There was no mercy for Kenneth Smith, the convicted murderer who a jury once pardoned, sentencing him to life in prison, a verdict that a judge ignored (this is prohibited today) and imposed the capital punishment

After Alabama failed in November 2022 to execute him by lethal injection, on Thursday, following the Supreme Court’s authorization, Smith went to the other world through an innovative, never-before-tested method. as is the use of nitrogen, which puts the United States back at the forefront of the capital punishment debate as a new frontier is crossed. Nitrogen asphyxiation is a technique that veterinarians reject, for ethical reasons, even for the euthanasia of mammals in general. The UN spoke of torture, numerous medical experts spoke out against it and even the Vatican requested a halt to the execution.

The process lasted 22 minutes in the execution chamber and Smith was pronounced dead at 8:25 p.m. Thursday night (3:25 a.m. Friday in Spain), the state’s prison commissioner said. , John Q. Hamm, after the fox breathed pure nitrogen through a mask causing it to suffocate from oxygen deprivation.

It is the first time that this resource is used in the USA and it is the first method that has been introduced since 1982, when lethal injections were resorted to, in crisis due to the succession of painful or failed attempts, as this inmate experienced .

Throughout the execution, Smith appeared conscious for several minutes once the gas had reached the mask. For at least two minutes he appeared to be shaking and writhing on the stretcher, at times tugging at the straps that bound him. “Then there was a moment of heavy breathing, until his breath was no longer perceptible”, said those present. Hamm said that the fox had tried to hold his breath as long as possible and had minimized body movements: “Everything has turned out as we expected.”

“Tonight Alabama makes humanity take a step back,” Smith said in his final words. “I’m leaving with love, peace and light”, he assured. The prisoner made the sign of love with his hands, addressing members of his family who attended the execution as witnesses. “Thank you for your support, love, love for all of you”, he insisted.

Confirmed the death, the Governor of the State, Republican Kay Ivey, emphasized that justice had been done for the death of Elizabeth Sennett, who was 45 years old in 1988. “After more than 30 years of one attempt after another to cheat the system, Smith has had an answer for his horrific crimes,” he said.

Numerous people demonstrated in cities across Alabama and outside the Holman Penitentiary in Utmore. “Stop experimental executions” posters abounded.

It was useless. The six conservative judges of the Supreme Court imposed the roller. The three liberals distanced themselves from it and opted for the break. Sonia Sotomayor was the harshest and claimed that Smith was being used as a “guinea pig”.