US executes two inmates using lethal injection, nitrogen gas methods

The United States carried out two executions this week using different methods, reigniting the debate over capital punishment and its ethical implications. In Oklahoma, Emmanuel Littlejohn, 52, was put to death by lethal injection for his role in a 1992 convenience store robbery that resulted in the murder of Kenneth Meers.

Meanwhile, in Alabama, Alan Miller, 59, was executed using nitrogen gas, marking only the second time this method has been used in the U.S., despite its comparison by the United Nations to a form of torture.

Littlejohn’s execution in Oklahoma closed a decades-long legal battle. Convicted of murdering 31-year-old Kenneth Meers, Littlejohn always denied being the one who pulled the trigger during the robbery, with both he and his accomplice, Glenn Bethany, blaming each other for the crime. While Bethany received a life sentence, Littlejohn was sentenced to death. In a final plea for mercy, Littlejohn urged Governor Kevin Stitt to intervene, saying, “Governor, don’t kill me for the heck of it.” However, Stitt, a Republican, denied clemency. Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond asserted that “justice has been served for the murder of Kenny Meers.”

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Alabama’s use of nitrogen hypoxia to execute Miller, convicted of a 1999 workplace shooting spree that left three people dead, has drawn particular controversy. The method, which involves pumping nitrogen gas into a facemask to cause suffocation, was used for the first time in the state in January, despite international condemnation. Miller’s execution was marked by visible distress, as he struggled against restraints and trembled for two minutes before succumbing. Media reports likened his convulsions to those experienced during the first nitrogen gas execution, when inmate Kenneth Smith thrashed for several minutes before dying.

Civil rights groups, along with the United Nations and European Union, have condemned the use of nitrogen gas as a method of execution, citing concerns over its humane application. The White House, under Democratic President Joe Biden, expressed being “deeply troubled” by its use earlier this year. Alabama Governor Kay Ivey, however, defended the decision and had previously announced she would not grant clemency to Miller, despite a failed attempt in 2022 to execute him via lethal injection due to technical difficulties with administering the drugs.

The executions have reignited the debate over the death penalty in the U.S., where 23 of 50 states have abolished the practice, and six others observe a moratorium. Critics argue that methods like nitrogen gas are untested and inhumane, while proponents insist on their necessity for ensuring justice for victims.

As states continue to grapple with the ethical and logistical challenges of capital punishment, these executions highlight the persistent divide over how, and whether, the death penalty should be carried out.