Demetrius Frazier, 52, was executed Thursday evening at a prison in Atmore, Alabama, after being convicted of the 1991 murder of 41-year-old Pauline Brown. Frazier’s execution marked the nation’s fourth using nitrogen gas, a new method Alabama adopted. He was pronounced dead at 6:36 p.m. CST, following an execution that lasted approximately 18 minutes.
Frazier had been convicted of breaking into Brown’s Birmingham apartment while she slept, demanding money, and raping her at gunpoint before shooting her in the head. After returning to the scene later to search for money, he was arrested. Frazier was also serving a life sentence in Michigan for the 1992 murder of 14-year-old Crystal Kendrick before being transferred to Alabama in 2011, where he faced the death penalty for Brown’s murder.
In his final words, Frazier apologized to Brown’s family, stating, “What happened to Pauline Brown should have never happened.” He also criticized Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer for not intervening in his case and reiterated his love for fellow death row inmates, declaring, “Detroit Strong.” His mother and death penalty opponents had urged Whitmer to bring him back to Michigan, where the death penalty is banned, to serve his life sentence there. However, Whitmer stated that her predecessor, Rick Snyder, had agreed to send Frazier to Alabama, leaving the decision in the hands of Alabama officials.
Frazier’s execution used a nitrogen gas method, which replaces breathable air with nitrogen, leading to death by suffocation. Witnesses observed him move his hands in circles after the gas began flowing, but his movements slowed and ceased within minutes, indicating unconsciousness. A federal judge recently ruled that the method did not violate constitutional rights despite some concerns over its speed.
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey issued a statement following the execution, emphasizing justice for Brown and the state’s commitment to enforcing the law.
