This undated photo provided by the Alabama Department of Corrections shows inmate Kenneth Eugene Smith, who was convicted in a 1988 murder-for-hire slaying of a preacher's wife. A divided Alabama Supreme Court said the state can execute an inmate with nitrogen gas, a method that has not previously been used carry out a death sentence. The all-Republican court in a 6-2 decision Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023, granted Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall's request for an execution warrant for Kenneth Eugene Smith. (Alabama Department of Corrections via AP, File)
