Alabama Department of Corrections
Alabama on Thursday became the first state to ever execute a death row prisoner using nitrogen gas, potentially opening up a highly controversial method to wider use in prison executions even as experts and advocates have questioned whether it could lead to excessive pain and suffering.
Kenneth Smith, who survived an attempt by the state to execute him by lethal injection in 2022, was put to death Thursday evening in Atmore, the rural home to Alabama’s execution chamber near the Florida state line, Governor Kay Ivey’s office confirmed.
Smith, 58, was executed just before 8:30 p.m. local time, according to the Associated Press. The execution took roughly 22 minutes. He appeared to stay conscious for “several minutes” after the gas began to flow, shaking and writhing and sometimes pulling against the restraints of his gurney for more than two minutes, the wire service reported.