Earlier this year, a death row inmate took his final breath after already enduring one visit to the death chamber and narrowly escaping two previous executions.
Kenneth Eugene Smith was executed on January 25, 2024, using a controversial new execution method employed by Alabama.
Smith was initially sentenced to death in 1989 after being convicted of capital murder for the death of Elizabeth Sennett.
He was one of two men hired as hitmen by Elizabeth’s husband, pastor Charles Sennett, who orchestrated the murder to claim a large insurance policy payout.
Unlike many others on death row, Smith had three close encounters with death and survived each time.
While incarcerated, Smith successfully appealed against his execution twice, leading to the postponement of his scheduled execution dates. However, he was eventually re-sentenced to death.
His closest brush with death came in November 2022, when he was taken from his cell to the death chamber for execution by lethal injection.
However, the execution was halted after the executioners failed to find a suitable vein, and the state’s death warrant expired at midnight.
Smith later claimed that the incident gave him PTSD, causing regular nightmares and panic attacks.
Subsequently, it was decided that Smith would be the first person executed by Alabama’s new, controversial method.
The new method involves the use of nitrogen hypoxia, where an inmate is deprived of oxygen by administering pure nitrogen gas.
Alabama, along with Oklahoma and Mississippi, is one of the few states that authorize nitrogen hypoxia for executions, but Alabama was the first to implement it.
The method works by causing the inmate to fall unconscious and eventually pass away due to oxygen deprivation. Critics have labeled it inhumane, arguing that Smith was being used as a test subject.
During a December court hearing, the state attorney’s general office defended the method, stating it would “cause unconsciousness within seconds, and cause death within minutes.”
A reporter who witnessed Smith’s execution in January described the unconventional nature of his death.
Smith’s final words were: “Tonight Alabama causes humanity to take a step backwards,” followed by a message to his loved ones: “I’m leaving with love, peace, and light. Thank you for supporting me. Love all of you.”
A mask was placed over Smith’s face, and pure nitrogen gas was administered, leading to oxygen deprivation. Rather than peacefully passing out, Smith began to “writhe and convulse” on the gurney. He was observed taking deep breaths, clenching his fists, and his legs shook.
“He seemed to be gasping for air,” the reporter noted. “The gurney shook several times.”
Smith was pronounced dead at 8:25pm CST, 22 minutes after the nitrogen gas was first administered.