What crime death row killer committed ahead of nitrogen method execution today
Kenneth Smith, an Alabama death row prisoner, is scheduled to be executed today at the state's William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore.
Alabama authorities plan to attempt to put him to death using an untested, never-before-used method that involves the administration of nitrogen gas through a face mask. The method is strongly criticised by experts and human rights advocates warning that it is inefficient and will result in cruel torture, which will be the second Smith is experiencing.
The 58-year-old man was subjected to another harrowing ordeal 14 months ago, on November 17, 2022, when the state failed in its four-hour attempt to execute him via lethal injection because staff were unable to set an intravenous line on him.
READ MORE: Alabama nitrogen gas execution scheduled as Kenneth Smith faces death today
Kenneth Eugene Smith faces execution over a 1988 murder (BBC /ALABAMA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS)
Elizabeth Sennett, 45, was found dead on March 18, 1988, in her home in Alabama's Colbert County (Find a Grave)His execution is expected to take place today after the US Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected Smith's argument that it would be unconstitutional to make another attempt to execute him after the failed lethal injection.
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The US 11th Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday night also declined to halt the execution, saying Smith had not sufficiently supported claims the new execution method would violate the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment. His attorneys are expected to appeal that decision to the US Supreme Court.
What crime was Kenneth Smith sentenced for?
Smith is one of two men convicted in the murder-for-hire killing of Elizabeth Sennett in 1988. Prosecutors said he and the other man were each paid $1,000 to kill Sennett on behalf of her pastor husband, who was deeply in debt and wanted to collect on insurance.
Sennett, 45, was found dead on March 18, 1988, in her home in Colbert County, Alabama, with eight stab wounds in the chest and one on each side of her neck, according to the coroner. Her husband, Charles Sennett Sr., killed himself when the investigation focused on him as a suspect, according to court documents.
Sennett's husband, who was the pastor of the Westside Church of Christ in Sheffield, killed himself one week after her death (Find a Grave)EXCLUSIVE: Minute-by-minute how killer will die in 'guinea pig' execution
Ronnie May, the former chief investigator with the Colbert County Sheriff’s Office, recalled the horrific scene in 1988 when he responded to Charles Sennett's call reporting the death of his wife. He said: "She fought it and she fought hard. It was horrific to me. You feel for the victim and what they went through - and the horror she went through in her last minutes."
May mentioned receiving a tip through CrimeStoppers that led to the suspects' names. After an interview with the victim's husband, where he initially denied involvement, a comment about Kenneth Smith prompted a strong reaction from Charles Sennett, eventually leading to his confession to his family.
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May also mentioned Charles Sennett's subsequent suicide, stating that the pastor admitted to having an affair and being responsible for his wife's death before taking his own life. The information from Smith and the other accomplice, John Forrest Parker, came after Sennett's death. Parker was sentenced to death and executed in 2010.
Smith’s 1989 conviction was overturned but he was convicted again in 1996. The jury recommended a life sentence by 11-1, but a judge overrode the recommendation and sentenced Smith to death. Alabama no longer allows a judge to override a jury’s death penalty decision.
Elizabeth Sennett's son, Charles (pictured) was 25 years old in 1988 when his mother was killed (WAAYTV)Elizabeth Sennett's son
Charles Sennett was 25 years old back in 1988 when his mother, Elizabeth, was killed. Now, 35 years later, he still wants to see Kenneth Smith "pay for what he’s done."
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Sennett told WAAYTV: "Here it's 35 years later, and we’re still dealing with it. You know, Alabama has the worst judicial system in the world. [...] To me, be a man. You know, deal with it. You’ve done it. Get it over with.
"Why should we have to suffer? And some of these people out there say, 'Well, he doesn't need to suffer like that.’ Well, he didn’t ask Mama how to suffer? They just did it. They stabbed her multiple times."
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