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Alabama death row inmate Kenneth Eugene Smith has been executed by nitrogen gas – making him the first person in US history to be put to death through the controversial method.
Smith, 58, was pronounced dead at 8.25pm CT on Thursday at the William C Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Alabama, almost three decades after he was convicted in the 1988 murder-for-hire plot of Elizabeth Sennett.
His religious adviser Reverend Jeff Hood, who witnessed the execution, told reporters what he saw was a man “struggling for their life” for a staggering 22 minutes.
Alabama authorities insist the execution went to plan, despite predicting the untested method would lead to unconsciousness within seconds and death in minutes.
But, witnesses said Smith appeared conscious for several minutes, shaking and writhing on the gurney.
“We didn’t see somebody go unconscious in 30 seconds,” said Rev Hood. “What we saw was minutes of someone struggling for their life.”
Smith’s death came after the US Supreme Court denied a final, 11th-hour bid to stay of execution. The ruling received dissent from Justice Sonia Sotomayor who wrote that the state had selected Smith as a “guinea pig” by using the untested method.
UN human rights chief condemns execution of Kenneth Smith
Why was Kenneth Eugene Smith on death row?
In 1988, Smith was convicted of murdering Elizabeth Dorlene Sennett in a murder-for-hire plot in Colbert County, Alabama.
Sennett was the wife of Church of Christ pastor Charles Sennett, who allegedly paid Smith and another man $1,000 to kill his spouse.
The pastor was allegedly deeply in debt and wanted to collect on insurance from her death, according to court documents.
Sennett was killed in a brutal attack inside her home.
She was beaten by a fireplace implement and stabbed 10 times in the chest and neck, her death staged to look like a home invasion and burglary.
In 1989, Smith was sentenced to death for capital murder, but it was overturned on appeal in 1992.
A jury then sentenced him to life without parole by a vote of 11 to one.
But Smith ultimately wasn’t spared a death sentence, as a judge overruled the jury and handed him the death penalty for a second time in 1996.
‘There was shock at how violent the execution was'
Lee Hedgepeth, one of the few journalists who witnessed Kenneth Eugene Smith’s execution, has spoken out to say that there was “shock in the room at how violent the execution was”.
“I’ve been to four previous executions and I’ve never seen a condemned inmate thrash in the way that Kenneth Smith reacted to the nitrogen gas,” he told the BBC’s Newsday programme.
“Kenny just began to gasp for air repeatedly and the execution took about 25 minutes total.”
Which states allow nitrogen gas executions?
To date, three states have approved the use of nitrogen gas for executions of death row inmates.
Those states are Alabama, Oklahoma and Mississippi.
However, neither Oklahoma or Mississippi have ever used the execution method.
Alabama, which adopted the method in 2018, became the first to use it when Kenneth Eugene Smith was put to death on Thursday 25 January.
Full story: Alabama execution: Kenneth Smith killed by nitrogen gas in first death row case of its kind
Convicted murderer Kenneth Smith thrashed violently and repeatedly gasped for air during a 22-minute execution as he became the first inmate to be put to death with nitrogen gas.
The 58-year-old was strapped to a gurney and fitted with a mask and a breathing tube that controlled the gas, slowly depriving him of oxygen, at William C. Holman prison in Atmore, Alabama last night.
Moments before the execution, he said “I’m leaving with love, peace and light”, before turning to his family and signing the words “I love you”.
Journalists inside the room described how Smith appeared to struggle as he was put to death. Lee Hedgepeth said: “I’ve been to four previous executions and I’ve never seen a condemned inmate thrash in the way that Kenneth Smith reacted to the nitrogen gas.
Read the full story:
Kenneth Smith’s pastor: Corrections officials ‘were visibly surprised at how bad this thing went'
Kenneth Eugene Smith’s spiritual adviser has claimed that even the Alabama corrections officials in the room were clearly shocked by what they saw as the inmate was put to death by nitrogen asphyxia.
Prior to Smith’s execution – using a never-before-used method, the state said that they expected him to fall unconscious in seconds and die within minutes.
Multiple witnesses and members of the media have revealed that was not the case.
“We also saw corrections officials in the room who were visibly surprised at how bad this thing went,” said Reverend Jeff Hood at a press conference after the execution.
“I know that [Alabama DOC] Commissoner Hamm, that ADOC is gonna come out and say well this is what we thought would happen, but look at their court filings... this is not what they thought would happen.”
He added: :I think that anybody that witnessed this knows that we didn’t see someone go unconscious in two or three seconds... We didn’t see somebody go unconscious in 30 seconds.”
The pastor urged: “We have to make sure this never, ever happens again.”
Human rights organisation blasts ‘lie’ that execution was humane
Human rights organisation Reprieve has blasted the “lie” that the execution of Kenneth Eugene Smith was humane.
Reprieve US Director Maya Foa said in a statement to The Independent following the execution:
“They said lethal injection was humane – that was a lie. They’ll claim this execution was humane, and that is a lie, too.
“The whole purpose of these methods is to hide pain. How many more prisoners must die agonizing deaths before we see executions for what they really are: the state violently taking a human life?”
Alabama prison officials insist ‘nothing was out of the ordinary’ in 22-minute execution
Alabama prison officials continue to insist that the execution went as planned – despite witnesses saying Kenneth Eugene Smith’s death appeared to be anything but quick and painless.
Witnesses said that Smith took around 22 minutes to die in total.
According to the members of the media in the room, he appeared conscious for several minutes into the execution and at the two-minute mark he started shaking and writhing on the gurney.
This was followed by several minutes of deep breathes as he lay on the gurney before his breathe slowed to no longer being perceptive.
He was pronounced dead at 8.25pm CT.
However, John Hamm, Alabama’s Commissioner of the Department of Corrections, said at a press conference that “nothing was out of the ordinary” during the execution.
He claimed that it appeared that Smith had been holding his breathe as long as he could during the execution.
He put reports that Smith was seen struggling against the restraints down to “involuntary movement”.
“That was all expected… nothing was out of the ordinary,” he insisted.
Elizabeth Sennett’s son says Smith’s execution was ‘bittersweet’
Elizabeth Sennett’s son Mike Sennett described the execution of his mother’s killer as “bittersweet” as he gave an emotional speech to reporters at a press conference after leaving the penitentiary.
“Nothing happened here today is going to bring mom back. Nothing. It’s kind of a bittersweet day,” he said.
“We are not going to be jumping around, whooping and hollering, hooray and all that, that’s not us. But we’re glad this day is over.
“All three of the people involved in this case years ago we have forgiven... I forgive ‘em for what they done,” he added.
Mr Sennett, who was supported by his wife Kim Sennette, concluded by saying: “I’ll end by saying Elizabeth Dorlene Sennett got her justice tonight.”
Mike Sennett
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey claims Smith ‘got what he asked for’ after execution
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey released a statement following Smith’s execution, in which she claimed the death row inmate “got what he asked for” with his controversial, nitrogen gas execution.
Read her statement in full:
“On March 18, 1988, 45-year-old Elizabeth Sennett’s life was brutally taken from her by Kenneth Eugene Smith.
“After more than 30 years and attempt after attempt to game the system, Mr Smith has answered for his horrendous crimes.
“The execution was lawfully carried out by nitrogen hypoxia, the method previously requested by Mr Smith as an alternative to lethal injection.
“At long last, Mr Smith got what he asked for, and this case can finally be put to rest.
“I pray that Elizabeth Sennett’s family can receive closure after all these years dealing with that great loss.”
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2024-01-26 12:40:44Z
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