26-01-24, 09:39
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Re: Alabamas' 22-Min EXECUTION by Nitrogen Gas Was HORRIFIC -He Thrashed & Convulsed
Wife of Killer Kenneth Eugene Smith Cried Out During His Historic 22-Minute-Long Nitrogen Execution
Witness Described it as HORRIFIC as He Thrashed and Convulsed on Gurney
The convicted killer, 58, had a gas mask placed over his face before a stream of 100 percent nitrogen gas suffocated him. Smiths' pastor said beforehand he was 'really struggling'
MailOnline 26 JAN 2024
Jeff Hood, Smiths' spiritual advisor before his execution, described the untested execution method as a 'horror show', and said 'unbelievable evil was unleashed tonight in Alabama'
Smith was sentenced to death in 1996 over the murder-for-hire slaying of a pastors' wife eight years prior
The wife of Kenneth Eugene Smith cried out for her killer husband as he thrashed against his restraints, suffering as he became the first person in history to be executed via nitrogen hypoxia.
Smith, 58, was put to death Thursday in a 'horrific' 22-minute ordeal when a gas mask was placed over his face, before a stream of 100 percent nitrogen gas suffocated him inside the execution chamber at the William C. Holman prison in Atmore, Alabama.
The murderer's spiritual guide, Jeff Hood, described the execution as the 'worst thing' he had ever seen, claiming prison officials gasped in shock as he died far slower than anticipated.
'When they turned the nitrogen on, he began to convulse, he popped up on the gurney over and over again, he shook the whole gurney,' Hood said.
Smith was officially pronounced dead at 8:25pm local time, 22 minutes after the nitrogen gas was first administered. At 8:07pm, a corrections officer leaned over Smith and examined him, before stepping back against the wall to let the execution continue.
Smith was 22-years-old (seen in his original 1989 mugshot)
At one point as the killer tore against his restraints, his wife Deanna, wearing a T-shirt reading 'Never Alone', desperately cried out for him from the witness box.
As he spoke his final words, delivered through the gas mask on his face, Smith made a heart sign with his left hand to his family before declaring: 'Tonight Alabama causes humanity to take a step backwards... I’m leaving with love, peace and light.'
He was sentenced to death in 1996 for the murder-for-hire slaying of a preacher's wife in 1988, where he was paid just $1,000 for the hit.
John Forrest Parker, the other man convicted in the slaying, was executed in 2010
Smiths' wife Deanna cried out for her killer husband as he thrashed against his restraints, before breaking down at a press conference following the controversial execution
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