Alabama inmate Alan Eugene Miller executed, second to die by nitrogen gas

The authorities of Alabama connected Thursday executed inmate Alan Eugene Miller with nitrogen gas, making him the 2nd to dice by the arguable superior punishment method.

Miller, 59, was sentenced to decease successful 2000 for fatally shooting 3 of his erstwhile co-workers successful 1999.

A erstwhile effort to execute Miller successful 2022 was called disconnected erstwhile officials were incapable to entree his veins. Thursday’s execution came aft a suit successful which Miller argued the nitrogen state could origin him undue suffering, violating his Eighth Amendment protections against cruel and antithetic punishment.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said the colony was impervious the method — which had been utilized for the archetypal clip to execute Kenneth Smith earlier this twelvemonth — was constitutional.

Defenders of method — nitrogen hypoxia — reason it causes the idiosyncratic to suffer consciousness rapidly arsenic they respire successful 100% nitrogen alternatively of oxygen. However, doctors person said it’s next-to-impossible to find erstwhile idiosyncratic loses consciousness during the execution.

Critics person said dying by nitrogen hypoxia is akin to being tortured to decease since it tin origin excessive symptom portion the idiosyncratic suffocates.

Witnesses to the execution reported him shaking connected a gurney for respective minutes earlier helium died. Witnesses to Smith’s execution reported akin observations.

“Everything went according to program and according to our protocol,” Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner John Hamm said to reporters aft Miller died.

Louisiana, Oklahoma and Mississippi person besides authorized the usage of nitrogen state successful executions, but person not yet utilized it.