Alabama Set To Execute Inmate With Nitrogen Gas

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama will attempt to put an inmate to death with nitrogen gas, a never before used execution method that the state claims will be humane but critics call cruel and experimental. Kenneth Eugene Smith is scheduled to die Thursday night for his conviction in the 1988 murder-for-hire slaying of Elizabeth Sennett. This is Alabama’s second attempt to execute the 58-year-old. His 2022 lethal injection was called off at the last minute because authorities couldn’t connect the IV line. The execution will be the first attempt to use a new execution method since lethal injection was introduced in 1982.