Alabama executed convicted murderer Alan Miller on Thursday in the second-ever nitrogen-asphyxiation execution since the state pioneered the method which it says is less painful than lethal injections but human rights experts say may amount to torture.
The 65-year-old shook, pulled against restraints and gasped for breath for several minutes before dying, journalists who witnessed the execution said.
Miller was convicted for the 1999 murders of three men, including two co-workers, in a shooting spree at two offices in Pelham, Alabama. His victims were Lee Michael Holdbrooks, Terry Lee Jarvis and Christopher Scott Yancy.
The state botched an attempt to execute Miller by lethal injection in 2022.
He was taken into the execution chamber for the second and final time on Thursday evening at the Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore. Pure nitrogen flowed through an industrial-safety respirator mask strapped to his face, suffocating him as it displaced oxygen. He was pronounced dead at 6:38 p.m. (1138 GMT), Alabama Governor Kay Ivey said in a statement.
Miller’s final words were: “I didn’t do anything to be in here,” according to an Associated Press reporter who was allowed to witness the execution.
Once the gassing began, Miller trembled on the gurney for about two minutes, at times pulling against the restraints. That was followed by about six minutes of “periodic gasping breaths,” the AP reporter said.
Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner John Hamm told reporters afterwards that these were “involuntary body movements” and that the execution had gone as planned.
NITROGEN GAS METHOD QUESTIONED
In January, Alabama executed Kenneth Smith, also convicted of murder, by nitrogen asphyxiation, the first use of a new execution method since lethal injections began in the U.S. four decades ago.
The state predicted that Smith would lose consciousness and suffocate within a few seconds of the nitrogen flowing through the mask.
That did not happen. Multiple witnesses, including five journalists and members of Smith’s family, saw Smith heaving against his restraints and convulsing, and it appeared to take him several minutes to lose consciousness.
In January, Alabama executed Kenneth Smith, also convicted of murder, by nitrogen asphyxiation, the first use of a new execution method since lethal injections began in the U.S. four decades ago.
The state predicted that Smith would lose consciousness and suffocate within a few seconds of the nitrogen flowing through the mask.
That did not happen. Multiple witnesses, including five journalists and members of Smith’s family, saw Smith heaving against his restraints and convulsing, and it appeared to take him several minutes to lose consciousness.