First US Execution via Nitrogen Hypoxia: Killer’s 22-Minute Ordeal Draws Shock and Horror for Alabama’s Inhumane Method
Atmore, Alabama The first execution in history by nitrogen gas took place when 58-year-old convicted killer Kenneth Eugene Smith was put to death. Smith had been sentenced to death in 1996 for the murder-for-hire slaying of a preacher’s wife in 1988, where he was paid just $1,000 for the hit. His execution in the visitor witness room at William C. Holman prison lasted around 22 minutes and was described as a horrific and painful ordeal …