The execution timeline of Kenneth Eugene Smith

THE WEATHER, BUT NOW WE WANT TO TURN TO OUR TOP STORY THIS MORNING. YES. ALL EYES OF THE NATION IS ON ALABAMA TODAY. THE STATE PLANNING THE FIRST EVER EXECUTION ATTEMPT WITH NITROGEN HYPOXIA AND WE’RE GOING TO DIVE, TAKE A DEEP DIVE INTO HOW IT WILL WORK. KENNETH EUGENE SMITH IS THIS IS FOR THE SECOND TIME THAT HE’LL WALK DOWN DEATH ROW AND THEN BE STRAPPED TO A GURNEY. WE HAVE THE TIMELINE OF TODAY’S EXECUTION AND PROTESTS ERUPTING. PEOPLE FROM ALL ACROSS THE U.S. DESCENDING ON ATMORE TODAY FOR THEIR PLEA OF CHANGE. AND WE DO

HAVE TEAM COVERAGE FOR YOU THIS MORNING. WE ALSO HAVE SOME FULL COVERAGE ALL DAY LONG LEADING UP TO SMITH’S FINAL BREATH. BUT BEFORE WE GET INTO THAT TEAM COVERAGE THIS MORNING, WE WANT TO START WITH HOW THIS ALL STARTED. THE BRUTAL KILLING OF ELIZABETH SENAIT. NOW, IT WAS IN 1988 WHEN ELIZABETH’S HUSBAND, PASTOR CHARLES SENATE, PAID KENNETH SMITH AND JOHN PARKER $1,000 TO KILL HER. THE MEN BROKE INTO HER HOME ON — DOG CEMETERY ROAD IN THE CULVERT IN COLBERT COUNTY. SHE WAS THEN STABBED AND BEATEN TO DEATH WITH A FIREPLACE POKER. CHARLES SENATE LATER

KILLED HIMSELF. SMITH AND PARKER WERE SENTENCED TO DEATH ROW. PARKER WAS EXECUTED IN 2010. NOW FOR SMITH, THIS WILL BE THE STATE’S SECOND ATTEMPT TO END HIS LIFE. THE STATE TRIED

TO KILL HIM BY LETHAL INJECTION BACK IN NOVEMBER OF 2022, BUT THEY WERE UNABLE TO SET THE IV LINE AND JARVIS ROBERTSON WAS THERE THE DAY OF THAT BOTCHED EXECUTION. SO WE’RE BRINGING JARVIS BACK IN TODAY. WELL, JARVIS, YOU YOU’RE LOOKING INTO WHAT SMITH IS EXPECTED TO SEE THROUGHOUT TODAY AND WHAT HE’S EXPECTED TO DO EXPERIENCE UP UNTIL THE EXECUTION TONIGHT. YEAH, THAT’S RIGHT. MAGDALA

NOW ALL OF THIS IS EXPECTED TO HAPPEN THROUGHOUT TODAY. BARRING ANY INTERVENTION FROM THE COURTS OR GOVERNOR KAY IVEY. NOW, AFTER MORE THAN TWO DECADES ON DEATH ROW, CONVICTED KILLER KENNETH SMITH WILL BE GIVEN HIS FINAL MEAL NO LATER THAN 10:00 THIS MORNING. HE WILL NOT BE GRANTED ANY MORE SOLID FOOD AFTER THAT TIME. THE STATE WILL CUT OFF SMITH FROM RECEIVING ANY LIQUIDS AFTER 4 P.M. THIS EVENING, AND THE EXECUTION IS SET TO BE CARRIED OUT NO EARLIER THAN 6 P.M. TONIGHT AT THE WILLIAM C HOLMAN CORRECTIONAL FACILITY IN ATMORE. NOW, THE STATE THEN

HAS UNTIL 6:00 TOMORROW MORNING BEFORE THAT DEATH WARRANT EXPIRES. MAGDALA. THANK YOU, JARVIS. AND THE REASON THIS STORY IS GETTING A LOT OF ATTENTION AROUND THE WORLD IS BECAUSE IT ALL CENTERS ON THE USE OF NITROGEN GAS. THIS TYPE OF EXECUTION METHOD HAS NEVER BEEN TRIED BEFORE, AND IT’S ONLY LEGAL IN THREE STATES. ATTORNEY GENERAL STEVE MARSHALL TOLD THE FEDERAL COURT THAT THE GAS IS THE MOST PAINLESS AND HUMANE METHOD OF EXECUTION KNOWN TO MAN, BUT DOCTOR JEFFREY KELLER, THE PRESIDENT OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF CORRECTIONAL PHYSICIANS, SAID THAT NO ONE KNOWS WHAT A PERSON

WILL FEEL FROM THE NITROGEN GAS, CALLING IT AN EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE. NOW, THIS WILL ALL WORK BY PLACING A MASK OVER SMITH’S FACE AND THEN REPLACING HIS OXYGEN WITH NITROGEN. THE STATE IS PREDICTING THAT SMITH WILL GO UNCONSCIOUS WITHIN SECONDS AND THEN DIE WITHIN MINUTES. A REVEREND JEFF HOOD WILL BE IN THE DEATH CHAMBER WITH SMITH. YES, AND HE’S WORRIED ABOUT THE GAS LEAKING INTO THE ROOM, PUTTING HIS LIFE IN DANGER. WHEN THEY TURN ON THE GAS, I WILL BE, UH, FEET FROM, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, LITERALLY FEET FROM HIM. UM, SO I, YOU KNOW, I’M

PREPARED FOR WHATEVER HAPPENS, UH, NEXT. REVEREND HOOD, WHO YOU JUST HEARD FROM, IS AMONG THE MANY THAT ARE PROTESTING TODAY’S EXECUTION. A LOT OF PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD ARE AGAINST THIS METHOD RIGHT NOW. AND PROTESTERS DO PLAN TO BE NEAR THE PRISON AS THE EXECUTION IS HAPPENING. WVTM 13 S PATSY DOUGLAS SPOKE WITH ONE OF THE LEADERS BEHIND THAT PROTEST. PATSY, WHAT IS THAT MESSAGE DURING THESE FINAL HOURS? WELL, RIGHT NOW THEY TELL ME THAT THEY DO PLAN TO BE NEAR THE PRISON BY NOON, AND THEY ALSO TELL ME THAT THEY WILL HAVE SIGNS OF

PROTESTING AGAIN NEAR THAT PRISON. AHEAD OF THAT DEATH SENTENCE FOR KENNETH SMITH. NOW, THIS COMES AFTER THEY SPENT THE THAT THE LAST NIGHT HERE IN BIRMINGHAM MAKING THEIR MESSAGE HEARD THE GROUP DEATH PENALTY ACTION HAS SENT A PETITION TO GOVERNOR KAY IVEY WITH HUNDREDS OF SIGNATURES. NOW, ADVOCACY GROUPS AND PROTESTERS SKEPTICAL ABOUT THE PROCEDURES. MANY BELIEVE IT’S UNFAIR AND SHOULD NOT BE AN EXPERIMENT ON PRISONERS. MANY PEOPLE WOULD ARGUE THAT, UH, WHO CARES IF THIS MURDERER FEELS A LITTLE BIT OF PAIN ON HIS WAY OUT? AND THE SUPREME COURT HAS SAID THAT THAT’S OKAY. BUT

AT THE AT THE END OF THE DAY, YOU KNOW, WE DON’T NEED TO DO THIS. AND IF IT’S SOMEBODY THAT YOU LOVE, WOULD YOU BE OKAY WITH IT? THAT’S GOT TO BE THE QUESTION THAT PEOPLE HAVE. UM, YOU KNOW, S