Failed Lethal-Injection Execution of Kenneth Eugene Smith

On November 17, 2022, Alabama attempted to execute Kenneth Eugene Smith using lethal injection. The procedure became a documented example in the modern U.S. history of botched executions.

What happened

Smith was strapped to the gurney for hours while the execution team tried multiple access points. Officials called off the execution at 11:21 p.m. when they concluded there was not enough time left. Smith was later executed by nitrogen hypoxia in January 2024.

Result

The immediate result was that Kenneth Eugene Smith survived after officials could not establish the required IV lines before the warrant expired. This is an important distinction in the broader history of execution failures: some botched procedures ultimately kill the prisoner after a prolonged or visibly problematic process, while others are abandoned and leave the prisoner alive.

Why the case is classified as botched

The Death Penalty Information Center’s historical compilation uses a research definition centered on breakdowns or departures from execution protocol that produce unanticipated problems, delays, possible unnecessary suffering, or gross operational incompetence. The Kenneth Eugene Smith case fits that framework because the intended lethal injection process did not proceed in the controlled manner the state expected.

Historical context

The event page is kept separate from the person profile so later work can attach the correct prison, execution protocol, court litigation, officials, method history and state-level death-penalty context without overloading the biography.

Sources

– Death Penalty Information Center — Botched Executions (case entry for Kenneth Eugene Smith)