Kenneth Eugene Smith was executed on Thursday by the state of Alabama using nitrogen gas for the first time in American history. Nitrogen gas is pumped into a facemask in the controversial method known as nitro hypoxia, which causes the victim to suffocate. This approach has drawn criticism from human rights activists since it may result in unjustified suffering.
Who is Kenneth Eugene Smith?
58 year old Smith, was convicted in 1988 of killing Elizabeth Sennett, a pastor’s wife, for hire. He subsequently spent more than three decades on death row. John Parker, Smith’s accomplice, and Smith received $1,000 for the crime. In 2010, Parker was put to death by lethal injection. Charles Sennett, the person who had contracted Smith and Parker to kill him, committed suicide after his wife died.
Interestingly, Smith had already had escaped an execution attempt in 2022 due to difficulties with setting up intravenous connections for a lethal injection by prison officials. Smith discussed his anguish and dread following the unsuccessful attempt in a December 2023 interview with National Public Radio where he said that he was “absolutely terrified” about the impending execution.
The Nitrogen Gas Execution Method
During Smith’s execution, pure nitrogen was pumped into his lungs rather than oxygen through the use of a respirator mask covering his face. It was reported that Smith seemed to be in distress the entire time which lasted about twenty-two minutes. Witnesses stated that he started thrashing and writhing two to four minutes ago, and then he started breathing heavily for around five minutes. According to John Hamm who is the Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Corrections, Smith seemed to be “holding his breath as long as he could”.
Last meal and words
Smith ate steak, hash browns, and eggs for his final meal on Thursday morning. His wife and other family members were present when he was executed. Smith made an “I love you” gesture in their direction throughout the procedure. Five media representatives were allowed to watch the execution through a glass pane.
Smith expressed a negative opinion in his last words, saying, “Tonight, Alabama caused humanity to take a step backward,” according to a CBS reporter who was there for the execution. This claim also was a part of the ongoing discussion about the morality and compassion of the death penalty, where opponents contend that the application of nitrogen gas and other comparable techniques may subject the condemned to needless agony.
As the first state to use this highly debated procedure, Alabama’s nitrogen gas execution of Kenneth Eugene Smith adds a new dimension to the continuing debate over the morality and application of the death penalty in the country.
