The execution of Alabama inmate Kenneth Smith was called off last night after the “executioners” spent over an hour injecting him with poison and failed.
Another demonstration of the brutality of the death penalty comes from the United States. The execution of Alabama inmate Kenneth Smith was called off last night after “executioners” spent over an hour injecting him with poison, which failed systematically because the vein could not be found.
Smith’s execution was originally scheduled for 6 p.m. yesterday, but just as the man was about to be taken to the lethal injection room, a last-minute legal battle erupted. The Court of Appeal had postponed the execution by a few hours and just before the midnight deadline, the judges had given the go-ahead for lethal injection.
At 10pm yesterday, Kenneth Smith was laid on the couch. The executioners prepared the chemical solution that would end his life, but according to Alabama Department of Justice Commissioner John Hamm, the workers spent over an hour inserting an IV into Smith’s veins before concluding that they had run out of time to carry out the execution. At around 11:20 p.m., the prisoner was returned to his cell. Hamm confirmed that the executioners tried to insert the needle in several places.
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Reprieve, a UK-based anti-death penalty activist, said: “Officials spent an hour stab the inmate with needles‘ before the execution was stopped.
Who is Kenneth Smith
Kenneth Smith was convicted of murder in 1996; His involvement in the contract killing of Elizabeth Sennett, the wealthy wife of a local official, was established at trial. The crime had been ordered by the woman’s husband, Charles Sennett, to target men to get their hands on insurance compensation. In March 1988, two hitmen killed the woman and also stole a VCR in her bedroom: among them was Smith, framed by an anonymous “tip”. Police conducted a search of the home and discovered the victim’s video recorder.