Alabama Court Approves Controversial Gas Mask Execution Method

The Alabama Supreme Court has ruled in favor of using an untried execution method involving a gas mask and pure nitrogen gas to cause death, moving the state closer to executing an inmate in a way that no other state has done before. The inmate, Kenneth Eugene Smith, was convicted of capital murder in 1989 and 1996. While proponents argue that nitrogen hypoxia is a humane alternative to lethal injection, critics raise concerns about the lack of information and the experimental nature of the method. The protocol for the execution has been redacted, leaving out crucial details, and experts question whether death by nitrogen gas would be painless. The use of nitrogen hypoxia as a method of execution is seen as an attempt to find an alternative due to difficulties with lethal injection procedures.