Kenneth Smith ‘struggled for life’ for 22 minutes in nitrogen gas execution: Updates
www.independent.co.uk
Witness Reverend Jeff Hood told reporters he saw a man ‘struggling for their life’ for 22 minutes as Smith became the first US death row inmate executed by nitrogen asphyxia

“Kenny just began to gasp for air repeatedly and the execution took about 25 minutes total.”

Pretty compassionate way to kill a person.

Once again, the Law in the south is brutal.

  • ricecake@sh.itjust.works
    40·
    10 months ago

    Your suffocation reflex is driven by a buildup of carbon dioxide, not a lack of oxygen.

    If you leave air composition the same but remove the oxygen, your body doesn’t notice and you feel fine until you suddenly black out.

    https://youtu.be/UN3W4d-5RPo?si=3LKw5fe1wXfRDcrB

    The Air Force does training on it, since it can happen if the aircraft loses pressure and pilots need to know how to notice and handle it. As you can see in the above video, the pilot is not suffering even though the oxygen level has been cut quite drastically.

    • snooggums@kbin.social
      414·
      10 months ago

      If you hold your breath you still build up CO2. You know, as a reaction to being killed.

      • FaceDeer@kbin.social
        18·
        10 months ago

        So don’t announce “alright, now!” to the victim. Wait until they’re breathing normally and then silently switch over to nitrogen, he’ll be unconscious before he realizes it.

      • Fosheze@lemmy.worldEnglish
        10·
        10 months ago

        And after a couple minutes at most you will reflexively take a breath or pass out and start breathing. In an inert atmosphere that first breath will knock you out almost immediately. After that you won’t feel anything. After the individual is unconsious you just need to keep them in an inert gas for a few more minutes for them to actually die.

        • snooggums@kbin.social
          17·
          10 months ago

          “Kenny just began to gasp for air repeatedly and the execution took about 25 minutes total.”

          Even with a portion of that being ‘just to make sure’ his vital signs had stopped, it was certainly longer than a couple of minutes.

          • Fosheze@lemmy.worldEnglish
            15·
            10 months ago

            Because clearly they fucked something up. He was still getting oxygen somehow. I’m guessing they didn’t have the nitrogen flow high enough so he was still getting some oxygen.

            It could have also just been agonal gasping which can last over an hour even after the person is already dead. It’s fairly common for people to see that and say the person is still breathing even though that person has already been dead for a while. It also happens with heart attacks and it frequently leads to ems having to explain to family members why there is no hope of resuscitation even though to them it looks like the person is still “breathing”.