01/26/2024

Alabama Executes Man by Nitrogen Gas

This is the first time this method has been used in the U.S.

Alabama executed a death row prisoner Thursday using nitrogen gas, becoming the first state in the U.S. to use the gas in an execution, despite concerns about the untested method.

Kenneth Smith, 58, died at 9:25 p.m. ET, after a slew of last-minute appeals to several courts, including the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS), failed.

The execution started at 8:53 p.m., according to John Hamm, Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Corrections. At approximately 8:55 p.m., Kenneth Smith gave his last words. 

Please select this link to read the complete article from NPR.