The Controversial Execution of Kenneth Eugene Smith in Alabama: A Grim First for Nitrogen Gas Use
On a Thursday evening, in a deeply unsettling event, the state of Alabama executed Kenneth Eugene Smith using nitrogen hypoxia—an unprecedented method in the United States. This act has sparked widespread condemnation, shining a harsh light on the ongoing debate surrounding capital punishment methods.
The execution process, witnessed by media representatives, took roughly 22 minutes at the William C Holman correctional facility. Smith, donning a face mask, signed "I love you" to the onlookers and made a poignant final statement: "Tonight, Alabama caused humanity to take a step backward."
The state's previous claims that the nitrogen gas would cause swift unconsciousness and death within minutes were starkly contradicted by Smith's visible convulsions on the execution gurney. Journalist Lee Hedgepeth, a witness to the execution, stated the disturbing event was unlike any other execution he had previously seen.
Jeff Hood, Smith's spiritual advisor and witness to the execution, described the horrific sight of Smith repeatedly convulsing on the gurney. Hood called the execution "torture," expressing his belief that the corrections officers present were taken aback by the less-than-smooth process.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, voiced his regret over Smith's execution, raising serious concern that the method of nitrogen gas suffocation could potentially be considered torture or cruel punishment.
Smith's execution also drew criticism from the European Union diplomatic service, which stated that, according to prominent experts, the use of nitrogen gas is particularly cruel and unusual punishment. They also noted the inmate had already endured a failed execution attempt in November 2022.
John Hamm, Alabama’s department of corrections commissioner, controversially claimed there was nothing unusual about Smith's execution, a stand that was fiercely contested by Maya Foa, joint executive director of the international human rights group Reprieve.
Adding to the chorus of condemnation, Joel Zivot, an expert on execution from Emory University School of Medicine, called Smith's death slow and agonizing, suggesting that the Alabama department of corrections' response indicated they intended to cause him extreme suffering.
Kenneth Smith was sentenced to death for the murder of Elizabeth Sennett, committed in 1988. Despite a jury voting 11-1 for a life sentence, the judge overruled the decision, a practice known as judicial override, now abolished in all US states.
Staunch death penalty critic, Bryan Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, also condemned Smith's execution. Stevenson raises a critical question regarding the morality of capital punishment: "The threshold question is do we deserve to kill?"
This isn't Smith's first encounter with the death chamber. Alabama attempted to execute him via lethal injection in 2022, a bid that was called off after four hours due to difficulty finding a vein.
Governor Kay Ivey defended the execution, stating it was lawfully carried out by nitrogen hypoxia, a method Smith himself had requested as an alternative to lethal injection. However, the use of this untested method raises crucial ethical and legal questions about the nature and methods of capital punishment in the United States. The US Supreme Court's decision not to halt the execution, despite three liberal justices dissenting, further fuels this contentious debate.
As for Smith, in an interview days before his execution, he expressed his fear of nitrogen hypoxia becoming a widespread practice. He poignantly said, "I fear that it will be successful, and you will have a nitrogen system coming to your state very soon." Smith's fear serves as a grim reminder of the ongoing controversy surrounding capital punishment and its methods.
News Agencies