Alabama Gives Carey Grayson Execution Date of November 21, 2024

Carey Grayson, Alabama

Updated: Thursday, November 21, 2024

On Thursday, November 21, 2024, Carey Grayson was executed in Alabama.  He was 50 years of age.  He was pronounced dead at 6:33 pm local time, inside the execution chamber at the Holeman Correctional Facility near Atmore, Alabama.  Carey was executed for his part in the murder of 37-year-old Vickie Deblieux on February 21, 1994, near Trussville, Alabama.  For the last 28 years, Carey has resided on death row in Alabama.  

Carey’s mother died when he was three years old.  His father was married multiple times throughout his childhood, although he did not always take care of Carey.  At the time of the murder, Carey had not seen his father in years.  Carey did not do well in school, often refusing to do classwork or homework and usually failing to pay attention in class, however, he was not considered violent.

On February 21, 1994, Vickie Deblieux planned to hitchhike from Chattanooga, Tennessee to Louisana, where her mother lived.  Near the Trussville exit along I-59 in Jefferson County, Alabama, Carey Grayson, Kenny Loggins, Trace Duncan, and Louis Mangione spotted Vickie walking.  The four teenagers had previously been drinking.  They stopped and offered Vickie a ride.  They took her into a wooded area on the pretense of getting a second vehicle. 

Upon arriving at the wooded area, they all exited the vehicle and began drinking.  The four teens threw bottles at Vickie, who attempted to run away.  The guys quickly caught her, forced her to the ground, and began beating her.  Upon realizing that she was still alive, someone stood on her throat until she died.

After her death, the group took her to Bald Rock Mountain, removed her clothing and jewelry, and eventually threw her off a cliff.  They went through her luggage before hiding it in the woods.  The group cleaned out the vehicle that was used to transport her body and dropped the youngest, 16-year-old Mangione off at home.  The three others returned to Vickie’s body and mutilated it, including removing part of a lung, fingers, thumbs, and stabbing or cutting her 180 times.

Vickie’s body was found on February 26, 1994, by rock climbers who immediately called the police. Grayson, Loggins, Duncan, and Mangione, were connected to the murder after Mangione began showing off one of the fingers they cut off Vickie’s body.  

Grayson agreed to speak to the police, claiming he didn’t want to be blamed for the crime.  According to him, Loggins was the person who stood on Vickie’s neck.  Grayson did provide stabilization to Loggins while he was standing on her neck.  When asked why they killed her, Grayson responded that he did not know and “it was not his problem.”  Grayson also indicated that he did not steal from Vickie, but that he did participate in attacking her.    

Mangione, who was 16 at the time of the murder, was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 35 years.  The other three were sentenced to death.  Duncan and Loggins, who were both 17 at the time of the murder had their death sentences commuted in 2006, after Alabama changed its law to prohibit the execution of those under the age of 18 at the time the crime was committed.  Duncan had his sentence commuted to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 35 years, while Loggins had his sentence commuted to life in prison without the possibility of parole.  Grayson, who was 19 at the time of the murder, has not had his sentence commuted.

Grayson was executed using nitrogen gas.  He was third inmate in Alabama and the United States to be executed using this method. 

Please pray for peace for Vickie Deblieux’s family.  Please pray for strength for the family of Carey Grayson.