Alan Miller shook and trembled on gurney after becoming second person to be executed by controversial technique
Alabama has carried out the second execution in the US using the controversial method of nitrogen gas, an experimental technique for humans that veterinarians have deemed unacceptable in the US and Europe for the euthanasia of most animals.
Alan Eugene Miller, 59, was pronounced dead on Thursday evening at a south Alabama prison. The lethal method involves being strapped to a gurney, where a respirator mask is applied to the face and pure nitrogen piped in. The resulting oxygen deprivation will cause death by asphyxia.
Miller shook and trembled on the gurney for about two minutes with his body at times pulling against the restraints, followed by about six minutes of gasping breathing, according to the Associated Press.
Miller’s death is the latest in an extraordinary week in the US in which five condemned men in five states are set to be killed over six days. Three prisoners have already been executed – on Friday South Carolina killed Khalil Divine Black Sun Allah in its first execution in 13 years, then on Tuesday Texas killed Travis Mullis and Missouri put to death Marcellus Williams.
That’s what we’re talking about, though! That’s the topic!
If I was to go on and on across several comments about how nitrous oxide is pleasant to inhale and then go “I don’t know about nitrogen asphyxiation, though” at the end, you’d be very annoyed with me and rightly so!
OK, be annoyed with me then.
What I’m saying is “if the state is going to execute people, then nitrogen asphyxiation is an excellent and humane choice, provided that the state performs the execution properly.”
I am not saying anything beyond that. I’m not saying that this specific execution was performed properly. I wouldn’t really trust the state to say it was done right, or a reporter to day it was done wrong.
People (and animals) can jerk and twitch when they die. They can gasp and breathe heavily even, sometimes. They are unconscious by that point if asphyxiation is done right. Look into hypoxia, there’s a ton of documentation on it, video and otherwise, including direct accounts.
The only thing we can do to make it more humane is a: ensure the method is implemented correctly, and b: provide a choice of methods to the person to be executed.
Of course, that’s aside from the question of whether the state is capable of correctly evaluating who should be killed in the first place.