What were Kenneth Eugene Smith's last words? Alabama inmate killed by nitrogen in 'horrific' execution method

On Thursday, January 25, Alabama death row inmate Kenneth Eugene Smith was executed by being suffocated with nitrogen gas. He was pronounced dead at the Atmore, Alabama William C Holman Correctional Facility at 8.25 pm. The convicted murderer had survived a botched lethal injection execution in 2022 before he stated that he preferred to be executed by nitrogen gas.

As his wife and sons watched, Kenneth Eugene Smith became the first person in the world to be executed by this method. Kenneth's spiritual advisor, who witnessed the whole process, said it was "horrific." Before being executed, Kenneth made an 'I love you' gesture towards his family and spoke his final words:

"Thank you for supporting me. Love, love all of you,"

Kenneth Smith (Image via X/Lindahubbardart)

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The execution of Kenneth Eugene Smith

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court penultimately denied a last-minute stay order on Kenneth Eugine Smith's execution. Fox News reported that Smith's attorneys called the method of execution, nitrogen hypoxia, "inhumane" and argued that the non-airtight nature of the mask used to administer the gas might leak in oxygen and leave Smith in a vegetative state.

The Associated Press reported that a doctor claimed on behalf of Kenneth Eugene Smith that the gas could cause nausea, which may lead to him choking on his vomit. Nitrogen hypoxia is the process by which a person is forced to breathe only pure nitrogen through a mask, completely depriving them of oxygen and causing death in a few minutes.

Kenneth Eugene Smith's story began in 1988 when a minister named Charles Sennett wanted his wife, Elizabeth Dorlene Sennett, gone. He allegedly wanted to collect the insurance money from her death. WVTV reported that the minister hired Billy Gray Williams to carry out the task of murdering his wife. However, Billy Gray did not do the task himself.

Billy Gray hired John Parker and Kenneth Smith to carry out the execution. He paid them $1000 each for the task. 45-year-old Elizabeth Dorlene Sennett was beaten with a pipe and repeatedly stabbed at her home in Colbert County. The scene was made to look like a failed robbery.

Both Parker and Smith were indicted for Elizabeth's murder, and Williams ended up serving life without parole. Williams died in 2020. Parker was executed by lethal injection in 2010. Kenneth Eugine Smith was the only person left from the trio of indicted hired men.

Nearly 14 years after the death of his partner in crime, Smith, who was a death row inmate, was sentenced to execution by Nitrogen gas. He had earlier been a recipient of a botched lethal injection execution back in 2022. According to the Independent, officials simply could not insert an intravenous line into his body.

After the 2022 botch, Smith expressed his preference for the Nitrogen gas method. The Alabama Department of Corrections later revealed the details of how Smith spent his last 48 hours on earth.

Kenneth Eugene Smith received visits from his family, a couple of friends, his attorney, and his spiritual adviser. For breakfast, Smith consumed grape jelly, a couple of biscuits, applesauce, eggs, and orange juice. Smith's final meal was steak and eggs alongside some hash browns.

Smith was then strapped to a gurney at the Holman Correctional Facility with a face mask that blocked oxygen for the administered nitrogen gas to cause nitrogen asphyxia. The Independent revealed that the man facing imminent death said while on his deathbed:

"Tonight Alabama causes humanity to take a step backwards. ... I’m leaving with love, peace and light,"

He nodded and made an 'I love you' hand gesture toward his family, who were witnesses to his death, and said:

"Thank you for supporting me. Love, love all of you."

Kenneth Eugene Smith was pronounced dead at 8.25 pm. Lee Hedgepeth, one of the five members of the media team transported to the correctional facility for the execution, gave BBC a testimony of what he saw. He said:

"I've been to four previous executions and I've never seen a condemned inmate thrash in the way that Kenneth Smith reacted to the nitrogen gas,"

He added:

"Kenny just began to gasp for air repeatedly and the execution took about 25 minutes total."

Kenneth's spiritual advisor, Jeff Hood, also corroborated the account by claiming that he convulsed, popped up from the gurney, and shook multiple times. He called the whole process "absolutely horrific" and a "horror show."

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey released a statement confirming Kenneth Eugene Smith's death. He said that Smith had finally answered to his crimes after multiple attempts to "game the system." She prayed for Elizabeth Sennett's family and proclaimed that "Justice has been served."

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