Alabama Conducts First Nitrogen Gas Execution In US: REPORT

Alabama Conducts First Nitrogen Gas Execution In US: REPORT

Alabama conducted its first nitrogen gas execution Thursday night, following a Supreme Court ruling denying attempts to block the use of the method.

Alabama 58-year-old inmate Kenneth Smith died at 8:25 p.m., giving his last words shortly before, in which he called out the state in their execution process for taking “a step backwards,” according to NPR. (RELATED: Supreme Court Declines To Stop Alabama From Executing Inmate With Nitrogen Gas)

“Tonight, Alabama caused humanity to take a step backwards,” Smith reportedly said. “I’m leaving with love, peace and light. Thank you for supporting me, love all of you.”

Authorities at the Alabama Department of Corrections stated that the execution began around 7:53 p.m., giving Smith a flow of nitrogen gas through a mask for roughly 15 minutes. Standing alongside Smith were two execution workers, as well as his spiritual advisor, Rev. Dr. Jeff Hood, according to NPR. Media witness had allegedly stated that Smith was conscious for 10 minutes as he received the gas, the outlet reported. However, he allegedly began to shake and writhe for two minutes on his gurney which was followed by roughly five minutes of heavy breathing, according to the outlet.

Correction Commissioner John Hamm later stated in a news conference that the inmate had appeared to be holding his breath for as long as he could while under the mask, according to NBC News. Hamm reportedly added that they expected “involuntary movement” and “nothing was out of the ordinary” in the execution.

Smith was previously sentenced to death after being found guilty for his role in the 1988 murder for hire of a pastor’s wife, according to NBC News. Smith, who was 22-years-old at the time, had been hired by a pastor named Charles Sennett along with two other people to kill his wife, Elizabeth Sennett, offering them $1,000 each, the outlet reported. Sennett had reportedly wanted to collect his wife’s life insurance, leading to her being beaten and stabbed to death in her home by the hired men.

Sennet later committed suicide, along with one of the hired men being executed by the state in 2010, according to the outlet. While a jury voted 11-1 that Smith receive life in prison, a presiding judge in 1996 had decided to sentence the inmate to death, NBC News reported.

State officials reportedly first attempted to execute Smith in November 2022 by lethal injection. However, a prison staff member had unsuccessfully inserted the needles into a suitable vein, according to the outlet. The failed attempt reportedly ended up prompting Alabama officials to pause the lethal injection process in 2022, seeking to re-evaluate the method.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to block Smith’s execution after the inmate’s lawyers had petitioned to halt the method, stating that the nitrogen gas had “never been tested.” Following the justices’ denial, Smith’s lawyers attempted one last time Thursday to try and block the execution, according to NBC News.

While Smith’s legal team had hoped for new legislation in the state to “ensure” inmates “won’t suffer the same fate” Smith underwent, Sennett’s sons said they wanted “closure,” NBC News reported.

“He’s never apologized to us for this,” Charles Sennett Jr. stated, according to NBC News. “Not a letter, not a word through his spiritual adviser or whoever. If he had done something like that years ago, we might have a little bit more compassion for the man.”

“As Christians,” Sennett reportedly added, “we’ve forgiven him.”

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