State Set for First-Ever Execution Using Controversial ‘Unproven’ Method

Alabama prison officials are about to use a new technique for Kenneth Eugene Smith’s impending execution. Smith is fifty-eight years old. Last November, a botched attempt at Smith’s execution occurred when a lethal injection failed because there was not a vein big enough in his arm. Smith is a convicted murderer. Smith will be the first subject of Alabama’s experimental nitrogen gas asphyxiation, or nitrogen hypoxia, as the acquisition of lethal injection medicines becomes more and more difficult.

The Context:

Although Kenneth Eugene Smith was supposed to be put to death in November of last year, the botched effort to give him a fatal injection sparked a national conversation about the proper use of the death penalty. Due to Smith’s survival and the difficulties locating medicines for lethal injection, Alabama temporarily stopped carrying out executions.

Trying Out Nitrogen Gas Experiments:

Due to a lack of available conventional execution techniques, prison authorities in Alabama have authorized the use of nitrogen gas in the death penalty. On January 25, Smith is scheduled to become the first subject of this experimental procedure. The process of nitrogen hypoxia is donning a mask that provides oxygen to the wearer until nitrogen is added, which results in death. The procedure has not been tested, and there are unknowns related to its use.

Family of the Victim Awaits Justice:

The victim’s family has been yearning for justice for more than thirty years, especially Michael Sennett, Elizabeth Sennett’s son, whom Smith killed in 1988. Smith’s horrible deed claimed the life of Elizabeth Sennett, a preacher’s wife. Given the uniqueness of the nitrogen gas approach, Michael Sennett expressed faith that the state will execute it correctly this time.

Permission and Hazards:

Alabama became the first state to authorize the use of nitrogen gas during executions in 2018. Oklahoma and Mississippi have also approved, however none state has put the technique to the test. Smith will be put to death by having a nitrogen-dispensed mask on for either 15 minutes at a time or until five minutes after he is pronounced dead. He will be accompanied by a spiritual advisor who has signed a waiver accepting the possibility of nitrogen leakage.