"Alabama Executes Kenneth Smith Using Nitrogen Gas, Marking a New Era in Capital Punishment"

Kenneth Smith became the first person in the US to be executed by nitrogen gas for his role in a 1988 murder-for-hire plot, after a botched lethal injection attempt in November 2022. The execution, carried out in Alabama, was denied a last-minute appeal by the US Supreme Court. Nitrogen hypoxia, a method previously requested by Smith, was used, despite concerns about its constitutionality and potential for failure. Governor Kay Ivey expressed confidence in the method's readiness, while various organizations and entities, including the UN and the Vatican, had called for the execution to be called off.