Death row inmate Alan Miller executed by nitrogen gas dined on huge American feast in final hours

Death row inmate Alan Miller dined on a huge American feast in his final hours before being executed by nitrogen gas.

Miller, a delivery truck driver, was convicted of killing three men — Terry Jarvis, Lee Holdbrooks and Scott Yancy — during back-to-back workplace shootings in 1999. Alabama had previously attempted to execute Miller by lethal injection, but the state called off the execution after being unable to connect an IV line to the 351-pound inmate. The state and Miller agreed that any other execution attempt would be done with nitrogen gas.

In his final meal before death it was reported Miller opted for a hamburger steak, a baked potato, and French fries. Lawsuits filed by Allans attorney were settled in August over concerns of the method of execution. The state Miller's attorneys reached a “confidential settlement agreement” to end litigation filed by Miller, according to a court documents. Miller’s lawsuit cited witness descriptions of the January execution of Kenneth Smith with nitrogen gas as he sought to block the state from using the same protocol on him.

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The 58-year-old Smith became the first-ever inmate in the USA to be put to death by toxic gas following an execution at Alabama's Holman Correctional Facility. Following the execution, dubbed "human experimentation" by human rights advocate groups, officials described how the procedure of nitrogen gas poisoning manifested in Smith's body as he was strapped to a gurney.

Miller's lawsuit against the state stemmed from his right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment. His attorney's argued that the protocols before the suit and the speculation that Smith's death was unnecessarily painful.

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“Miller’s complaint was based on media speculation that Kenneth Smith suffered cruel and unusual punishment in the January 2024 execution, but what the state demonstrated to Miller’s legal team undermined that false narrative. Miller’s execution will go forward as planned in September," Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said after the lawsuit was settled.

Death penalty opponents and advocates for other inmates facing nitrogen execution maintain that what happened with Smith shows there are problems with, or at least questions about, the new execution method. They said the method should be scrutinized more before it is used again.

Nitrogen gas causes death by restricting the flow of oxygen to the lungs essentially suffocating the inmate.