Kenneth Smith’s nitrogen execution was ‘textbook’ and will be used again, Alabama AG says: updates
Attorney General Steve Marshall said that after Thursday night, ‘nitrogen hypoxia as a means of execution is no longer an untested method. It is a proven one’
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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.
The White House condemned the execution on Friday. “It is very troubling to us as an administration. It is very troubling to us here at the White House,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
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.
Speaking at a news conference on Friday, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said that 43 more death row inmates have elected to die by nitrogen hypoxia. People incarcerated on death row are able to chose their preferred method from electrocution, lethal injection or nitrogen hypoxia.
“What occurred last night was textbook,” AG Marshall said. “As of last night, nitrogen hypoxia as a means of execution is no longer an untested method. It is a proven one.”
What was Kenneth Smith’s last meal?
Kenneth Smith was visited in prison by his wife and sons, who also witnessed his execution by nitrogen on Thursday.
His last meal was steak, eggs and hash browns.
Moments before the execution, he said: “Tonight, Alabama causes humanity to take a step backwards... Thank you for supporting me. Love you all”.
He then turned to his family and signed the words “I love you”.
Michelle Del Rey reports:
Kenneth Smith executed by nitrogen in controversial death row case
Kenneth Smith was said to have thrashed violently and repeatedly gasped for air during the 22-minute execution watched by his family
Kenneth Smith’s nitrogen execution will be used again, AG says
The execution of Kennth Smith using nitrogen hypoxia was “textbook” and will be used again, Alabama’s attorney general Steve Marshall said in a news conference on Friday.
It was the first time nitrogen hypoxia was used for an execution.
“What occurred last night was textbook,” AG Marshall said. “As of last night, nitrogen hypoxia as a means of execution is no longer an untested method. It is a proven one.”
‘His debt was paid tonight’: Elizabeth Sennett's sons speak out about execution
Elizabeth Sennett’s sons spoke out following the execution of their mother’s killer, Kenneth Smith.
“All three of the people involved in this case years ago, we have forgiven them,” Mike Sennett said in a news conference on Friday.
“Not today, but we have in the past. Some people may not believe that, you know, how do you forgive somebody...I forgive them, I forgive them for what they’ve done.”
Mr Sennett said Smith’s punishment was deserving and long overdue.
“You know, the Bible says that evil deeds have consequences,” he said. “Kenneth Smith made some bad decisions 35 years ago, and his debt was paid tonight.”
However, he added that this was not a day of joy, noting that nothing would bring their mother back.
“Nothing happened here today that’s going to bring mom back, nothing,” Mr Sennett said. “It’s kind of a bittersweet day. We’re not going to be jumping around, hooting and hollering and all that. That’s not us.”
PHOTOS: Kenneth Smith’s family reacts over execution
Why do we treat our pets more humanely than a death row inmate?
It’s a grim alternative to lethal injection and electric chair – being gassed to death with pure nitrogen, a reputedly ‘painless’ procedure that slowly starves the criminal of oxygen until they die.
But would you use it to put down a sickly pet? Sean O’Grady reports:
Why do we treat our pets more humanely than a death row inmate?
Authorities in Alabama have come up with a grim and as-yet untested alternative to lethal injection and electric chair – being gassed to death with pure nitrogen, a reputedly ‘painless’ procedure that slowly starves the criminal of oxygen until they die. But would you use it to put down a sickly pet, asks Sean O’Grady
What happened at the nation's first nitrogen gas execution
Five news reporters watched through a window as Kenneth Eugene Smith convulsed on a gurney as Alabama carried out the nation’s first execution using nitrogen gas.
Here’s an AP eyewitness account:
What happened at the nation's first nitrogen gas execution: An AP eyewitness account
Witnesses including five reporters watched through a window at an Alabama prison as Kenneth Eugene Smith became the first person in the country to be put to death using nitrogen gas
Alabama AG says 43 other death row inmates have elected to use nitrogen hypoxia
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said at least 43 other inmates have elected to use nitrogen gas as an execution method.
Based on feedback he’s received, the AG has said that he expects other states to follow suit with the new execution method.
So far, only Mississippi and Oklahoma have also approved it.
Despite concerns and reports that Smith had been “writhing and thrashing” during the execution, the AG maintained that nothing out of the ordinary took place Thursday night.
Who is murder victim Elizabeth Sennett?
Elizabeth Dorlene Sennett was found dead in her home on 18 March 1988 with eight stab wounds in the chest and one on each side of her neck.
Kenneth Smith was one of two men convicted in the killing. The other, John Forrest Parker, was executed in 2010.
Prosecutors said they were each paid $1,000 to kill Sennett on behalf of her pastor husband, who was deeply in debt and wanted to collect on insurance.
The husband, Charles Sennett Sr, killed himself when the investigation focused on him as a suspect, according to court documents.
Smith’s 1989 conviction was overturned, but he was convicted again in 1996. The jury recommended a life sentence by 11-1, but a judge overrode that and sentenced him to death.
The victim’s son, Charles Sennett Jr, earlier told WAAY-TV that Smith “has to pay for what he’s done”.
“And some of these people out there say, ‘Well, he doesn’t need to suffer like that.’ Well, he didn’t ask Mama how to suffer?” he said.
“They just did it. They stabbed her — multiple times.”
What did Kenneth Eugene Smith do to get the death penalty?
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.
Kenneth Smith’s last statement before nitrogen execution
In his final statement before he was executed, Alabama death row inmate Kenneth Eugene Smith said humanity took a step backwards in Alabama.
“Tonight Alabama causes humanity to take a step backwards. ... I’m leaving with love, peace and light,” he said.
He made the “I love you sign” with his hands toward family members who were witnesses. “Thank you for supporting me. Love, love all of you,” Smith said.
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