Alabama
Alabama calls nitrogen execution method 'painless' and 'humane,' but critics raise doubts
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Alabama, unless stopped by the courts, intends to strap inmate Kenneth Eugene Smith to a gurney and use a gas mask to replace breathable air with nitrogen, depriving him of oxygen needed to stay alive, on Thursday in the nation’s first execution attempt with the method.
The Alabama attorney general’s office told federal appeals court judges last week that nitrogen hypoxia is “the most painless and humane method of execution known to man.” But what exactly Smith, 58, will feel after the warden switches on the gas is unknown, some doctors and critics say.
“What effect the condemned person will feel from the nitrogen gas itself, no one knows,” Dr. Jeffrey Keller, president of the American College of Correctional Physicians, wrote in an email. “This has never been done before. It is an experimental procedure.”
Keller, who was not involved in developing the Alabama protocol, said the plan is to “eliminate all of the oxygen from the air” that Smith is breathing by replacing it with nitrogen.
“Since the condemned person will not be breathing any oxygen, he will die,” Keller said. “It is little different than putting a plastic bag over one’s head.”
The state of Alabama has predicted in federal court filings that the nitrogen gas will “cause unconsciousness within seconds, and cause death within minutes.”
The state plans to place a “full facepiece supplied air respirator” over Smith’s face. The nitrogen would be administered for at least 15 minutes or “five minutes following a flatline indication on the EKG, whichever is longer,” according to the state protocol.
The execution would be the first attempt to use a new method since lethal injection was introduced in 1982. Three states — Alabama, Mississippi and Oklahoma — have authorized nitrogen hypoxia as an execution method. Some states are exploring new methods as lethal injection drugs have been difficult to find.
The American Veterinary Medical Association wrote in 2020 euthanasia guidelines that nitrogen hypoxia is not an acceptable euthanasia method for most mammals because the anoxic environment “is distressing.” And experts appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council cautioned they believe the execution method could violate the prohibition on torture.
Dr. Joel Zivot, an anesthesiologist who as one of four professionals who filed the U.N. complaint that led to the warning, said Smith is at risk for seizures and choking to death on his own vomit. He said any leak under the mask could prolong the execution.
“A leak will do two things. It will potentially endanger people around. … Air could then get under the mask as well,” Zivot said. “And so the execution could be prolonged or maybe he might never die, he just could get injured.”
Much of what is recorded about death from nitrogen comes from industrial accidents — where leaks or cannister mix-ups have killed people — and from suicide attempts. The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board found 80 people were killed by nitrogen asphyxiation between 1992 and 2002.
Smith was one of two men convicted of the 1988 murder-for-hire of a preacher’s wife. Prosecutors said the men were paid $1,000 to kill Elizabeth Sennett, 45, on behalf of her husband, who wanted to collect on insurance. The coroner testified Sennett was stabbed repeatedly. Her husband killed himself when he became a suspect. John Forrest Parker, the other man convicted, was executed in 2010.
The victim’s son, Charles Sennett Jr., said in an interview with WAAY-TV that Smith “has to pay for what he’s done.” He and other family members plan to witness the execution.
“And some of these people out there say, ‘Well, he doesn’t need to suffer like that.’ Well, he didn’t ask Mama how to suffer?” the son told the station. “They just did it. They stabbed her — multiple times.”
Smith’s initial conviction was overturned. He was convicted again in 1996. The jury recommended a life sentence by 11-1, but a judge sentenced Smith to death. Alabama no longer allows a judge to override a jury’s sentencing decision in death penalty cases.
Smith is one of few people to survive a prior execution attempt. The state attempted a lethal injection in 2022, but the prison system called it off before the drugs were administered because the staff had difficulty connecting the two required intravenous lines.
Smith’s attorneys are asking courts to block the nitrogen execution, arguing that its unconstitutional for the state to make a second attempt to execute him and that the state’s plan violates the ban on cruel and unusual punishment and at least merits more scrutiny before it is used.
“It’s indefensible for Alabama officials to simply dismiss the very real risks this untested method presents and experiment on a man who has already survived one execution attempt,” Robin M. Maher, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, said.
The Alabama attorney general’s office noted that Smith, when previously fighting lethal injection, had suggested nitrogen as an alternative execution method. Courts require inmates challenging their execution method to suggest an alternative method.
“Now that the State is prepared to give Smith what he asked for, he objects,” the attorney general’s office said in a Monday statement.
The inmate’s spiritual adviser said Smith is afraid of what is about to happen to him.
“Presently, Kenny is sickened, deeply pained and horrified at the nitrogen hypoxia experiment that is to come,” the Rev. Jeff Hood, a death penalty opponent, said. “Despite the darkness that has descended, he tries very hard to fill every second he might have left with as much love as he can muster.”
Several protests are planned in the state. A group of faith leaders delivered a petition to the state’s governor on Monday asking her to halt the execution. “Prisoners are not guinea pigs,” the Rev. Shane Isner of First Christian Church said on the Capitol steps.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey told The Associated Press last week that the state was ready to proceed.
“Execution by that method was passed in 2018,” Ivey said. “The attorney general’s office and the Department of Corrections has assured us that all the protocols are in place, and we will carry out that law.”
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
A new survey of likely Republican runoff voters in Alabama suggests the state’s four statewide runoff contests remain at different stages heading into the June 16 election, with one race showing a clear leader, another appearing highly competitive, and a third remaining largely unsettled.
According to The Alabama Poll, which surveyed 600 likely Republican runoff voters on May 28, U.S. Senate candidate Jared Hudson leads Congressman Barry Moore 48.7% to 39.2%, while 12.1% of voters remain undecided. The poll indicates Hudson has built support among voters whose preferred candidates did not advance to the runoff.
In the race for lieutenant governor, Secretary of State Wes Allen holds a narrow overall lead over Alabama Republican Party Chairman John Wahl, 41.9% to 38.4%. However, the survey found Wahl performing slightly better among voters who report they are certain to vote and among the most frequent Republican primary voters, highlighting the potential importance of turnout in the contest. Nearly one in five voters, 19.6%, remain undecided.
The attorney general runoff shows the largest margin among the four statewide races surveyed. Katherine Robertson leads Jay Mitchell 49.1% to 31.2%, with 19.7% of respondents undecided. Poll analysts noted that Mitchell’s path to closing the gap would likely depend on winning support from voters who view him favorably but have not yet committed to a candidate.
Meanwhile, the Republican runoff for commissioner of agriculture remains the most unsettled race in the survey. Corey Hill leads Christina Woerner McInnis 33.1% to 27.3%, but nearly 40% of likely runoff voters remain undecided, leaving substantial room for movement before Election Day.
Beyond the candidate matchups, the poll found Republican voters generally optimistic about the direction of Alabama, with 63.6% saying the state is headed in the right direction. At the same time, economic concerns continue to dominate voter priorities. Nearly 79% of respondents identified an economic issue as the most important problem facing the state, with grocery prices and utility costs cited most frequently.
The survey also found President Donald Trump’s approval rating among likely Republican runoff voters at 83.2%. Researchers reported that endorsements from both Trump and U.S. Senator Katie Britt carried similar persuasive weight among respondents.
The Alabama Poll surveyed 600 likely Republican primary runoff voters using a combination of live telephone interviews and text-message surveys. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points and was conducted May 28 among voters who said they are likely to participate in the June 16 Republican runoff election.
Former Alabama offensive lineman Barrett Jones and linebacker DeMeco Ryans are under consideration for the College Football Hall of Fame’s 2027 class, the National Football Foundation announced on Monday.
Dennis Franchione, who was Alabama’s head coach during the 2001 and 2002 seasons, is also under consideration. Franchione was a two-time NAIA National Coach of the Year before moving into Division I, where he led New Mexico to its first bowl in 36 years and TCU to its first postseason win since 1957. He took over a 3-8 Alabama team and led the Tide to a 10-win season in 2002, later guiding Texas A&M to consecutive victories over Texas (2006-07) and a berth in the 2005 Cotton Bowl.
Jones is a two-time First Team All-American (2011-unanimous, 2012-consensus) and winner of the 2012 NFF Campbell, 2012 Rimington, 2011 Outland and 2011 Wuerffel trophies. He Led Alabama to three national titles and two SEC crowns.
The three-time First Team All-SEC selection is arguably the most decorated offensive lineman in school history, winning national honors at three different positions (center, tackle, guard). The 2012 Alabama captain played through Lisfranc injury with at least two torn ligaments suffered in SEC Championship Game. He also played in the national title game before having surgery that kept him out of the NFL combine.
DeMeco Ryans, who is currently the head coach of the Houston Texans, could be considered the best player of the Mike Shula years as he was the program’s top draft pick between 1998-08 (between first-round selections Dwayne Rudd and Andre Smith).
During his senior season, the linebacker led Alabama with 76 tackles including 9.5 for a loss, en route to being named a first-team All-American, the SEC Defensive Player of the Year, and Lott Trophy winner as college football’s best impact defensive player.
These three are among 80 players and nine coaches from the FBS, along with 99 players and 39 coaches from the NCAA divisional and NAIA ranks.
Alabama currently has 28 representatives in the College Football Hall of Fame, with the most recent inductees being Heisman Trophy-winning running back Mark Ingram in the 2026 class and seven-time national champion (six at Alabama) head coach Nick Saban in the 2025 class. Ingram was the first Crimson Tide player under Saban to be inducted.
Alabama in the College Football Hall of Fame
(Member, Year Inducted)
- Don Hutson, 1951
- Frank Thomas, 1951
- Fred Sington, 1955
- Wallace Wade, 1955
- Don Whitmire (transferred to Navy after two years), 1956
- Johnny Mack Brown, 1957
- Pooley Hubert, 1964
- Millard “Dixie” Howell, 1970
- John Cain, 1973
- Lee Roy Jordan, 1983
- Riley Smith, 1985
- Paul “Bear” Bryant, 1986
- Vaughn Mancha, 1990
- Harry Gilmer, 1993
- Ozzie Newsome, 1994
- John Hannah, 1999
- Johnny Musso, 2000
- Billy Neighbors, 2003
- Cornelius Bennett, 2005
- Woodrow Lowe, 2009
- Gene Stallings, 2010
- Marty Lyons, 2011
- Derrick Thomas, 2014
- E.J. Junior, 2020
- Sylvester Croom, 2022
- Antonio Langham, 2024
- Nick Saban, 2025
- Mark Ingram, 2026
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) – The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) kicked off its annual 101 Days of Summer Safety campaign as the summer travel season begins.
The campaign runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day, a period troopers call the “100 deadliest days of summer.”
Over Memorial Day weekend, troopers investigated four traffic deaths and one boating fatality. They issued more than 1,400 speeding citations, 365 seat belt violations, and made 14 DUI arrests on roadways statewide.
On the water, Marine Patrol made four boating under the influence arrests and conducted nearly 500 vessel stops.
ALEA says the goal this summer is education and enforcement. Troopers say that means buckling up, watching your speed, keeping your distance, and putting the phone down every time you get behind the wheel.
“More traffic means people get complacent. More car crashes, more injuries, more fatalities,” said ALEA Trooper Brandon Bailey. “Check your tires, make sure they’re at the appropriate tread depth. If you don’t have the appropriate amount of tread, it could easily lead to hydroplaning.”
ALEA says they will have increased patrols on roads and waterways through Labor Day.
Click or tap here to learn more.
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Copyright 2026 WBRC. All rights reserved.
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