Alabama death row inmate Alan Miller trembles and shakes during prolonged nitrogen gas execution
A murderer took approximately eight minutes to pass away in a controversial execution using nitrogen gas.
Alan Miller was observed trembling and shaking, struggling for breath as he met his end at a US prison in Alabama.
The 59-year-old, restrained on a stretcher, was also seen tugging at his restraints before eventually becoming still.
He became only the second person in the US to be executed in this manner.
Miller was found guilty of murdering three men in Pelham, Alabama, in August 1999.
Earlier, officials had attempted to execute him via lethal injection in 2022 but had to abandon the process due to difficulties in locating a vein prior to the expiration of his death warrant.
In his final moments, Miller asserted, “I didn’t do anything to deserve this.”
He also asked his loved ones to take care of someone, although the exact identity was unclear as his voice was muffled by a gas mask.
The convict was declared deceased at 6:38 pm local time on Thursday.
Miller in August 1999 following his arrest. Pic: AP
The execution, the fifth within a week in the US, has reignited discussions on the death penalty and the question of humane methods.
Advocates from US organizations like Death Penalty Action have condemned the use of nitrogen gas as “horrific and torturous.”
Alabama’s attorney general Steve Marshall affirmed that the execution “happened as expected, without issues.”
He added, “Despite misinformation campaigns by activists, lawyers from other states, and biased media, the state has demonstrated once again that nitrogen hypoxia is both humane and effective.”
Death Penalty Action activists protesting against the execution earlier this week. Pic: AP
‘Pure evil’
Alabama Corrections Commissioner John Hamm stated, “Everything proceeded according to plan and our protocol.”
On the contrary, Lauren Gill, a reporter for Bolts, a local politics magazine, shared on X, “I observed Alabama’s execution of Alan Miller by nitrogen gas, and once again, it did not go as promised by state officials.
“Miller visibly struggled for approximately two minutes, shaking and pulling at his restraints. Subsequently, he spent the next five to six minutes gasping for air intermittently.”
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Some experts, including those from the American Veterinary Medical Association, consider nitrogen gas as “unacceptable” for euthanizing most animals due to the distress it causes.
Miller, a former delivery truck driver, fatally shot two colleagues at Ferguson Enterprises – Lee Holdbrooks, 32, and Christopher Scott Yancy, 28 – during his crime spree.
He then drove to his former workplace, Post Airgas, and killed Terry Jarvis, 39.
All three victims were shot multiple times.
A testimony revealed that Miller was paranoid and suspected his co-workers of gossiping about him.
Reflecting on the execution, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey denounced Miller as “pure evil” and declared that justice had been “finally served.”
According to state officials, family members of the victims did not witness the execution and chose not to issue a statement afterward.
