Written By Lisa Murimi
The state of Alabama has executed Alan Eugene Miller, marking the second time an American has been put to death using nitrogen gas.
Miller, 59, was sentenced to death for the 1999 workplace murders of Lee Holdbrooks, Christopher Scott Yancy, and Terry Lee Jarvis.
Miller’s execution is part of a recent spike in U.S. capital punishment, with five executions carried out in the past week—the most in over two decades.
This brings the total number of executions in the U.S. to 18 for 2024, with seven more scheduled before the end of the year.
Miller was initially set to be executed in 2022 but was given a reprieve when prison officials failed to administer a lethal injection.
Earlier this year, Alabama’s Supreme Court cleared the way for Miller’s execution via nitrogen hypoxia, a controversial method in which the inmate inhales nitrogen gas, depriving the body of oxygen.
Alabama is one of only three states that sanctions this form of execution.
The state’s attorney general, Steve Marshall, defended the method as “humane and effective,” despite criticism that it may be painful.
Miller’s execution comes amid increased debate about the use of the death penalty in the U.S., with 35 states having abolished or stopped using it in recent years.
