Smith was originally set to be executed via lethal injection in 2022.
An Alabama man was executed Thursday evening becoming the first person in the United States to die via nitrogen gas, according to Gov. Kay Ivey.
Kenneth Smith, 58, who was sentenced to death for his role in the 1988 murder-for-hire plot of a preacher’s wife, was originally set to be executed in November 2022 with a lethal injection, but officials were unable to locate a vein and were forced to call it off.
“The execution was lawfully carried out by nitrogen hypoxia, the method previously requested by Mr. Smith as an alternative to lethal injection. At long last, Mr. Smith got what he asked for, and this case can finally be put to rest,” the governor said in a statement Thursday evening.
“I pray that Elizabeth Sennett’s family can receive closure after all these years dealing with that great loss,” Ivey said.
The execution took place at 8:25 p.m.
