For the first time in the United States, a murder convict was executed by nitrogen injection
Washington DC. For the first time in America, a murder convict has been executed by nitrogen gas. Kenneth Eugene Smith, who was convicted of murder in Alabama, was given such a sentence. This is the first time in America that this method has been adopted for the death penalty.
Smith, 58, filed two appeals against the sentence in the Supreme Court. He also appealed to the federal court. He argued that this death penalty was cruel and unusual. Smith was forced to breathe nitrogen with an airtight mask over his face. It is nitrogen gas that inactivates the body. As soon as this gas enters the body, the oxygen inside is destroyed.
Kenneth was convicted of murder in 1998. He killed Elizabeth Sennett, the wife of a religious preacher. He took money and committed this murder. Sennett was first stabbed and beaten to death. Smith and his partner were paid for this.