A psychiatric consultant who attended the nitrogen gas execution of Alabama hitman Kenneth Smith has written a letter to the state prison, asking for additional safety measures for bystanders and witnesses.
Smith, now 58, will be the first person in the United States to be executed with nitrogen gas, even though the method is approved in three states. His execution is scheduled for January 25th.
The Rev. Jeff Hood, who will be nearby during Smith's execution, installed an oxygen monitor in the death chamber, had additional oxygen sources available and had an ambulance waiting outside the prison in case there was a nitrogen leak. The request was made to conduct training on available exit routes. In the execution room.
“Nitrogen hypoxia is a novel method of execution. The use of this deadly gas, unlike lethal injection, poses a high risk of exposure to all bystanders. Therefore, its use requires Dr. Special safety equipment is required to protect all bystanders and observers, including those involved,” Hood's attorneys wrote in a letter seen by The Associated Press.
Alabama inmate to be executed with nitrogen gas in January 2024, the first time this method has been used
Kenneth Eugene Smith, 58, is scheduled to become the first inmate to die from nitrogen hypoxia on January 25th. (Alabama Department of Corrections, Associated Press)
Hood and the prison guard enter the execution chamber with Smith as the nitrogen gas system is activated by a guard in an adjacent room. Various witnesses, including lawyers, journalists and close associates of Smith's victims, will watch Smith's execution from windows in other adjoining rooms.
The pastor was asked by the state to sign a document acknowledging the “very unlikely” risks of the method, according to the Associated Press. They also had to agree to stay 3 feet away from a gas mask that covered Smith's mouth and nose, as the breathable air was replaced with pure nitrogen.
State protocols say the gas will be administered for at least 15 minutes, or five minutes after an “electrocardiogram flat sign.” Alabama claims Smith would have died within minutes due to lack of oxygen.
Smith's lawyer likens the method of execution to human experimentation.
Alabama judge approves experimental execution of hitman: 'Painless death is not guaranteed'
Kenneth Smith, now 58, was scheduled to die by lethal injection in 2022, but the execution was ultimately halted due to an attempted death penalty. (Related news organizations)
Despite Smith's request to block the execution, the state argued in a court filing Wednesday that the method of execution should be allowed to proceed, and the case is scheduled to be heard by a federal appeals court on Friday.
Smith's lawyers argue in the motion that there are too many unknowns about the method and that state protocol violates the prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. They also claim that Smith's due process rights were violated by the execution, which was scheduled while he was pending an appeal.
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Smith was one of two men who paid $1,000 to kill Elizabeth Sennett in 1988 on behalf of her preacher husband, who was trying to collect insurance money to pay off a debt. was.
He was scheduled to be executed by lethal injection in 2022, but the execution had to be halted after authorities were unable to connect two intravenous lines.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
