Even though nitrogen hypoxia is an untried method of execution and Alan Eugene Miller (pictured) is set to die by lethal injection as of this report, the Alabama inmate reportedly requested to die by the new method for fear of needles. Miller said (per CBS News), “I did not want to be stabbed with a needle.” The paperwork requesting the change was allegedly lost, but Miller’s claim has raised the possibility that this new form of execution could take place in Alabama.
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Despite their clients’ reported willingness to die by nitrogen hypoxia, members of his defense team were reluctant to allow their client to be a test case for the method. Miller also turned down an offer from the state of Alabama to fit him with a mask through which nitrogen could be administered. Several unknowns remain about the nitrogen hypoxia method of execution, including how long it will take, the best way to deliver the gas, and whether or not the team overseeing the process will stay safe, according to NPR.
