5 botched death row executions in US explored after Kenneth Smith is put to death by Nitrogen Hypoxia

Kenneth Smith, a convicted murderer serving a prison sentence since 1996, became the first convict of the country by Nitrogen Hypoxia – a new execution method – on the evening of January 25.

Kenneth Smith was convicted for killing the preacher’s wife, Elizabeth Sennett, in 1996. He was imprisoned at William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Alabama, where his final death sentence was also carried out.

Trigger Warning: This article contains details of gruesome executions. Readers' discretion is advised.

According to The Sun, Nitrogen Hypoxia has been branded as “torture” by the UN. It is a process in which the convict is made to wear a respirator’s mask, replacing breathable air with nitrogen. It causes death by oxygen deprivation.

The ruling of Kenneth Smith’s death sentence was issued in Alabama at 6 am (British time) on January 25, providing the facility 30 hours to carry out the proposed execution. Kenneth Smith was pronounced dead at 8.25 pm the same evening, according to the Guardian.

---

Kenneth Smith was executed after the denial of his appeal in the US Supreme Court

Supreme Court (Image by Getty//Kevin Deitsch)

As per The Sun, this was Kenneth Smith’s second execution after the first one failed in 2022. It was a case of a botched lethal injection when the executioners were unable to raise a vein for the injection before the death warrant expired.

Kenneth Smith’s execution was initially scheduled for 6 pm (British time) but had to be delayed as the US Supreme Court weighed on his final appeal, as per the Guardian. A few minutes before 8 pm, the court denied Kenneth Smith’s appeal, allowing the execution to proceed.

As Kenneth Smith’s first botched execution was rectified at the second attempt, here are five botched death row executions that have been called “most horrific” in the history of the US.

---

George Stinney’s botched electrocution – 1944

George Stinney (Image via Wikimedia Commons)

In 1944, George Stinney, 14, was convicted for the murder of two girls despite the lack of evidence. When taken for execution, Stinney was found to be too small for the chair and had to sit on a book on the chair, with the mask too big for his face. Stinney also somehow survived the first round of 2400-volt execution. It took two more shocks to kill him, which left the room stinking of burnt flesh.

---

Joseph Wood’s botched lethal injection – 1989

In 1989, Joseph Wood was sentenced to death for shooting his estranged girlfriend and her father in Arizona. His execution – by lethal injection – which should ideally have taken 10 minutes, extended for almost 2 hours. Because the combination of drugs used for the process had been experimental, Wood had to be injected 15 times, breaking the rules in Arizona.

---

Evan’s botched electrocution – 1983

In 1977, Evans was given a death sentence for a string of kidnappings and violent robberies and the murder of a pawn shop owner. When Evans was taken to the chair in 1983, he survived the shock of 1,900 volts, after which an electrode came loose on it.

After its re-attachment, Evans received two more shocks before being pronounced dead, having suffered the agony of being burnt alive for 14 minutes.

---

Jesse Tafero’s botched electrocution – 1990

Jesse Tafero (Image via Wikimedia Commons)

In 1976, Jesse Tafero was asleep in his car with his wife, children, and a man named Walter Rhodes. They were challenged by the police, which led to the death of two officers. Tafero was found guilty of murder after Rhodes testified he fired the shots.

During his death row execution through electrocution, the electric chair malfunctioned thrice, during which Jesse's head burst into flames. The horrific scene resulted in lethal injection replacing electrocution for execution in Florida.

---

Clayton Lockett’s botched lethal injection – 2014

In 2000, Clayton Lockett from Oklahoma was convicted for charges of r*pe and murder. He received a death sentence by lethal injection. Lockett had to be tasered by guards to be taken to the execution room, where the first nine attempts of sticking the needle into his vein failed.

He was then injected with potassium chloride, which should ideally have stopped his heart immediately. However, it only slowed it down. The execution was called off, and Lockett was taken to a hospital, but he died from a heart attack on the way.