A 58-year-old convicted killer, Kenneth Eugene Smith, experienced a controversial execution in Alabama using nitrogen gas, marking the first time this method has been employed in the United States. Smith was put to death through nitrogen hypoxia, and the execution lasted for approximately 22 minutes, during which he convulsed in seizure-like spasms for at least two minutes. The force of his movements caused visible shaking of the gurney.
The new method of execution using nitrogen gas has ignited a renewed debate over the humaneness of capital punishment. Previously, lethal injection had been the predominant method used in the United States since its introduction in 1982. However, the attempt to execute Smith using lethal injection was called off earlier due to difficulties in connecting an IV line.
Supporters of Smith expressed alarm at the execution process, contending that it contradicted the state’s promise of a quick and painless death. In response to criticism, Alabama’s Attorney General, Steve Marshall, termed the execution a “textbook” example during a news conference, asserting that nitrogen hypoxia is now a proven method.
Alabama Corrections Commissioner John Q. Hamm downplayed the concerns, stating that the observed effects during the execution were expected and within the anticipated side effects of nitrogen hypoxia.
The White House expressed deep concern over the first-ever execution in the United States using nitrogen gas. White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre conveyed the administration’s unease, highlighting President Joe Biden’s suspension of federal executions upon taking office. The use of nitrogen gas has raised ethical and human rights concerns, with the United Nations, European Union, and civil liberties groups condemning the execution.
UN human rights chief Volker Turk, the EU, and US civil liberties groups voiced apprehension about the execution method, suggesting that it may amount to torture or cruel and inhuman treatment. The EU, consisting of 27 member states that oppose the death penalty, denounced nitrogen gas execution as “particularly cruel and unusual punishment.”
Ravina Shamdasani, spokeswoman for the UN human rights office, expressed concern about Smith’s suffering during the Alabama execution. She advocated for an end to the death penalty, describing it as an anachronism incompatible with the 21st century.
Kenneth Eugene Smith’s case dates back to 1988 when he was convicted for his role in the murder-for-hire slaying of Elizabeth Sennett. Prosecutors alleged that Smith and another man were paid $1,000 each to kill Sennett on behalf of her pastor husband, who was in significant debt. Sennett was found dead with multiple stab wounds, and her husband, Charles Sennett Sr., killed himself when he became a suspect. Smith’s 1989 conviction was overturned, but he was convicted again in 1996 and sentenced to death, despite the jury recommending a life sentence.
