JOIN OUR WHATSAPP CHANNEL
Who was Kenneth Smith? Alabama inmate met his end in first nitrogen gas execution in the US
On Thursday, Alabama executed death row convict Kenneth Eugene Smith using nitrogen hypoxia for the first time.
-
Alabama carried out its first-ever execution by nitrogen hypoxia
-
The execution was done on death row inmate Kenneth Smith
TRIGGER WARNING: This article contains references to an individual's death.
Kenneth Smith, a man who was paid $1,000 to murder an Alabama lady over 30 years ago was executed with pure nitrogen gas, a first-of-its-kind execution that re-established the United States as a leader in the debate over capital punishment.
Smith became the first death row convict known to die by nitrogen gas, ushering in a whole new mode of execution in the United States that experts warn could result in severe agony or even torture.
Smith faces execution even after objections
Smith, who was condemned to death for his role in a 1988 murder for hire, survived the state's initial effort to kill him via lethal injection in 2022. Earlier Thursday, the US Supreme Court refused his last-minute request to halt the execution, after rejecting the same request on Wednesday.
The execution took approximately 22 minutes from the moment the curtains were opened and closed in the viewing room. Smith appeared to be conscious for a few minutes. For at least two minutes, he looked to tremble and squirm on the gurney, occasionally yanking on the shackles. That was followed by many minutes of heavy breathing until it was no longer noticeable.
What is nitrogen hypoxia?
Nitrogen hypoxia is a method of execution in which a person is deprived of oxygen until they can only breathe nitrogen, resulting in asphyxiation. Nitrogen, a colorless and odorless gas, makes up around 80% of the air humans breathe. It is not lethal until it is isolated from oxygen.
Who was Kenneth Smith?
Kenneth Eugene Smith, 58, was one of three men convicted of stabbing Elizabeth Dorlene Sennett, 45, in March 1988 in Colbert County, Alabama, after her husband, a pastor, hired them to do so.
According to court filings, Mr. Smith and another guy stabbed Ms. Sennett, a mother of two, ten times during the incident. Ms. Sennett's husband, Charles Sennett Sr., had hired a guy to handle her murder, who in turn recruited Mr. Smith and another man. According to court papers, Mr. Sennett planned the murder in part to collect on an insurance policy he had taken out against his wife. He had promised each of the men $1,000 for the killing.
Mr. Smith was convicted in 1996. At his sentencing, 11 of 12 jurors voted to save his life and sentence him to life in prison, but the judge in the case, N. Pride Tompkins, overruled them and sentenced him to death.
In 2017, Alabama stopped judges from overruling death penalty juries in this manner, and similar rulings are no longer permitted anyplace in the United States. Mr. Smith, who was 22 years old at the time of the incident, stated that he did not believe it was appropriate for the judge to overturn the jury's judgment in his case.
Smith's execution in the United States took place despite opposition from rights groups, several doctors, and the jury in the case voting against the capital penalty.
ALSO READ: Who was Masuimi Max? Exploring her life and career as model is found dead at Las Vegas home
Latest Articles
