Geoffrey West executed for 1997 capital murder
FILE – This undated photo from the Alabama Department of Corrections shows Geoffrey West. (Alabama Department of Corrections via AP, File)
The Alabama Department of Corrections has executed Geoffrey Todd West.
West was executed at 6:22PM tonight by nitrogen hypoxia at Holman Prison in Atmore.
West had been sentenced to death for the 1997 capital murder of Margaret Parrish Berry in Etowah County.
Prosecutors said West drove to Harold’s Chevron in the Etowah County city of Attalla with plans to rob the store where he once worked. Berry, 33, was shot in the back of the head while lying on the floor behind the counter. Court records state that $250 was taken from a cookie can that held the store’s money.
A jury convicted West of capital murder and voted 10-2 to recommend a death sentence. A judge accepted the jury’s recommendation and sentenced West to death in 1999.
Berry’s son Will Berry was 11 when his mother was killed. Will Berry and West had exchanged letters. West expressed his remorse, and Berry offered forgiveness.
Will Berry had asked Gov. Kay Ivey to stop the execution, saying he doesn’t want anyone else to die.
“I forgive this guy, and I don’t want him to die,” Berry said in a telephone interview. “I don’t want the state to take revenge in my name or my family’s name for my mother.”
Tonight, Gov. Kay Ivey released this statement about the execution:
“Almost 30 years ago, Margaret Parrish Berry went to work at the convenience store, but she would never get to return home. Geoffrey West went in with the intent to rob and kill, and he cowardly shot Ms. Berry in the back of the head. Alabama law imposes death as punishment for the most egregious forms of murder, and there was no question of Mr. West’s guilt by the jury in this case or any court over the last three decades. As I expressed in a letter to one of Ms. Berry’s sons, it is my solemn duty as governor to carry out these laws. Tonight, the lawfully imposed death sentence has been carried out, justice has been served, and I pray for healing for all.”
Today, West had eight visitors, no phone calls, refused his breakfast, lunch and dinner trays, had snacks throughout the day and his final meal was chicken quesadillas, according to the Alabama Department of Corrections.
Prosecutors also charged West’s girlfriend in Margaret Berry’s death. She pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 35 years in prison.
(Copyright 2025 The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
