EXECUTION CONTROVERSY: Alabama Carries Out Alan Eugene Miller’s Death Sentence Using Nitrogen Gas

Alabama executed Alan Eugene Miller on September 26, 2024, at the William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, marking the second use of nitrogen hypoxia in the United States and the fourth execution in the state that year. Miller, 59, was pronounced ᴅᴇᴀᴅ at 6:38 p.m. after breathing pure nitrogen through a face mask for approximately 15 minutes. The controversial method, which deprives the body of oxygen, has drawn intense scrutiny following reports that Miller appeared to struggle, shake, and gasp for air during the procedure.

Media witnesses described the scene in detail. Nitrogen began flowing into the mask at 6:16 p.m. Miller shook and trembled against the restraints for about two minutes, then gasped audibly for roughly six minutes before becoming still. Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner John Hamm stated that “everything went according to plan,” but critics immediately condemned the visible signs of distress as evidence that the method is neither humane nor painless.

Miller’s final meal was a hamburger steak, baked potato, and French fries. In the hours before his death, he received visits from family members, attorneys, and a spiritual advisor. When given the opportunity to speak, he said, “I didn’t do anything to be in here… I didn’t do anything to be on death row. Thank you.” The muffled words, delivered through the mask, offered no apology to the victims’ families.

The crime for which Miller was sentenced to death occurred on August 5, 1999, in Pelham, Alabama. Enraged by rumors he believed coworkers were spreading about him, Miller went on a workplace shooting spree. At Ferguson Enterprises, he sH๏τ Lee Holdbrooks, 32, and Christopher Scott Yancy multiple times. Holdbrooks crawled 20–25 feet down a hallway, leaving a trail of blood, before dying. Nine .40-caliber shell casings were recovered at the scene. Miller then drove to Post Airgas, where he had previously worked, and sH๏τ his former supervisor, Terry Lee Jarvis, multiple times. A coworker escaped by jumping a fence and calling police. Miller was arrested later that day on Interstate 65 after a brief chase.

Prosecutors described the killings as “heinous, atrocious, and cruel.” Each victim realized his fate and was sH๏τ repeatedly. Miller pleaded not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect but was found competent and convicted of capital murder in 2000. A jury recommended death, and the judge imposed it.

The execution carried added weight because Miller had already survived a botched lethal-injection attempt in September 2022. Officials failed to establish an IV line after multiple attempts, including slapping his neck and probing with flashlights. The state agreed to use nitrogen hypoxia instead. Miller had sued to block the method, but courts upheld Alabama’s right to proceed.

The controversy surrounding nitrogen gas centers on its untested nature and the suffering observed in both Miller’s and Kenneth Eugene Smith’s executions earlier in 2024. Witnesses reported shaking, writhing, and prolonged gasping—symptoms critics say contradict official ᴀssurances that unconsciousness would occur “almost immediately.” Human-rights groups and some medical experts have labeled the method torture. Alabama officials and Attorney General Steve Marshall maintain it is consтιтutional and effective, noting that Miller chose the method under state law after the lethal-injection failure.

For the victims’ families, the execution delivered long-awaited closure. Holdbrooks, Yancy, and Jarvis were ordinary men at work when Miller’s rage erupted. Their loved ones have waited 25 years for accountability. Miller’s denial of responsibility in his final words only deepened their pain.

Alabama’s use of nitrogen hypoxia continues to spark national debate. While the state argues the method is a humane alternative to lethal injection, the visible distress in Miller’s execution has renewed calls for a moratorium on the practice. As Alabama moves forward with its capital-punishment schedule, the case of Alan Eugene Miller stands as a stark reminder of the human cost on both sides of the death chamber—and the ongoing questions about whether any method of execution can ever be truly painless or just.