Kenneth Eugene Smith Execution

Kenneth Eugene Smith was executed by the State of Alabama today, January 26 2024 by nitrogen hypoxia

According to court documents Kenneth Eugene Smith was sentenced to death for the contract killing of Elizabeth Sennett in 1988. The husband of Elizabeth Sennett, Charles Sennett, would pay three men including Smith a thousand dollars each to murder his wife and make it look like a robbery gone wrong.

Elizabeth Sennett was badly beaten and stabbed to death

Kenneth Eugene Smith and two other men were arrested and convicted. Along with Smith John Forrest Parker would be sentenced to death. John Forrest Parker was executed in 2010

Alabama had tried previously to execute Kenneth Eugene Smith by lethal injection however they were unable to find a proper vein so the execution was stopped

This is the first time that nitrogen hypoxia was used in a execution as States find new ways to put criminals to death other than the problematic lethal injection

Kenneth Eugene Smith Execution

Alabama inmate Kenneth Eugene Smith was put to death Thursday night by nitrogen hypoxia, marking the nation’s first known execution to be carried out using that method.

Kenneth Eugene Smith, 58, was sentenced to death for his role in a 1988 murder for hire and had previously survived a failed attempt to execute him by lethal injection in 2022. His attorneys fought the execution until the end, ultimately losing a final appeal to the US Supreme Court on Thursday evening.

Smith’s legal team – alongside experts and advocates from the US to the United Nations – had voiced concern that nitrogen hypoxia could lead to excessive pain or even torture.

Alabama is one of only three states – Oklahoma and Mississippi being the others – to have approved the method, which is designed to replace oxygen in the body with a high concentration of nitrogen, causing death. So far, Alabama is the only state to have carried it out or even outlined a protocol on how to do it.

Here’s what we know about Kenneth Eugene Smith’s execution:


What happened during the execution

As the procedure started Thursday evening at the William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Kenneth Eugene Smith was fitted with a mask, a device that would be used to administer the nitrogen.

The execution process began at 7:53 p.m. CT Thursday, and Smith was pronounced dead at 8:25 p.m., according to Alabama Department of Corrections officials.

Nitrogen flowed for about 15 minutes during the procedure, state corrections commissioner John Hamm said in a news conference.

Kenneth Eugene Smith, who was on a gurney, appeared conscious for “several minutes into the execution,” and “shook and writhed” for about two minutes after that, media witnesses said in a joint report.

That was followed by several minutes of deep breathing before his breath began slowing “until it was no longer perceptible for media witnesses,” the media witnesses said.

When asked at the news conference about Smith shaking at the beginning of the execution, Hamm said Kenneth Eugene Smith appeared to be holding his breath “for as long as he could” and may have also “struggled against his restraints.”

“There was some involuntary movement and some agonal breathing, so that was all expected and is in the side effects that we’ve seen and researched on nitrogen hypoxia,” Hamm said. “So nothing was out of the ordinary of what we were expecting.” Agonal breathing is an irregular, gasping breath pattern that can happen when someone is near death.

Smith’s spiritual adviser, the Rev. Jeff Hood, who’d previously expressed concern that the method could be inhumane, witnessed the execution and described it in more graphic terms, saying it was “the most horrible thing I’ve ever seen.”

Kenneth Eugene Smith, wearing a tight-fitting mask that covered his entire face, convulsed when the gas was turned on, “popped up on the gurney” repeatedly, and gasped, heaved and spat, Hood said.

“It was absolutely horrific,” he said.

Kenneth Eugene Smith made a lengthy statement in front of the witnesses before the execution started, according to the pool reporters.

“Tonight Alabama caused humanity to take a step backward,” Smith said in part, according to the reporters. “I’m leaving with love, peace and light. Thank you for supporting me. Love all of you.”

Smith also “made a ‘I love you’ sign in sign language with one of his hands that was facing the room where his family was witnessing,” the journalists’ joint report said.

It’s unclear exactly how long it took for Smith to die.

During lethal injections, the nation’s most common execution method, the time it takes for an inmate to die varies widely depending on the drugs used, number of injections and individual inmates’ reactions.

In a typical three-injection protocol, a person can die as quickly as 30 to 60 seconds after the final fatal injection, experts say. But the process does not always go as outlined. In 2014, for example, an Oklahoma inmate had an apparent heart attack 43 minutes after receiving the first injection, according to state documents and witnesses.
A controversial form of capital punishment

A tense debate has unfolded about whether America’s new execution method is humane and whether the procedure would cause undue pain.

In theory, the method involves replacing the air breathed by an inmate with 100% nitrogen, depriving the body of oxygen.

Proponents argue the process should be painless, citing nitrogen’s role in deadly industrial accidents or suicides, and the state indicated in court records that it believes nitrogen hypoxia is “perhaps the most humane method of execution ever devised.”

Others have been skeptical, fearing the method could go awry and voicing concerns that the state’s plan up until Thursday had been shrouded in secrecy. The protocol published by the state contained several redactions experts said shielded key details from public scrutiny.

Criticism of Alabama’s new death penalty method has spread globally. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, said the death penalty is “inconsistent with the fundamental right to life” and called for its “universal abolition.”

“I deeply regret the execution of Kenneth Eugene Smith in Alabama despite serious concerns this novel and untested method of suffocation by nitrogen gas may amount to torture, or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment,” Turk said in a statement Friday.

The European Union described the new method of execution as “a particularly cruel and unusual punishment” and also called for universal abolition of the death penalty, spokesperson Peter Stano said in a statement Friday.

In recent years, many states that still allow the death penalty have had difficulty obtaining necessary ingredients for lethal injections after European manufacturers refused to sell drugs to the US that would be used in executions.

Stano said the EU welcomed “the fact that 29 US states have either abolished capital punishment or imposed a moratorium on executions.”

The family of Smith’s victim, Elizabeth Sennett, said the execution is “bittersweet” – a final act of justice for the woman killed more than three decades ago.

Sennett was murdered in 1988 after her husband hired someone who hired two others, including Smith, to kill his wife and make it look like a burglary, court records show. The husband, minister Charles Sennett, was having an affair and had taken out an insurance policy on his wife, the records say.

“Nothing that happened here today is going to bring mom back,” said Sennett’s son, Michael, after the execution. But, he added, “we’re glad this day is over.”

Elizabeth Sennett’s sons told CNN earlier Thursday they felt it was time for Smith’s sentence to be carried out, adding they believed their mother had been overlooked due to the focus on the execution method.

“What’s going on is overshadowing what’s actually happened,” Chuck Sennett, said. “He’s gotta pay the price for what he done to our mother,” who should be remembered “as a loving, caring woman.” The brothers were in their 20s when their mother was killed.

The family has forgiven everyone involved in the killing, including Smith, Michael Sennett said at a news conference Thursday night.

“His debt was paid tonight,” the son said.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/26/us/alabama-execution-nitrogen-what-we-know/index.html

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Kenneth Smith Murders 2 In Ohio

Kenneth Smith was sentenced to death by the State of Ohio for a double murder

According to court documents one of the victims lent Kenneth Smith money and Smith instead of paying the person back would go to their home where he would shoot and kill 58-year-old Lewis Ray and 54-year-old Ruth Ray before robbing the home

Kenneth Smith would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death

Kenneth Smith Photos

kenneth smith ohio

Kenneth Smith Now

Number
A326630
DOB
11/13/1965
Gender
Male
Race
White
Admission Date
02/16/1996
Institution
Corrections Medical Center
Status
INCARCERATED

Kenneth Smith Case

On May 12, 1995, sometime around 11:00 p.m., defendant-appellant, Kenneth W. Smith (“defendant”), and his brother, Randy Smith (“Randy”), brutally murdered Lewis Ray and Ruth Ray in their Hamilton, Ohio home.   Lewis was severely beaten, his skull was fractured, and his throat was slit, severing his windpipe and carotid arteries.   Ruth died from manual strangulation.   Their home was ransacked, and money and jewelry were taken.   The following morning, David L. Lester, Ruth’s son, discovered the bodies of his mother and stepfather and called the police.

In the Rays’ home, police observed signs of a struggle, blood on the kitchen floor, and bloody footprints throughout the house.   Police found a damaged white ceramic coffee pot covered with blood stains in the trash can and a green army camouflage hat on the floor. A knife had recently been removed from a butcher block set.   Police found Lewis lying on the kitchen floor and Ruth lying in the doorway between the hall and bedroom.   The Rays’ bedroom had been ransacked, and the contents of dressers were strewn about the floor.

Earlier in the evening of May 12, 1995, defendant and Randy had gone to the Crystal Lounge, a.k.a. Crystal Bar, with a friend, Russell C. Baker.   At approximately 10:20 p.m., defendant borrowed Baker’s car allegedly to pick up his wife, Brenda Smith, and some friends.   By midnight, defendant had not returned Russell’s car.   At about that time, Brenda and Lillian Canafax, Randy’s live-in girlfriend, arrived at the Crystal Lounge also looking for the Smith brothers.   About forty-five minutes later, Russell and the two women decided to go to Chasteens Bar. Defendant eventually showed up at Chasteens Bar at approximately 1:30 a.m. When Russell questioned defendant about the car, defendant claimed that he was late because he had been in a fight at a gas station.   Defendant showed Russell a bump on his head.   At the time, Russell also noticed that defendant had changed his clothes.

At approximately 2:00 a.m., defendant left Chasteens Bar in his Monte Carlo automobile with Brenda, Randy, Lillian, and Russell.   Defendant drove to his house, handed his car keys to Randy, and instructed Randy to take a stuffed pillowcase from a nearby blue automobile and put it into the trunk of the Monte Carlo.   Russell accused the Smith brothers of being “out thieving with my car.”   Defendant replied, “Russell, I wouldn’t do that.”   The group then drove to Buckeye Street, where Russell’s brother, James, was staying. Russell soon went home and to bed.

In the early hours of May 13, 1995, defendant admitted to his friend, James Baker, that he had killed Lewis Ray and that his brother, Randy, had strangled Ruth Ray. James testified that on May 12, 1995, he was staying at his mother’s apartment, when defendant and Randy arrived at approximately 1:30 a.m. in Russell’s automobile. The Smiths had been to the apartment earlier in the evening before going to the Crystal Lounge.   Defendant told James that he had been in a fight, and James noticed that defendant had cleaned up and changed clothes.   Defendant was wearing a sweater and boots instead of tennis shoes.   He was not wearing a hat.   James further testified that defendant left the apartment again at 1:35 a.m. to go to Chasteens Bar.

When defendant returned to James’s mother’s apartment at approximately 2:45 a.m., he began to tell James about the murders.   James testified that defendant told him that he had taken a hammer and “struck Louie Ray between his eye[s],” and that during this time, defendant had winked at his brother, Randy, who followed Ruth into a bedroom and strangled her.   Defendant also told James that they took gold and jewelry in a pillowcase from the Rays’ home.

James testified that when he asked defendant why he killed the Rays, defendant replied that they had killed them to prevent the Rays from identifying them.   James testified that defendant “was talking how he sliced Lewis Ray’s throat from ear to ear and just laughing about it.”   Defendant also told James that after he killed Lewis, he “kicked Ruth’s brain in” to make sure she was dead.   James testified that defendant brought a pillowcase stuffed with jewelry inside the apartment, but James asked him to take it back to the car.

Later that morning, James was driving around with defendant and Brenda.   They stopped to buy cigarettes and marijuana.   Defendant mentioned to James that he was concerned because he lost his green army camouflage hat in the struggle with Lewis.   Eventually they drove to Russell’s home.   There, out of defendant’s presence, James told Russell what defendant had admitted.   Defendant then suggested to James that he hide the remaining jewelry.   This prompted Russell to contact the police.   Police later recovered the jewelry in the attic of a garage.

In addition to the testimony of James Baker, Lillian Canafax testified that she was outside Chasteens Bar arguing with Randy when he showed her a gun.   She testified that she saw the same gun in her bedroom the following morning.   Several days later, after she found the gun and money under the bed, she authorized police to search the apartment.   Lillian also turned over to police three money orders she had purchased for Randy the day after these crimes occurred.

Another witness testified that around 11:15 or 11:30 p.m., he saw Randy standing outside a pizza parlor about a block from the Rays’ residence.   The witness testified that Randy had a hammer in his hand as he ducked behind the building.   Russell testified that a hammer was missing from his car after he had loaned his car to defendant.

That afternoon, the police detained defendant for questioning.   At the time, police observed cuts and scratches on defendant’s face, and a long cut and bruises near his right collarbone.   Police also searched Brenda’s purse and discovered a cellophane bag containing rings, two $100 bills, and a quantity of nonsequentially numbered food stamps.   Police knew that Lewis sold similar jewelry and suspected that he may have dealt in food stamps as currency.

At the police station, defendant waived his Miranda rights and admitted that he and Randy had killed Lewis and Ruth. Defendant said that while at the Crystal Bar, he and Randy had talked about going to rob the Rays, and decided that they would have to kill the Rays because they did not want the Rays to be able to identify them.   Defendant told police that after arriving at the Rays’ house, he and Lewis began to argue about money that defendant supposedly owed Lewis.   Defendant further admitted that he picked up an object from the kitchen counter and struck Lewis, eventually overpowering him.   Defendant claimed that Lewis said, “I’m going to kill you, Kenny,” so defendant grabbed a knife and cut Lewis’s throat.   He then rolled Lewis on his side and took his wallet.   Defendant said he walked to the bedroom and saw Ruth’s body on the floor.   Randy had choked her to death.   The two men ransacked the bedroom and left in Russell’s automobile.

Police apprehended Randy Smith.   They found $344 in bloodstained currency on him.   Randy initially denied any knowledge of the murders.   Police allowed Randy to speak with his brother, who said, “They got us brother, everybody is telling on us, tell the truth, that’s what I did.”   Randy then explained to the police his involvement in the crimes.

Later, after again being advised of his Miranda rights, defendant gave the police a written confession.   In his statement, defendant said that while playing pool at the Crystal Lounge, he talked with Randy about robbing Lewis.   He borrowed Russell’s car and drove to a pool hall about half a block from the Ray home.   Defendant stated that he and his brother walked to the Rays’ house.   Lewis invited the Smiths into his home.   Defendant and Lewis began to argue about $2,500 that defendant owed Lewis.   The men began to fight in the kitchen and defendant grabbed something from the counter and struck Lewis’s head.   They continued to wrestle on the floor.   Defendant knew he was going to have to kill Lewis to keep him from telling anyone what happened.   Defendant then grabbed a knife and “sliced Louie across the throat.”

In his written confession, defendant further admitted that he took Lewis’s wallet, then walked into the bedroom.   Ruth was lying on the floor in the doorway, and defendant had to step over her body. Defendant said he asked Randy what had happened, and Randy said he had choked Ruth. Defendant further admitted that he then ransacked the bedroom, taking rings, watches, and necklaces, and placed the items in a plastic bag and left.

According to his signed confession, defendant went home after the murders to shower and change clothes.   He and Randy divided the money found in Lewis’s wallet.   Defendant’s share was around $625.   Defendant then put his bloody clothes, the knife, and Lewis’s wallet into a green trash bag that Randy later threw into the river.   The two men then drove to Chasteens Bar.

In his confession, defendant explained that after leaving Chasteens Bar, he drove to the apartment where James Baker was staying and began to go through the jewelry that the defendant and Randy had taken from the Rays’ house.   Defendant picked out some items he wanted to keep.   The following morning he placed some rings into a plastic bag and gave them to Brenda, who put them into her purse.   Defendant put the remainder of the jewelry into the trunk of his Monte Carlo.   He and James then put the jewelry into the attic of James’s grandmother’s garage.   During police questioning, defendant also admitted that the wristwatch he was wearing had belonged to Lewis.

At trial, defendant testified that he and Randy went to the Rays, intending only to steal saws and drills from the yard.   They parked the car away from the house, but as they walked into the yard, Lewis opened the gate and saw them.   Lewis invited them into the house, and the men began to argue about money that defendant allegedly owed Lewis.   Defendant testified that within ten minutes, “everything got real violent.”   Lewis “jumped up,” told defendant he “was going to shoot” him, and hit defendant “upside the head with something.”   Defendant testified that he grabbed something from near the stove and struck Lewis.   Defendant testified that Lewis tried to push him down the basement steps.   Defendant then grabbed a knife and cut Lewis as he approached.   Defendant bent down, turned Lewis on his side, and grabbed his wallet.   Defendant further testified that Randy told him that he had choked Ruth. The brothers then ransacked the bedroom, taking jewelry.

Defendant denied that he intended to kill the Rays. Defendant claimed that Lewis was his best friend, and he “wouldn’t cold blooded kill him for nothing.”   Defendant testified that he was very upset about the Rays because they were “like family” to him.   He admitted that he told James about killing Lewis, but testified that he wasn’t laughing or joking, but instead, he was “in tears.”

Kenneth Smith was charged in two counts with the aggravated felony-murder of Lewis Ray and Ruth Ray in violation of R.C. 2903.01(B).  Each murder charge contained three death specifications:  the offense was committed to escape detection, apprehension, trial, or punishment for other offenses, R.C. 2929.04(A)(3);  the offense was part of a course of conduct involving the purposeful killing of two or more persons, R.C. 2929.04(A)(5);  and the offense was committed during the course of an aggravated robbery, R.C. 2929.04(A)(7).   He was also charged with two counts of aggravated robbery that included the allegation of a prior felony conviction for attempted burglary.   The jury convicted defendant as charged and recommended the death penalty on the aggravated murder counts.   The trial court sentenced defendant to death.

https://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-6th-circuit/1457368.html

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Kenneth Smith Almost Executed For Murder For Hire

Kenneth Smith was almost executed by the State of Alabama for a murder for hire

According to court documents Kenneth Smith and John Forrest Parker were paid a $1000 by Rev. Charles Sennett to murder his wife Elizabeth Dorlene Sennett. The body of Elizabeth would later be found and she had been beaten and stabbed repeatedly

Rev. Charles Sennett body would be found in 1988 and he had been fatally shot with a shotgun. Sennett would commit suicide after being suspected of his wife’s murder

Kenneth Smith and John Forest Parker would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death

John Forrest Parker would be executed on June 10 2010

Kenneth Smith execution would fail as the technicians were unable to properly insert the IV lines in order to send the drugs through

Kenneth Smith Photos

Kenneth Smith execution

Kenneth Smith FAQ

When Is Kenneth Smith Execution

Kenneth Smith execution has yet to be scheduled

When Was John Forrest Parker Executed

John Forrest Parker was executed on June 10 2010

How Was John Forrest Parker Executed

John Forrest Parker was executed by lethal injection

Kenneth Smith Botched Execution

Kenneth Eugene Smith is a member of strange and horrific club: people Alabama has attempted to execute, but failed to do so in time. Its membership has been growing this year, with the state failing on two separate attempts to successfully complete a death sentence.

Smith, given a death sentence for his role in the 1988 murder-for-hire of Elizabeth Dorlene Sennett, was scheduled to be executed on Thursday evening.

With legal appeals still pending, Alabama began to prepare Smith for his execution, struggling for over an hour to place an IV line that would deliver his lethal injection drugs.

At 10.23pm, the US Supreme Court rejected his final appeal, clearing the way for his execution. At this point, he had been strapped to a gurney for multiple hours. As prison personnel continued to struggle to place an IV, jabbing Smith’s arm, hand, neck, and chest with large needles. An hour later, state officials called off the execution entirely, believing they wouldn’t complete by the midnight deadline of Smith’s death warrant.

Smith, who is now in litigation with the state of the Alabama because of the botched execution, told The Atlantic the experience was “like a knife,” and that he told prison officials over and over again he was feeling pain, even though he was supposed to have been fully anesthetised.

“And I kept telling them,” Smith added, “call the f***ing judge. My case number is 2:22-CV-497. Somebody in this f***ing room call the judge or call my lawyer.”

His wife, who asked to remain anonymous, told Newsweek Smith now needs to “heal both physically and mentally from this ordeal as they caused him great physical pain and mental trauma during this process.”

State officials defended their handling of the execution, and seemed to blame Mr Smith’s appeals for the difficulties carrying out the killing, rather than an inability to place an IV.

“Although that justice could not be carried out tonight because of last minute legal attempts to delay or cancel the execution, attempting it was the right thing to do,” governor Kay Ivey said in a statement. “My prayers are with the victim’s children and grandchildren as they are forced to relive their tragic loss.”

Alabama’s last three executions have been marred by scandal.

In July, Joe Nathan James’s killing was mysteriously delayed more than three hours, and state officials never confirmed to media observers he was ever fully unconscious before being killing. An outside autopsy found that his body was scarred all over with irregular cuts, suggesting another prolonged attempt to place an IV line.

Then, in September, Alabama officials called off the execution of Alan Miller, after prison personnel were once again unable to connect the man to lethal injection drugs in time to match the death warrant deadline.

On Monday, Governor Ivey announced a de facto moratorium on executions in the state, promising that corrections officials will embark on “a top-to-bottom review of the state’s execution process” so that “the state can successfully deliver justice going forward.”

“For the sake of the victims and their families, we’ve got to get this right,” she added.

As The Independent reported, last week saw four planned executions in 48 hours, including that of Smith, and each case was dogged with various black marks, including innocence claims, procedural issues, more medical trauma, and accusations of police racism and misconduct.

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