Kenneth Smith: Alabama convict becomes first to be executed by nitrogen gas, served steak as last meal

Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.

MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA: Kenneth Eugene Smith, 58, became the first to be put to death by nitrogen gas on Thursday, January 25, for the 1988 murder-for-hire of Elizabeth Sennett.

The longstanding Alabama death row inmate was served steak as a final meal just hours before the execution, which commenced at 7.56 pm and concluded with Smith being pronounced dead at 8.25 pm, as reported by the Alabama Attorney General's office.

Timeline of Kenneth Eugene Smith's nitrogen gas execution

Clad in his prison uniform and covered in a white sheet up to his chest, Smith lay on the gurney with arms extended, secured by straps around his stomach and upper chest. The execution process involved the closure of a vent on the mask, initiating the flow of nitrogen, resulting in convulsions and heavy breathing observed by witnesses.

Smith, who survived a botched execution attempt in November 2022, spent his final 24 hours receiving visits from friends and family, concluding with a last meal consisting of steak, hash browns, and eggs. He delivered his final statement through a muffled mask, expressing, “Tonight, Alabama caused humanity to take a step backwards. I leave with love, peace and light. I love all of you. Thank you for supporting me,” Fox reported.

Reflecting on the macabre event, John Hamm, commissioner of the Alabama Department of Corrections, commented that Smith's actions during the execution were within the expected range of reactions to nitrogen hypoxia. “That was all expected and in the side effects that we have seen, or researched, on nitrogen hypoxia,” he said. "Nothing was out of the ordinary from what we were expecting.”

What was Kenneth Eugene Smith incarcerated for?

The heinous murder-for-hire plot, orchestrated by Rev Charles Sennett, saw Smith, along with John Forrest Parker and Billy Gray Williams, hired to kill Elizabeth Sennett for insurance money. All three were convicted, with Parker executed in 2010, Williams sentenced to life in prison (and dying in 2020), and Rev Charles Sennett killing himself a week after his wife's death.

Michael Sennett, Elizabeth's son, expressed forgiveness toward the perpetrators, stating that both Parker and Smith had “been incarcerated almost twice as long as I knew my mom.” “All three of the people involved in this case years ago, we have forgiven them, not today but we have in the past."

The US Supreme Court rejected appeals from Smith, with three liberal judges dissenting. Justice Sonia Sotomayor highlighted Alabama's selection of the 58-year-old as a "guinea pig" for testing a novel execution method, emphasizing the global scrutiny on the matter.

In a joint statement, Smith and his spiritual advisor, Rev Jeff Hood, expressed concerns about the "impending moral apocalypse." “Our prayer is that people will not turn their heads,” the statement said. “We simply cannot normalize the suffocation of each other,” as per NBC.

Kenneth Eugene Smith's long execution journey

Smith's legal journey began in 1989 with a conviction and a subsequent overturned verdict. In 1996, he faced another trial resulting in a death sentence, overturning a jury recommendation of life in prison. Although the Alabama Legislature abolished judicial override in 2017, it did not apply retroactively.

Initially slated for lethal injection in November 2022, Smith's execution was halted due to complications in establishing a second intravenous line. His attorneys cited multiple puncture wounds, leading to post-traumatic stress disorder.

Convict expressed his preference for nitrogen gas execution

Alabama's adoption of nitrogen executions in 2018 aimed to address drug shortages and criticisms of lethal injection. Proponents argued for the method's perceived humanity, emphasizing a blackout effect. However, medical experts questioned the efficacy, drawing parallels with its discouraged use in euthanizing animals.

As Mississippi and Oklahoma also adopt nitrogen execution methods, questions about the method's humanity and its notification process for death row inmates persist. Smith initially did not opt for nitrogen gas as the method of execution, but he indicated his preference for it in a court filing in 2022.

“The execution was lawfully carried out by nitrogen hypoxia, the method previously requested by Mr Smith as an alternative to lethal injection,” Gov. Kay Ivey said. “At long last, Mr Smith got what he asked for, and this case can finally be put to rest.”