Alabama executed a man using nitrogen gas for the second time on Thursday.

Alan Eugene Miller, 59, was pronounced dead at 6:38 p.m. local time at a south Alabama prison, The Associated Press reported.

He was convicted of killing three men—Lee Holdbrooks, Christopher Scott Yancy and Terry Jarvis—in workplace shootings in 1999.

“I didn’t do anything to be in here,” Miller said in his final words, the AP reported. His words were at times muffled by the blue-rimmed gas mask that covered his face from forehead to chin.

Miller asked his family and friends to “take care” of someone, but it was not clear whose name he said.

Alabama had tried to execute Miller via lethal injection in 2022, but the state called it off after being unable to connect an IV line. He initially challenged the nitrogen gas protocol but dropped his lawsuit in August after reaching a settlement with the state. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed.

He was one of five inmates executed over the past week, including Emmanuel Littlejohn who was also put to death on Thursday in Oklahoma. Their deaths brings the U.S. to 1,600 executions since the death penalty was reinstated by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1976, according to the Death Penalty Information Center, despite support for the death penalty declining nationwide over the past two decades.

The nitrogen gas method used to put Miller to death involves placing a respirator gas mask over the inmate’s face so that they breathe pure nitrogen gas and are deprived of oxygen and die.

Alabama first used the method to put Kenneth Smith to death in January. The method has been described as inhumane by some human rights groups.

On Thursday, Miller shook and trembled on the gurney for about two minutes, with his body at times pulling against the restraints, the AP reported, followed by about six minutes of periodic gulping breaths before he became still.

In a news conference after the execution, Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner John Hamm said the movements were anticipated.

“That was nothing we did not expect,” Hamm said, explaining the nitrogen gas flowed for 15 minutes. “Everything went according to plan and according to our protocol.”

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said the execution “went as expected.”

“Although the methods have changed over the years, it remains the judgment of the State of Alabama that some crimes are so horrific as to warrant the ultimate punishment. In Alabama, we will not deny justice to the victims of heinous murders,” Marshall said in a statement.

“Tonight, despite misinformation campaigns by political activists, out-of-state lawyers, and biased media, the State proved once again that nitrogen hypoxia is both humane and effective. Miller’s execution went as expected and without incident.”

But witnesses contradicted the state’s version of events.

“I was a witness for Alabama’s execution of Alan Miller by nitrogen gas tonight,” Lauren Gill, a writer for Bolts magazine, wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Again, it did not go as state officials promised. Miller visibly struggled for roughly two minutes, shaking and pulling at his restraints. He then spent the next 5-6 min intermittently gasping for air.”

Marshall’s description of Smith’s execution in January as “textbook” also differed from witness accounts, with advocates saying he had exhibited clear signs of pain and suffering.

One witness described how Smith began “thrashing against the straps” as the gas flowed and his head and body violently jerked back and forth for several minutes.

Update 9/27/24, 3:30 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.

Brian Kelly and the No. 14 ranked LSU Tigers return to Death Valley on Saturday night with the program preparing for a non-conference clash against South Alabama.

The Jaguars head to town led by a fiery offensive duo of Gio Lopez and Fluff Bothwell propelling the program to a hot start this season.

A scoring tandem that has elevated South Alabama to one of the top offenses in the country, they’ll put LSU to the test in a Week 5 battle.

Here’s how to watch, the betting lines and an expert score prediction via the SP+ Model:

Date: Saturday, September 28, 2024
Time: 6:45 p.m. CT
TV Channel: SEC Network
City: Baton Rouge, La.
Venue: Tiger Stadium

LSU: -21.5 (-110)
South Alabama: +21.5 (-110)

LSU to Win: – -1650
South Alabama to Win: +950

Over 65.5 Points: -110
Under 65.5 Points: -110

*All odds via DraftKings*

We turned to the SP+ Prediction Model to give a better understanding of where the Tigers stand heading into this weekend against South Alabama.

The simulation favors Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers to come out on top over South Alabama in Week 5, as expected.

SP+ logged a prediction that LSU will defeat the Jaguars by a projected score of 42-23 and win the game by an expected 18.7 points.

The expert model gives the Bayou Bengals an 88% chance to come out on top over the Jaguars in Death Valley.

What is SP+? It is a “tempo- and opponent-adjusted measure of college football efficiency” that attempts to predict game outcomes by measuring “the most sustainable and predictable aspects of football.”

The SP+ model is 105-91-1 against the spread with a 53.6 win percentage on the year with the latest round of predictions coming out this week.

First-place votes in parentheses

1. Texas (44)
2. Georgia (13)
3. Ohio State (5)
4. Alabama
5. Tennessee
6. Ole Miss
7. Miami
8. Oregon
9. Penn State
10. Utah
11. Missouri
12. Michigan
13. USC
14. LSU
15. Louisville
16. Notre Dame
17. Clemson
18. Iowa State
19. Illinois
20. Oklahoma State
21. Oklahoma
22. BYU
23. Kansas State
24. Texas A&M
25. Boise State

Instant Takeaways: No. 16 LSU Takes Down UCLA 34-17 in Big-Time Victory

What’s Next for LSU Without Harold Perkins?

Nick Saban Calls LSU Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier a “Sleeper” Ahead of 2024 Season

Follow Zack Nagy on Twitter: @znagy20 and LSU Tigers On SI: @LSUTigersSI for all coverage surrounding the LSU program.

As Hurricane Helene takes aim at Florida,certain to bring effects into Alabama as well, let’s sink into some more certain news.

Also, if you’re a fan of comic cons or pro wrestling, you definitely want to check out today’s podcast episode.

Today’s report follows.

Ike

Momentum for a state ban

A Democrat’s bill to ban so-called Glock switches on the state level may see growing support among Republicans during the next legislative session, according to an AL.com report.

A Glock switch is a device that allows a semi-automatic pistol to perform like a fully automatic weapon, with a machine-gun spray of rounds being fired with a single trigger pull. At least one was used in last weekend’s Birmingham mass shooting that killed four people and wounded 17 others.

The bill is being sponsored by Alabama state Rep. Phillip Ensler, a Montgomery Democrat, for the third time. Earlier this year it passed the House of Representatives but never got a vote in the Senate.

Next year odds seem good for the bill once again in the House. Key Republicans with law-enforcement backgrounds have signed on as co-sponsors.

In the Senate, Rules Committee Chair Jabo Waggoner, a Vestavia Hills Republican, said he’s ready to support a ban. Eight Republicans had confirmed to AL.com they’re behind it.

Some are more hesitant. Sen. Chris Elliott, a Josephine Republican, pointed out that Glock switches are already illegal, banned by federal law.

Supporters of the bill counter that, currently, if an officer finds you in possession of the device he or she has to turn the case over to the feds, who then decide whether or not they want to prosecute. With this bill, district attorneys in Alabama can go ahead and prosecute.

The legislation makes possession of the device a Class C felony that can get you 1 to 10 years in prison.

Campus purchase

The former institution of higher learning Birmingham-Southern College has a deal to sell its campus in Birmingham. The buyer, reports AL.com’s Hannah Denham, is another Birmingham school, Miles College.

How much are they paying and what are they going to ultimately do with the campus? We don’t know yet. But $16.5 million will come off the top to settle a debt with ServisFirst.

The two campuses are only six miles apart. Miles said both boards of trustees voted unanimously on the deal.

Stimpson’s tenure

Mobile’s longtime mayor won’t seek re-election in 2025, reports AL.com’s Patrick Darrington.

Sandy Stimpson was first elected mayor back in 2013, the year of the Kick Six, and he is currently serving out his third four-year term.

During that time, thanks to some annexations, Mobile grew to become the second most populous city in the state, leaping over Montgomery and Birmingham and looking up only to Huntsville.

Lunch with Trump

For a guy who has a diamonds-and-gold front door on his three-floor Central Park apartment, former president Donald Trump is anything butostentatious about his road food.

You may recall when the Clemson football team visited the White House in 2019 to celebrate a national championship (doesn’t Clemson winning the national title seem more distant than that?). That was during a government shutdown, so President Trump popped for fast food.

That wasn’t a billionaire being cheap. It was a billionaire in his culinary wheelhouse.

AL.com’s Carol Robinson reports that during Trump’s visit to this Saturday’s Alabama-Georgia game at Bryant-Denny Stadium, he put in the food-request for himself and his guests. On the order? Two McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish sandwiches with cheese, stadium hotdogs, Domino’s pizza and Diet Coke.

He ought to ditch Mar-a-Lago and move to Dothan. The access to fast food on Ross Clark Circle blows away all that frou-frou Palm Beach dining.

U.S. Sens. Katie Britt and Tommy Tuberville are supposed to join the GOP presidential nominee at the ballgame.

Quoting

“It’s not scary that they’re here. It’s scary that there are so many unknowns.”

Alabama state Sen. Keith Kelly, who joined other state lawmakers in another public meeting in Sylacauga regarding Haitian migrants.

More Alabama News

Born on This Date

In 1899, composer William L. Dawson of Anniston.

In 1917, jazz trumpet player Nelson “Cadillac” Williams of Montgomery.

In 1932, astronaut Clifton Williams of Mobile.

On the podcast

Guest Joe Crowe is gonna tell us all about Alabama Comic Con and the local rasslin’ scene.

You can find “Down in Alabama” wherever you get your podcasts, including these places: