On January 25th 2024, Kenneth Eugene Smith became the first individual in the United States to be executed through using nitrogen hypoxia, a method that is both controversial and untested. This approach has faced legal challenges and drawn public criticism from both domestic and international critics.
Smith had been sentenced to death in 1988, when he was found guilty of participating in a murder-for-hire plot that resulted in the killing of a pastor’s wife. He has been incarcerated in Alabama for several decades. In November 2022, he experienced a failed lethal injection, which was the same year the state approved the use of nitrogen hypoxia as an alternative in the death chamber. Alabama is one of three states that allow this method, primarily due to the increasing difficulty in obtaining lethal injection substances.
The execution began at 7:53 pm in the William C. Holman Correctional Facility. Witnesses watched through a window as the curtains opened to Smith, who was wearing a respirator mask that covered his face from forehead to chin and had tubes that connected to a control room. The prison warden then entered the chamber to read out Smith’s sentence, and to allow for any last words from the prisoner. Smith said, “Tonight Alabama caused humanity to take a step backward. I’m leaving with love, peace, and light. Thank you for supporting me. Love all of you” (CBS News).
At 7:56 pm, the nitrogen gas was administered to Smith. It took just 2 minutes for him to begin experiencing spasms and shaking uncontrollably, which lasted for at least another 2 minutes. He then visibly gasped for another 10 minutes until he finally rested, slowly passing away. Smith’s official time of death was 8:25 pm, after which the nitrogen gas had run for another 5 minutes.
While some argue that this method of execution is cruel, unnecessary and inhumane, others believe that it serves justice. Mike Sennett, one of the sons of Smith’s victim, said “Nothing happened here today that’s going to bring Mom back. Nothing” (CNN). Although the victim’s family is not celebrating his death, they believe that 36 years later, Smith has finally paid his debt.
Smith’s execution using nitrogen hypoxia marked a controversial and untested milestone in the United States. The event, preceded by legal challenges and public criticism, raises ongoing questions about the ethical implications of such methods in the nation’s capital punishment practices.
