Posted on 01/25/2024 6:59:55 PM PST by Morgana
Kenneth Eugene Smith has become the first person in history to be executed with nitrogen gas.
The convicted killer, 58, was put to death in the William C. Holman facility's execution chamber in Atmore, Alabama.
After the reading of his last rights, a tight gas mask was placed over Smith's nose and mouth, before a stream of 100 percent nitrogen gas suffocated him. The gas mask remained on his face for 15 minutes to ensure the murderer was dead.
Witnesses were led into the viewing room at 6:55pm, and Smith was pronounced dead half an hour later. Despite fears over the untested method going wrong, there is no early indication the execution did not go smoothly.
He was sentenced to death in 1996 for the murder-for-hire slaying of a preacher's wife in 1988, where he was paid just $1,000 for the hit.
Smith's pastor John Ewell told DailyMail.com before his execution that the killer was 'really struggling' with the reality of his imminent death, and officials said he barely touched his final meal of steak, hashbrowns and eggs from Waffle House. The historic execution divided opinions, including among Supreme Court justices who voted 6-3 to allow the procedure to go ahead, with the untested method previously branded 'torture' by the UN.
Smith's execution marked the first time a new method had been used on America's death row since lethal injections were first introduced 42 years ago.
But one of the primary reasons Alabama has turned to nitrogen gas for Smith's execution has been the widespread struggles American prisons have had in obtaining lethal injection drugs in recent years.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
“What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?”............................
Why are there 3 threads on this??????
I heard it caused his ears to fall off.
What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?
R.E.M.
[Verse 1]
“What’s the frequency, Kenneth?” is your Benzedrine, uh-huh
I was brain-dead, locked out, numb, not up to speed
I thought I’d pegged you an idiot’s dream
Tunnel vision from the outsider’s screen
[Chorus]
I never understood the frequency, uh-huh
You wore our expectations like an armored suit, uh-huh
[Verse 2]
I’d studied your cartoons, radio, music, TV, movies, magazines
Richard said, “Withdrawal in disgust is not the same as apathy”
A smile like the cartoon, tooth for a tooth
You said that irony was the shackles of youth
[Chorus]
You wore a shirt of violent green, uh-huh
I never understood the frequency, uh-huh
[Guitar Solo]
[Verse 3]
“What’s the frequency, Kenneth?” is your Benzedrine, uh-huh
Butterfly decal, rear-view mirror, dogging the scene
You smile like the cartoon, tooth for a tooth
You said that irony was the shackles of youth
[Chorus]
You wore a shirt of violent green, uh-huh
I never understood the frequency, uh-huh
You wore our expectations like an armored suit, uh-huh
I couldn’t understand
You said that irony was the shackles of youth, uh-huh
I couldn’t understand
You wore a shirt of violent green, uh-huh
I couldn’t understand
I never understood, don’t fuck with me, uh-huh
A plastic bag over the head has never been used before?
The air is already 78% nitrogen. Without oxygen that’s just plain old suffocation.
Then, there's this:
with the untested method previously branded 'torture' by the UN.
Bull Droppings!!!
We get all sorts of safety training, and gas sensors in areas where we use nitrogen and other inert gases, because it can kill you before you even know you're in trouble. It's the exact opposite of torture.
Smith ain't complaining.
Hashbowns from Waffle House? Smothered and covered?
4....................
Search feature must be broken.
Yes, where I used to work, they had a huge tank of nitrogen....................
hooray
I use the stuff all the time. I have a 180l dewar in my shop right now ...
It doesn’t scare me ... but I am aware of the hazard. Check the readings on the O2 sensor before opening the door.
His murder victim was unavailable for her opinion.
Their tank was huge, about 8 ft tall and at least 4 ft wide.......I wouldn’t go near it if I could avoid it..............
The only things the U.N. does not consider torture is killing Jews and molesting children.
Well there is Nitrogen and then there is Liquid Nitrogen...
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