Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey confirmed the execution Thursday night, highlighting the state's adoption of an easier alternative to lethal injections.
Alabama executed convicted murderer Kenneth Smith by nitrogen asphyxiation, marking the state's inaugural use of the method.
Gov. Kay Ivey confirmed the execution Thursday afternoon, emphasizing the state's adoption of the approach as a supposedly simpler alternative to lethal injections.
The new protocol, hailed by Alabama as “the most painless and humane method of execution known to man,” faced opposition from United Nations human rights experts and Smith's legal team. This controversy arose due to concerns about the experimental nature of nitrogen asphyxiation, its potential risks, and the possibility of a tortuous or non-fatal outcome.
Smith, who survived a previous failed lethal injection attempt, had been at the center of legal battles aimed at preventing his execution. Alabama corrections officials, along with journalists who witnessed the event, are expected to provide detailed reports Thursday evening.
Kenneth Smith, convicted in 1988 in a murder-for-hire case, gained notoriety as one of the few inmates who had already suffered a failed execution attempt.
In November 2022, Alabama officials halted his execution by lethal injection after struggling for hours to establish an intravenous line.
Governor Ivey, reflecting on the execution, stated: “On March 18, 1988, Kenneth Eugene Smith brutally took the life of 45-year-old Elizabeth Sennett. After more than 30 years and attempt after attempt to game the system, Mr. Smith has answered for his horrendous crimes.”
This historic event raises ethical and procedural questions surrounding the use of nitrogen asphyxiation in capital punishment, drawing attention to the ongoing debate over methods of human execution.
