"Controversy Surrounds Nation's First Nitrogen Gas Execution"
TL;DR Summary
Kenneth Eugene Smith, convicted in a 1988 murder-for-hire case, convulsed and gasped for breath during Alabama's first execution using nitrogen gas. Critics called it cruel and experimental, while the attorney general described it as a "textbook" execution. The process began at 7:53 p.m., with Smith's final words and thrashing lasting until about 8:15 p.m. He was pronounced dead at 8:25 p.m.
- An eyewitness account of what happened at the nation’s 1st nitrogen gas execution PBS NewsHour
- First nitrogen gas execution in US has happened, but did it go as expected? ABC News
- Alabama AG calls first nitrogen gas execution 'textbook,' but witnesses say inmate thrashed in final moments Yahoo News
- Four minutes of convulsions: Kenneth Smith executed with nitrogen gas Montgomery Advertiser
- After Kenneth Smith's execution by nitrogen gas, UN and EU condemn method USA TODAY
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