Alabama executes murder convict with nitrogen gas, only second case in US history – Firstpost

The US state of Alabama carried out the execution of death row inmate Alan Eugene Miller. What makes the execution so significant is the fact that Miller was the second American ever killed by inhaling nitrogen gas. The 59-year-old was sentenced to death in 1999 for the successive workplace murders of Lee Holdbrooks, Christopher Scott Yancy and Terry Lee Jarvis.

This is the fifth inmate executed in the United States in a week. This is also the largest use of the death penalty the country has seen in two decades. Meanwhile, on the same day, an inmate named Emmanuel Littlejohn in the state of Oklahoma received a lethal injection after the state's governor denied him a last-minute clemency request.

Miller was the 18th death row inmate executed so far this year, and seven more are scheduled for the remaining three months of 2024. It was also the 1,600th execution in the United States since the country's Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976.

What were his last words?

Miller was pronounced dead at a prison in Atmore at 6:38 p.m. (local time). His death was confirmed by Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner John Hamm. Accordingly The Associated PressMiller shook and trembled on the stretcher for about two minutes. “I didn’t do anything to be in here,” Miller said in his final words, muffled at times by a mask covering his face from forehead to chin.

The 59-year-old had the mask put on him during the procedure and nitrogen gas flowed into the mask for about 15 minutes. “Involuntary body movements occur because the body no longer has oxygen. This is nothing we didn’t expect,” Hamm said at the post-execution press conference.

“Everything went according to plan and according to our protocol, so it went exactly as we planned,” he added. Hamm also stated that at some point a correctional officer had to adjust Miller's mask to ensure it fit.

“Tonight, justice was finally served for these three victims through the inmate’s chosen method of execution,” Alabama Governor Kay Ivey said in a news release. “His actions were not insane, but pure evil. Three families were forever changed by his heinous crimes, and I pray they can find comfort all these years later,” Ivey continued.

The saga of choosing an execution method

Miller's execution came after a years-long chain of events surrounding his execution. He initially requested death by nitrogen hypoxia. However, the state at the time was not prepared to carry out the execution in this way.

In September 2022, the state initially attempted to execute him by lethal injection. That attempt was ultimately aborted when state officials announced that they would not have access to Miller's veins before the execution order expired.

Earlier this year, Kenneth Smith was executed by nitrogen hypoxia in the state of Alabama. Smith's execution was the first to be carried out using this method. This paved the way for Miller's execution. But the death row inmate then challenged the state's nitrogen hypoxia protocol in a federal lawsuit, claiming it could cause him undue suffering and thereby violate his Eighth Amendment protection from cruel and unusual punishment.

However, the lawsuit was settled last month. “The resolution of this case confirms that Alabama’s nitrogen hypoxia system is reliable and humane,” Attorney General Steve Marshall said after the lawsuit was settled.

Before his execution, Miller had nine visitors and his last meal was hamburger steak, baked potatoes and French fries, the Alabama Department of Corrections said.

With contributions from Associated Press.