Alabama Requests Approval for Death Row Inmate's Execution by Nitrogen Hypoxia

Alabama has requested the state's Supreme Court to set a date for the execution of death row inmate Alan Eugene Miller using nitrogen hypoxia. The request comes following the recent execution of Kenneth Eugene Smith using the same method, marking the first time it was employed in the US. Both Smith and Miller were initially scheduled for lethal injection, but Smith's attempt was botched and Miller's was called off due to time constraints. Miller had filed a federal lawsuit against death by lethal injection, claiming a botched attempt involving prolonged needle poking and other distressing actions. The state's highest court later ruled that Miller's execution could only take place using nitrogen hypoxia, despite earlier challenges from the Alabama Department of Corrections. The state's Attorney General, Steve Marshall, stated that Alabama is prepared to carry out Miller's sentence using nitrogen hypoxia. Miller was convicted of a 1999 workplace rampage in suburban Birmingham, Alabama, where he killed three individuals. Alabama, Oklahoma, and Mississippi are the only states to authorize executions by nitrogen hypoxia, with Alabama's application of the method drawing criticism for its experimental nature and potential for unnecessary suffering. United Nations experts have expressed concerns about the possibility of grave suffering from execution by pure nitrogen inhalation.