In a landmark moment for America's capital punishment system, Alabama has carried out the nation's first execution using nitrogen gas, putting convicted murderer Kenneth Smith to death in a controversial procedure that lasted approximately 22 minutes.
The Historic Execution
Kenneth Eugene Smith, 58, was pronounced dead at 8:25pm on Thursday at William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Alabama. The execution method—nitrogen hypoxia—involved administering pure nitrogen through a face mask, depriving Smith of oxygen until he suffocated.
"Tonight, Kenneth Smith was put to death for the heinous crime for which he was convicted," stated Alabama Governor Kay Ivey, defending the execution as justice served for the 1988 murder-for-hire of Elizabeth Sennett.
Controversy and Legal Challenges
The method had never been used before in US history, drawing widespread condemnation from human rights organisations and legal experts. Smith's legal team had fought relentlessly to stop the execution, arguing it constituted cruel and unusual punishment—forbidden under the US Constitution.
Smith himself had previously survived a botched lethal injection attempt in 2022, when executioners struggled for hours to find a suitable vein before abandoning the procedure.
Witness Accounts of the Execution
Journalists present described Smith appearing conscious for several minutes after the nitrogen began flowing, shaking and writhing on the gurney before his breathing slowed and eventually stopped.
Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner John Hamm defended the procedure, stating: "The nitrogen gas hypoxia execution was carried out lawfully. Nothing we saw indicates anything but Smith holding his breath or struggling against the restraints."
International Outcry
The execution has drawn sharp criticism globally, with the United Nations Human Rights Office previously warning that nitrogen hypoxia could amount to torture. Amnesty International and other human rights groups condemned what they called a "human experimentation" in the US death penalty system.
As three states—Alabama, Mississippi, and Oklahoma—have now authorised nitrogen gas as an execution method, this precedent-setting case is likely to fuel ongoing debates about capital punishment methods across the United States.
