Jess Battison
A death row prisoner has died from a controversial new execution method that has only been used on humans once before in the US.
Alan Eugene Miller was pronounced dead at 6:38pm local time yesterday (26 September) at a south Alabama prison.
Miller had been convicted of the 1999 murders of Terry Lee Jarvis, 39, Lee Holdbrooks, 32, and Christopher Yancy, 28.
The victims were found with several bullet wounds as prosecutors said he killed Holdbrooks and Yancy at their place of work and then drove to a second business to shoot Jarvis. The murders happened at businesses were the killer had worked or previously worked.
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Before his execution, he was visited by three attorneys, his two sisters, brother, brother-in-law, a spiritual advisor and a mate.
For his last meal, he tucked into a hamburger steak, baked potato and some French fries.
The 59-year-old then faced his death by the method of nitrogen gas.
According to reporters who witnessed his death, Miller’s final words were: “I didn’t do anything to be in here,” and “I didn’t do anything to be on death row.”
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A mask covered his face from forehead to chin as the controversial method sees the prisoner strapped down with pure nitrogen piped into the mask. This then leads to death by asphyxia due to the eventual oxygen deprivation.
According to the Associated Press, Miller shook and trembled on the gurney for about two minutes as he pulled against the restraints at moments. This was then followed by around six minutes of periodic gasping breaths.
Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner John Q Hamm said Miller’s execution all went according to procedure.
“There’s going to be involuntary body movements as the body is depleted of oxygen so that was nothing we did not expect,” he said during a news conference.
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This ‘experimental technique for humans’ has been deemed unacceptable by vets in the US and Europe for the euthanasia of most animals.
The first nitrogen execution in the country was carried out on Kenneth Smith back in January, also by the state of Alabama.
Miller went through a failed execution in 2022 when his lawyers claim he was repeatedly punctures with needle marks and left hanging vertically on the gurney in exterem pain before it was called off.
“Tonight, justice was finally served for these three victims,” said Alabama’s governor, Kay Ivey, said in a statement. “His acts were not that of insanity, but pure evil. Three families were forever changed by his heinous crimes, and I pray that they can find comfort all these years later.”