"Alabama's Historic Use of Nitrogen Gas for Execution Sparks National Interest"
Kenneth Smith became the first inmate to be executed with nitrogen gas in Alabama, thrashing and gasping for air during the 22-minute process. He was convicted of the 1988 murder of Elizabeth Sennett in a $1,000 killing-for-hire job. Despite late appeals, the US Supreme Court declined to stop the execution. The use of nitrogen gas was the first new execution method in the US since 1982, and it was met with criticism from experts.