Alabama Requests Approval for Death Row Inmate Alan Eugene Miller’s Execution by Nitrogen Hypoxia
Alabama is seeking approval from the state’s Supreme Court to proceed with the execution of death row inmate Alan Eugene Miller using nitrogen hypoxia. This request comes shortly after Alabama executed Kenneth Eugene Smith using the same method, marking the first time nitrogen hypoxia was used in the United States. Both Smith and Miller were initially scheduled to be executed by lethal injection, but due to complications, their executions were postponed.
Miller’s execution was originally planned for September 22, 2022, but it was called off when officials realized they couldn’t complete the process before the midnight deadline. In response, Miller filed a federal lawsuit challenging death by lethal injection, which was the method the Alabama Department of Corrections had intended to use in his execution.
According to Miller, during the failed attempt at execution, prison staff spent over an hour trying to find a vein and at one point even left him hanging vertically while he was strapped to a gurney. These events prompted the state’s highest court to rule that Miller’s execution could only proceed using nitrogen hypoxia. Despite initially challenging the court’s injunction, the Alabama Department of Corrections eventually agreed.
In Wednesday’s filing, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall stated that the state is ready to carry out Miller’s sentence using nitrogen hypoxia, emphasizing that “it is once more the appropriate time for the execution of his sentence.” Miller, now 59 years old, was sentenced to death for a 1999 workplace rampage in suburban Birmingham that resulted in the deaths of Terry Jarvis, Lee Holdbrooks, and Scott Yancy.
Alabama is one of three states that allow nitrogen hypoxia as an alternative to traditional capital punishment methods such as lethal injection. Oklahoma and Mississippi are the only other states that have authorized executions using this method. However, the application of nitrogen hypoxia in Alabama’s execution chamber has faced criticism. Some argue that it is experimental and may cause unnecessary pain and danger to both the condemned person and others present in the room. United Nations experts have expressed concerns about the potential for severe suffering during an execution by pure nitrogen inhalation, stating that there is no scientific evidence to suggest otherwise.
The case of Alan Eugene Miller highlights the ongoing debates surrounding the death penalty and the methods used in executions. As Alabama seeks approval for nitrogen hypoxia as a means of carrying out Miller’s sentence, the ethical implications and potential risks associated with this method continue to be subjects of scrutiny.
In conclusion, while the request for Alan Eugene Miller’s execution using nitrogen hypoxia awaits approval from Alabama’s Supreme Court, the controversy surrounding this alternative method of capital punishment persists. As the state prepares to carry out Miller’s sentence, the debate over the humane and ethical aspects of the death penalty remains unresolved.