Alabama Executes Alan Eugene Miller by Nitrogen Gas

On Thursday, Alabama executed Alan Eugene Miller, a man convicted of three workplace murders, using nitrogen gas, marking only the second use of this method in the U.S. Miller, 59, showed distress during the execution, shaking on the gurney and gasping for breath before being pronounced dead at 6:38 p.m. His final words expressed his innocence, despite overwhelming evidence against him, including witness accounts of the shootings in 1999. Gov. Kay Ivey stated that 'justice was finally served' for the victims, while Miller's case highlighted broader concerns about the humaneness of nitrogen hypoxia as an execution method. The execution occurred amidst an unusual surge in Alabama, where five inmates were scheduled for death within a week, defying a national decline in capital punishment. This method has raised ethical debates, particularly following the first execution using it, which resulted in reported distress for the inmate.