, then that
life should have been spared.
Speaker 3 (18:38):
Yeah, and will Berry just said very much so to
why compound a tragedy with another tragedy? I mean, he
made that point very very clear. I do think we've
had so many tough headlines about revenge, about political politically
motivated killings. But then in the wake of all of that,
we have seen exceptional moments of forgiveness. And so if
(18:59):
we can and take that lesson, if we can look
at those lessons and the impact that those can have
versus the violence, but just the forgiveness and the ability
to extend grace, that's the silver lining.
Speaker 1 (19:11):
You just nailed it, all right, That's it right there.
That's what I've been trying to say this whole episode.
You really saying that you in Washington, you can't say
a nice thing about the guy and the other party,
but the guy whose mom was killed by Jeffrey West
is willing to forgive him, but you can't get along
with the Democratic senator or Republican represent.
Speaker 2 (19:34):
Star former FBI direction.
Speaker 1 (19:36):
We got a yes, they are setting examples for our leaders,
who are the ones who should be setting the examples
for us. So this is a tragic but beautiful story
and lessons within it. I think Will Berry for being
willing to share so publicly what he's been going on.
Speaker 3 (19:54):
Yeah, Will Barry, Erica Kirk, thank you for being bright
lights in an otherwise pretty dark couple of weeks. Thank
you for that, and we hope that gives you some hope,
some inspiration and maybe a new way to look at things.
It certainly has for us. And with that, thank you
for listening. I'm Amy Roboch alongside TJ.
Speaker 2 (20:09):
Holmes.
Speaker 3 (20:09):
Have a great day, everybody,
Hey there, folks. It is Friday, September the twenty six
and we here at Amy and TJ don't normally dedicate
an episode to an execution that's taken place in the
United States, but we are making an exception because this
was an exceptional and heartbreaking and really unbelievable case. Welcome
(00:22):
to this episode of Amy and TJ. Bottom line and
execution Robes was carried out last night in Alabama, and
it was against the strong, powerful public please of the
man whose mother was murdered by this conflict, he has
been begging the state not to kill this man and Robes.
(00:45):
Last night they went forward.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Anyway, that's right.
Speaker 3 (00:48):
Jeffrey West, fifty year old Jeffrey West was declared dead
at six twenty two pm Central Time last night at
the William C. Holman Correctional Facility. This happened in at Moore, Alabama.
And yes, he was executed. You nitrogen gas. This was
first used in Alabama last year. Correct, that was the
first incident of nitrogen gas. It's a new option, so
(01:11):
to speak. It sounds awful to say that, but a
new option for inmates who are on death row. They
get to choose the way the manner in which they
are executed, and this.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
Got a lot of attention in the nitrogen gas. We'll
tell you how that went last night and why that
has been so controversial, But the case itself controversial just
for that. I mean, he killed a woman in nineteen
ninety seven who had two sons, one of them was
eleven years old at the time, and that eleven year
old is now what in his thirties and has been begging,
begging the state not to kill this man. In itself,
(01:43):
we've seen cases like this before, this one still kind
of stood out where the family of the victim is
advocating that the state not put the inmate to death.
His pleas and his reasons rose made this case so
heartbreaking that you find yourself rooting for a death row
(02:04):
inmate's life to be spared, because that's what the victim wants,
and you couldn't help by listening to Will Barry make
this case, you couldn't help but feel his pain.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (02:14):
I mean, we actually did a podcast on this earlier
because his words were so moving, his forgiveness so inspiring,
and the reasons he gave for anyone who values life,
and I would imagine that's everyone listening here made a
lot of sense because do we give people, do we
honor people because they've done horrible things, if they've turned
(02:36):
their life around, if they're sorry for what they did,
and if they can have an impact on people, if
they could actually touch the lives of people before they
make mistakes like they did, if they could actually have
a positive, positive impact on the world. Is there not
value then into letting that person, yes, still be punished,
remain behind bars, but actually do good and make up
(02:58):
for the bad.
Speaker 1 (02:59):
I'm on board everything you said about the possibility of
there being value to this person's life. I think that's
harder for the public to get on board with thinking
that a murderer, a guy who shot a woman who
was laying on the floor behind a counter, shot her
in the head so there wouldn't be any witnesses. It's
hard for any of us to look and go, okay,
that human being has value somewhere down the road. That's
(03:19):
a harder lift, but it's an easier lift when you
hear Will Barry say why he doesn't want this man killed.
I mean, he was an leven year old boy who
lost his mom and he said, this has been the
most painful thing that has shaped his life. He argued
that the thing that could help him Robes was to
get closure, to meet with West, to pray with West,
(03:42):
to forgive West. He actually said he needed that, and
it's been denied him. That's the part that I think
all of us as human beings have to look. You
don't feel sorry for the killer, but you feel sorry
for Will Barry.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
Correct.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
And if this country, our legal system are justice system
has historically and repeatedly and currently not valued or not
even considered the feelings, And I would argue it should
be the rights of victims to have a say in
what happens in punishing the person responsible for their pain.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
I'd be on board with that one hundred percent. If
somebody is getting the death penalty and the victim's family
steps forward and says we don't want this to happen,
I think that should be a done deal. I agree
be okay with them getting that Right now, the governor,
who Will Berry appealed to to please commute this sentence,
say hey, my hands are tied by the law. I
(04:40):
am here to carry out the law for the people
of Alabama. So it was a weird response in that
it seems like, no, we know better than what you
who's been most impacted by this, We know better than you.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
I because she could have. I mean, she's saying she couldn't,
but she could have.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
That is just the truth. That is her discretion as
governor to make that call. She knows she'd be feeling
some heed for it, and she knows certain people and
a lot of folks might be upset about it, but
she still her she had the right to make her
decision based on her own moral conscience.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
And that's what we're not I guess you know what
you say? That is that not what we're supposed to
be dealing with here. Is there no room for moral
consciousness when we're talking about death penalty, when we're talking
about punishing someone who did some of the most heinous
crimes we heard of? Is there any place for that?
Speaker 3 (05:28):
I think there is, And I think that's why we
give governors the right at the very last minute, up
until the minute before the execution is set to begin,
there was a phone right there in the room, and
the governor can call up until the minute before and
can offer a reprieve or a stay of execution.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
And a reminder here that what has happened, and this
was why we first started covering this story and got
so interested in it, is that West, yes, West, the murderer,
and will Barry, the son who was eleven. You ten
years separate them in age.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
Yeah, he was twenty one when he can the crime
when he murdered his mother. So the two men are
only ten years apart.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
They've been exchanging letters in which Very extended forgiveness to
the man who killed his mother and West extended an
apology since silwell, he said it was a sincere apology
for killing him. This is the relationship they've built, and
they wanted to meet and they wouldn't allow it. My
(06:24):
first thing, well why not, what's the big deal? Well,
it is a big deal.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
Yes, there is security issues, and that does make sense
because they can't have victims, family members or friends of
the victim meet with the convicted murderer of said family
member because there's concern that violence could erupt and you
could say one thing and then do another when you
get into the prison. So just as a matter of
public safety and certainly security there at the prison, they
(06:48):
have a rule against that.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
I don't want anyone to exact revenge in my name
nor in my mother's. This guy has really for a
while been on a campaign to try to spit this
man's life, and it did not happen. Now we're gonna
give you a couple of the details, and again this
is Look, this is a year we've had thirty three
plus executions in this country. That's the highest number we've
seen in some ten plus years, and another nine or
(07:13):
ten scheduled for this year. So we're just on a
pace and a lot of it has to do robed
with For a while, some of the drugs were in
question and caught up in quart are they cruel and unusual,
So a lot of states didn't have the tools to
execute anybody. So now they've got new resources and now
we're seeing uptick in some of the options they have.
(07:33):
We had what was it last year this year the
firing squad, expiring squad, So this has been going on.
So nitrogen gas the process essentially put a mask over
your face and you're only breathing in this nitrogen gas.
You're being denied oxygen, which is what the body needs
to survive, so every cell in your body is getting
(07:55):
cut off. Someone described it I saw it's like your
inside being like cryovect like you're just shrink And they
talk about how painful this could possibly be. We don't
obviously know. But last night, this all got started right
before six o'clock. And this is how the process what
you've done.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
I have witnessed and execution.
Speaker 3 (08:14):
I witnessed a lethal injection when I was twenty three
years old, a man who had been on death row
for twenty seven years. And I can tell you from
my own personal observations it was not gentle, it was
not peaceful, and it certainly looked very painful. It was
lethal injection, and I think this is one of the
reasons why that method had been called into question in
(08:34):
terms of the order that the drugs were given, the
type of drugs that were given. But I saw this
man his chest shot up. He was actually making noises,
moaning and gurgling in pain. It was wildly difficult to
witness and watch. So this execution that happened last night,
the curtain opened, and yeah, they have curtains. I mean
that was my experience as well. It's very much like
(08:56):
what you see in the movie is it happens in
real life. The curtain opened at five point fifty two two,
West was situated so he was facing the viewing room,
and the warden read the execution warrant, and the warden
did ask him, as they do every time, do you
have any last words?
Speaker 2 (09:10):
And West responded, no, sir.
Speaker 1 (09:13):
He did have We'll share this with you in a second.
But he didn't have any words then, but he did
have a statement that was released by his lawyer afterwards.
Were going to share that in just a.
Speaker 3 (09:22):
Moment, yes, So then Wes gave a nod to the
priest who was in the room with him, father Patrick Badden,
he had just converted to Catholicism this past year, and
gave a thumbs up to his attorney in the viewing room.
And so then at five fifty five the correction officer
came in checked the seal on the gas mask, and
then Father Madden was able to step in to West
(09:44):
for a quick prayer.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
And the folks who.
Speaker 3 (09:46):
Were in the room, and they usually they always have
a member of the media there because that's a part
of the process so that they can say what they saw.
They are official witnesses. And according to them, Wes coughed
and then gasped, and then his head went to this
he was described as appearing to foam at the mouth,
and then it was at six oh one he started
to take deep.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
Breaths that turned to shallow.
Speaker 3 (10:08):
Five minutes later, at six oh six, witnesses say his
torso pulsed and then he appeared to stop moving. Soon
after that, at six seventeen, the curtains.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
Closed, and then we got the official word later that
six twenty two is when he was declared dead. Now,
they came out afterwards and a lot of questions about
the nitrogen gas that was used. They said it has
been different every time. I think it's the fifth or
sixth time they've done it in Alabama in the past
figure I believe in the past two years. And they
say every time the inmate, the body reacts differently. But
(10:40):
they said this was the least amount of movement that
they have seen in all of those six executions. They
said all the movements they believe were involuntary by the body.
And they say he was not feeling or experiencing any
of this or doing all of this on his own.
But that is what happened in that room last night. Now,
he did not say anything that moment. I think that's fascinating.
(11:00):
You have any last words and you actually say no,
you don't want to say anything.
Speaker 2 (11:04):
Most of the time that is what happens.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
That I say no, sir. But we always hear about
the ones when there is something that they say. Sometimes
they say something crazy when they are A guy.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
Said something Trump, Yes, yes, okay.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
Well this guy didn't say anything then, but he did
have a statement he released I'll excuse me, his attorney
released back.
Speaker 3 (11:19):
Can you imagine, I mean no, what it would be
like to know these are the last things coming out
of my mouth.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
You'd want to get it right. So maybe that is
why he chose.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
To put it in a statement that he wrote, instead
of something that he would have to memorize and might
not say correctly. So this was West's final statement. It
starts with three very powerful words with a period. I
am sorry period. I have apologized privately to the family
of Margaret Parish Barry and am humbled by the forgiveness
(11:45):
her son Will has extended. I was baptized into the
Catholic Church earlier this year and confirmed yesterday. I am
at peace because I know where I am going and
look forward to seeing missus Barry when I get there.
I urge everyone, a special young people to find God,
spend a few moments to consider the two possibilities. This
was all a fluke, or there was a creator and
(12:08):
a reason for everything. Your choice will determine where you
spend eternity.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
God bless you all.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
I know nothing of him other than the crime he committed.
I don't know before I read that statement who this
guy is now, because that flies in the face of
the crime, which by all accounts, I say all accounts
at least from the family will Barry. He said this
(12:36):
was a guy who was on the right path and
who was a good dude who had a detour something
went wrong in his life. He was open to forgiveness
and understanding that maybe this wasn't a terrible guy. Maybe
there's a good guy who did a bad thing. For
him to even be able to separate that as the
victim is amazing to me. But I don't I know.
Some folks quick to dismiss this is a convicted killer.
(12:58):
He shot the woman in the head. Who gives a
damn what he has to say? Maybe we should, I.
Speaker 3 (13:03):
Mean, yeah, considering the fact that he's twenty one years
old when he committed the crime. I'm not accusing that,
but twenty one twenty one is a big, big difference
than you know. I wonder if he had been twenty
or nineteen or eighteen. I know they can still try
you as an adult, but still he had just entered
his first year of official adulthood.
Speaker 1 (13:25):
Again, we are not no one'll ever make any use
at all, but it's just interesting to think about. I mean,
the people we end up learning most from the people
who have made mistakes, were screwed up the most. And yes,
sometimes people have done horrendous things like this. But to
hear his statement and in his final thing to say
to the earth is that he wished to see this
(13:46):
woman that he killed and to talk about forgiveness and
encourage others. I don't know. I know some people are
dismiss I just think as powerful as moving and it's
important and I'm glad to have it and see it.
I'm glad Will Barry brought this to our attention. We
look at it, we.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
Can learn from this.
Speaker 3 (14:01):
And in West's final days, we know that he had
several visitors, including his mom who is still alive, his father,
his pastor, his cousin, his brother, his nephew's like his
family all came to meet with him, which is pretty
cool that there's still a relationship there and that they
saw the value in what he was able to evolve
into over the years. His final meal, everyone always wants
(14:23):
to know that chicken.
Speaker 2 (14:24):
Quesadilla is always interesting. Yeah, everyone makes a different choice.
I would never have picked that one. I never would
have guessed that one. How about that?
Speaker 1 (14:30):
Okay, that's a good way. You expecting the steak and
potato or something like that. But that was his final meal.
But we want to tell you also we've been talking
about Will Barry again, the kid that was eleven years
old when this man killed his mom. Well, Barry has
been fighting and fighting for a while trying to keep
West from being executed. Well after it happen happened last night,
(14:51):
he put out a statement as well. We want you
to hear what he had to say after the State
of Alabama took from him something he he desperately needed
for healing in his life.
Speaker 3 (15:11):
Continuing now, on this episode of Amy and TJ, we
are talking about the execution by nitrogen gas. This of
course happened to in Alabama.
Speaker 2 (15:23):
This was.
Speaker 3 (15:25):
An execution we have been talking about for some time.
But this was an unusual execution because here we have
the victim's son, who was eleven years old at the
time that his mother was murdered, asking for the state
to spare this man's life, to spare the man's life
who killed his mother, and those pleased to the governor
(15:47):
and to anyone who would listen. Unfortunately went unanswered, and
the execution was carried out last night around six pm
Central time.
Speaker 1 (15:54):
They're doing their duty. We're not speaking as anyone here
or who has we think they did something wrong in
terms of the case, in terms of the law. It
is just from a human standpoint when you hear the
pleas of a man who says he needs this in
his life in some way to help with his healing process.
That's been going on since he was eleven years old,
and so now it's gone, the opportunity is gone. That
(16:15):
just sucks for him.
Speaker 3 (16:16):
Yes, so Jeffrey West was in fact executed, and Will
Barry after that execution, released this statement. Well, he said
vengeance isn't for the state, it's for the Lord. When
did he say that.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
He said that this week on the step of the Capitol.
They were there delivering a petition saying, please spare his life.
Speaker 3 (16:32):
Okay, so then his statement reads as follows, we are
stunned that this is happening. Please convey our condolences to
his mother and the rest of his 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. We pray that he gains peace
(16:52):
when he meets his maker. What a beautiful statement to
offer condolences to the man's mother who murdered your mother.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
That is remarkable.
Speaker 1 (17:04):
You could you could understand a tendency to look at
the family and go and hate them like you raise
this monster. Look what he did to my family. There
is something, Yes, I'll go back to Erica Kirk. There
is something in forgiveness. There is something, And we talked
about this faith you got. There is a certain level
of faith in people that I think allows for this
(17:27):
type of forgiveness. This type bro, we're not saying I'm
sorry or forgive you for stealing my candy out of
the drawer. We're not saying I'm sorry for breaking my heart.
When I say, is you murdered somebody that was everything
to me and I forgive you Jesus.
Speaker 3 (17:43):
And I am offering condolences now to your family because
I didn't think that you should die, and I hope
and pray that you'll be okay. I mean that that's
even an extra level to.
Speaker 2 (17:53):
Then offer condolences. I thought that was incredibly powerful.
Speaker 1 (17:57):
So I for Austin, for this story. There's just lessons here,
and there have been several of these lately, like I
just don't know. And I heard Erica Kerr. I think
Erica Kirk had a lot of people thinking about forgiveness. Yes,
not something to that level of course what was taken
from her, but all in our lives. And this is
(18:19):
a story where these people were talking to ether like
human beings, not like killers, not like anything other than
human beings. And life is precious and why kill another one?
Why lose another one? If there's value to his life,
even if it was for one person only, then that
life should have been spared.
Speaker 3 (18:38):
Yeah, and will Berry just said very much so to
why compound a tragedy with another tragedy? I mean, he
made that point very very clear. I do think we've
had so many tough headlines about revenge, about political politically
motivated killings. But then in the wake of all of that,
we have seen exceptional moments of forgiveness. And so if
(18:59):
we can and take that lesson, if we can look
at those lessons and the impact that those can have
versus the violence, but just the forgiveness and the ability
to extend grace, that's the silver lining.
Speaker 1 (19:11):
You just nailed it, all right, That's it right there.
That's what I've been trying to say this whole episode.
You really saying that you in Washington, you can't say
a nice thing about the guy and the other party,
but the guy whose mom was killed by Jeffrey West
is willing to forgive him, but you can't get along
with the Democratic senator or Republican represent.
Speaker 2 (19:34):
Star former FBI direction.
Speaker 1 (19:36):
We got a yes, they are setting examples for our leaders,
who are the ones who should be setting the examples
for us. So this is a tragic but beautiful story
and lessons within it. I think Will Berry for being
willing to share so publicly what he's been going on.
Speaker 3 (19:54):
Yeah, Will Barry, Erica Kirk, thank you for being bright
lights in an otherwise pretty dark couple of weeks. Thank
you for that, and we hope that gives you some hope,
some inspiration and maybe a new way to look at things.
It certainly has for us. And with that, thank you
for listening. I'm Amy Roboch alongside TJ.
Speaker 2 (20:09):
Holmes.
Speaker 3 (20:09):
Have a great day, everybody,
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.