Carey Dale Grayson, 50, was executed by nitrogen hypoxia Thursday evening at the Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Alabama. Grayson, who fought the restraints, was the third person to be executed by nitrogen hypoxia in the state — and also the country.

An Alabama prisoner convicted of the 1994 murder of a female hitchhiker is slated to become the third person executed by nitrogen gas.

An Alabama inmate found guilty of murdering a hitchhiker 30 years ago on Thursday became the third person in America to be executed using nitrogen gas, furthering the ongoing debate about whether the method is an inhumane way to carry out death penalty sentences.