Convicted Alabama murderer Kenneth Eugene Smith, who was sentenced to death by nitrogen gas Thursday night, was served his last meal hours before his execution, corrections officials announced.
For Mr. Smith's last meal, he was served a steak with A.1 on the side. It contains sauce, hash browns and eggs, according to the Alabama Department of Corrections. Before that, he was served a breakfast consisting of two biscuits, eggs, grape jelly, applesauce and orange juice at the William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore.
Smith, 58, was pronounced dead at 8:25 p.m. after inhaling pure nitrogen gas through a face mask, causing oxygen deprivation. This is the first time a new method of execution has been used in the United States since lethal injection was introduced in 1982.
“Tonight, Alabama is causing humanity to move backwards. … I leave here with love, peace, and light,” Smith said in his final statement.
He made an “I love you” sign with his hand toward the family members who were witnesses. “Thank you for supporting me. Love you all,” Smith said.
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Kenneth Eugene Smith was convicted of murder in the 1988 murder of a preacher's wife. He was the first American inmate to be executed by nitrogen hypoxia. (Alabama Department of Corrections, via AP, File)
The execution followed a last-minute legal challenge by Smith's lawyers, who argued that the state was using him as a guinea pig for an experimental execution method. They argued that this could violate the Constitution's prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment.
Smith was sentenced to death for the 1988 murder of Elizabeth Sennett. Prosecutors said she paid Sennett and another man $1,000 each on behalf of her husband, a pastor who was deeply in debt and wanted to collect insurance money.
Smith's accomplice, John Forrest Parker, was also convicted of murder and executed in 2010.
Sennett, 45, was found dead in his home on March 18, 1988, with eight stab wounds to his chest and one on each side of his neck, the coroner said.
Her husband, Charles Sennett Sr., committed suicide while the investigation focused on him as a suspect.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
