An Alabama man was put to death using nitrogen gas Thursday evening in a first-of-its-kind execution that could influence states in pursuit of a viable alternative to lethal injection.
Kenneth Eugene Smith, 58, was executed by nitrogen hypoxia, in which he was strapped to a gurney and made to breathe nitrogen gas through a mask apparatus, depriving him of oxygen, prison officials at the William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore said. The execution started at 7:53 p.m. local time, and Smith’s time of death was 8:25 p.m., according to corrections officials, who added that the nitrogen was flowing for about 15 minutes.
