Kenneth Eugene Smith
Kenneth Eugene Smith | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 4, 1965 |
| Died | January 25, 2024 (aged 58) Holman Correctional Facility, Atmore, Alabama, United States |
| Cause of death | Execution by Inert gas asphyxiation |
| Known for | First execution conducted by nitrogen hypoxia |
| Conviction(s) | First-degree murder |
| Criminal charge | Capital murder |
| Penalty | Death |
| Details | |
| Victims | Elizabeth Dorlene Sennett, 45 |
| Date | March 18, 1988 |
| Imprisoned at | Holman Correctional Facility |
Kenneth Eugene Smith (July 4, 1965 – January 25, 2024) was an American murderer who became the first person in the world to be executed by inert gas asphyxiation.[1][2]
Murder of Elizabeth Sennett[change | change source]
Smith was sentenced to death for the murder of Elisabeth Sennett in 1988, he and another man accepted $1,000 to end her life, the order was carried out by Sennett's husband who intended to collect the life insurance–to pay off some debts. Smith's partner in crime, a man named John Forrest Parker, was also sentenced to death and executed in 2010.
Attempted execution and final execution[change | change source]
In November 2022, Smith was scheduled to be executed by lethal injection, but the execution was stayed after the execution team was unable to connect the intravenous lines to Smith in the time available before the expiration of the death warrant issued by the Alabama Supreme Court.[3] As part of a settlement between the state and Smith, the state agreed not to continue Smith's execution by lethal injection (the default primary method of execution in Alabama) and instead make use of a secondary novel method of execution, nitrogen hypoxia.[3], even after endless appeals, calls by activists and international organisations for mercy and the declaration of the United Nations that declared that the method could be torture, he was executed in Holman Prison.[4][5]
References[change | change source]
- ↑ "Alabama death row inmate Kenneth Smith executed with nitrogen gas, in a first for US". WION. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
- ↑ "Kenneth Eugene Smith: Alabama carries out first nitrogen gas execution". BBC News. January 26, 2024. Archived from the original on January 26, 2024. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Czachor, Emily Mae (2024-01-26). "Kenneth Eugene Smith executed by nitrogen hypoxia in Alabama, marking a first for the death penalty - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2024-01-27.
- ↑ "Kenneth Eugene Smith: Alabama ejecuta a un preso con nitrógeno por primera vez en la historia de Estados Unidos". BBC News Mundo (in Spanish). January 26, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
- ↑ "Alabama carries out first nitrogen gas execution in US after Supreme Court green light". France 24. 26 January 2024. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
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