Kenneth Eugene Smith

Kenneth Eugene Smith (July 4, 1965 – January 25, 2024) was an American murderer who became the first person in the world to be executed by inert gas asphyxiation.

 Murder of Elizabeth Sennett  

Smith was sentenced to death for the murder of Elisabeth Sennett in 1988, he and another man accepted $1,000 to end her life, the order was carried out by Sennett's husband who intended to collect the life insurance–to pay off some debts. Smith's partner in crime, a man named John Forrest Parker, was also sentenced to death and executed in 2010.

Attempted execution and final execution 

In November 2022, Smith was scheduled to be executed by lethal injection, but the execution was stayed after the execution team was unable to connect the intravenous lines to Smith in the time available before the expiration of the death warrant issued by the Alabama Supreme Court. As part of a settlement between the state and Smith, the state agreed not to continue Smith's execution by lethal injection (the default primary method of execution in Alabama) and instead make use of a secondary novel method of execution, nitrogen hypoxia. Despite several legal appeals and calls by activists, international governments, and organisations, the execution was carried out in Holman Prison.

References

Category:1965 births
Category:2024 deaths
Category:American criminals
Category:American people convicted of murder
Category:American people executed for murder