.ON JANUARY 25TH Kenneth Eugene Johnson came to be the 1st person anywhere to be put to death by nitrogen hypoxia. He was pronounced guilty in 1989 of slaughtering Elizabeth Sennett, the partner of a minister coming from Alabama, on her partner's orders. The state had first tried to execute him, through fatal injection, in November 2022, but messed up the treatment. Afterwards, Mr Smith picked to become executed by unfamiliar methods. His execution has triggered flare-up: Alabama declares nitrogen hypoxia is a simple, pain-free fatality but several medical pros disagree. Some have compared it to torment. Why performed Alabama authorise this untried approach?