The final, chilling words of an Alabama death row inmate have been revealed, casting a long shadow over the state's controversial use of capital punishment. Kenneth Eugene Smith's last utterance, 'Let's ride', came moments before what witnesses have described as a horrifically botched lethal injection.
The execution, which took place in January 2022, was anything but swift. For over an hour, medical staff struggled to insert the IV lines necessary to administer the deadly cocktail of drugs. This prolonged and apparently painful process has ignited fierce debate and condemnation from anti-death penalty advocates worldwide.
A History of Unprecedented Cruelty
Smith's case is particularly grim. He was initially sentenced for the 1988 murder-for-hire of Elizabeth Sennett. His first encounter with the death chamber in 2022 was called off at the last minute due to the same issue—the inability to establish IV access before the execution warrant expired.
This made him the first inmate in US history to face a second attempt at execution after surviving a prior botched lethal injection procedure. The unprecedented nature of his case has placed Alabama's Department of Corrections under intense scrutiny.
The Grim Details of the Execution
Eyewitness accounts from journalists present in the death chamber paint a disturbing picture. Reports detail how Smith was first strapped to the gurney at around 8pm local time. However, the execution team spent nearly an hour attempting to set the IV lines, a process that was visibly stressful for the inmate.
After the chemicals finally began to flow, Smith reportedly shook and writhed on the gurney for several minutes. He was pronounced dead at 8:25pm, but the trauma of the event lasted far longer for those who witnessed it.
Global Outcry and Legal Challenges
The botched execution has not gone unnoticed. The United Nations Human Rights Office has publicly condemned the method, labelling it potential torture. Smith's own legal team had fought tirelessly against the use of lethal injection, arguing it violated the US constitution's protection against cruel and unusual punishment given his unique medical history.
Their efforts, however, were ultimately overruled by the US Supreme Court, which cleared the way for the execution to proceed. This decision has sparked a renewed conversation about the ethics and efficacy of the death penalty in modern America.
