“I tried to hold my breath and struggled”: the first execution of a criminal using nitrogen was carried out in the USA (4 photos + 1 video)
The spiritual mentor of the condemned man, who was present at the execution, stated that it was the most terrible thing he had ever seen. 
58-year-old Kenneth Smith was sentenced to death for the murder of a pastor's wife in 1988. Two years ago they tried to execute him, but something went wrong (they could not find a vein for a lethal injection) and the sentence was postponed. And recently information appeared that Smith was to become a pioneer of his own - they decided to try a new type of execution on a criminal. 
The essence of the method is this: the convict inhales air, which is gradually replaced by pure nitrogen. As a result, the person loses consciousness and dies. 
In theory, everything was smooth, but in practice it turned out that death did not occur too quickly, as expected, and the agony of the dying person was terrible. And what the person who is being tried to take his life feels is not known for certain. But even from the outside, execution does not look humane, contrary to the assurances of supporters of this method.
At least, this is the opinion of Smith's spiritual mentor, who happened to be present at the execution on January 26. Jeff Hood confirmed that contrary to the forecasts of the Prosecutor General, who promised that during this execution the convict would lose consciousness within a few seconds and then die within a few minutes, nothing of the kind happened. “We didn't see anyone pass out in 30 seconds. What we saw were minutes of a man fighting for his life,” said Hood, who attended the execution.
But Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, on the contrary, believes that this new method is really effective and humane, and the forecasts of media activists and protesters were “speculative.” 
He said that the American convicted of murder tried to hold his breath and struggled during the execution. Apparently, if not for these instinctive actions of the struggle for life, everything would have gone more smoothly.
Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner Jon Hamm said that the nitrogen entered Kenneth Smith's body for about 15 minutes, then he began to go into agony. In general, the execution lasted about 30 minutes.
Previously, Kenneth Smith's lawyers stated that the method was cruel, and state authorities were using Smith as a “test subject.” An attempt to challenge the measure in the US Supreme Court ended in failure. Now, it seems, this type of execution may become one of the main ones - at least in those three US states where it is enshrined in law: Alabama, Mississippi and Oklahoma (in the latter two states the method has never been used).
However, Smith's lawyers intend to seek a waiver by the state of Alabama of nitrogen killing. “The state promised the world the most humane method of execution known to man. Instead, Mr. Smith writhed and convulsed before dying. No further executions should be carried out by this method until the events of this evening are reviewed by an independent body,” Assistant Federal Defender John Palombi said in a statement.
And the governor of Alabama. Kay Ivey said the execution for the contract killing of 45-year-old Elizabeth Sennett in 1988 was fair. “After 30 years, Mr. Smith has answered for his horrific crimes. "I pray that Elizabeth Sennett's family finds peace after all these years," Ivey said in a statement.
