alabama officials executed nathaniel Woods despite claims of innocence. Then, against his religious beliefs, they autopsied his body

Published by The Appeal March 25, 2020

By Beth Shelburne

It has been over two weeks since Alabama executed Nathaniel Woods, but his family’s grief has been compounded by the horror of what happened after his death against his final wishes. 

Despite a frantic scramble by family, attorneys and supporters to stop it, the state of Alabama performed an autopsy on Woods’s body after the execution, something that is considered an outright desecration in the Islamic faith that Woods converted to near the end of his life.