"Controversy Surrounds Nitrogen Gas Executions as Kenneth Smith's Case Sparks Outcry"

Kenneth Eugene Smith becomes the first person in the US to be executed by nitrogen gas, with his death taking 22 minutes and drawing condemnation from the White House and the UN. Alabama's attorney general defends the execution, stating that it was "textbook" and will be used again, with 43 more death row inmates opting for nitrogen hypoxia. Smith was convicted in the 1988 murder-for-hire plot of Elizabeth Sennett, and her sons express forgiveness but note that nothing will bring their mother back. The execution raises ethical questions about the use of nitrogen gas as a method of execution.