Miller is the second man in the state to be executed with the new method
Alan Eugene Miller, a death row inmate convicted of the 1999 murders of three men, was executed in Alabama. Visible physical reactions to the execution procedure marked Miller’s final moments on Thursday evening. The 59-year-old was pronounced dead at 6:38 p.m. at the Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, marking the second time the state has used nitrogen hypoxia as an execution method.
Visible physical reactions to the execution procedure marked Miller’s final moments. According to reports, he shook and trembled on the gurney for approximately two minutes before experiencing periodic gulping breaths, lasting another six minutes. Eventually, he became still. Despite the reactions, Alabama Department of Corrections Commissioner John Hamm stated the execution went “according to plan.”
“There’s going to be involuntary body movements as the body is depleted of oxygen. That is nothing we did not expect,” Hamm explained. He added that Miller’s shaking was not unusual under the circumstances of nitrogen gas inhalation.