**Death Row Inmate Alan Miller’s Final Meal Before Nitrogen Gas Execution**
Alan Miller, a death row inmate convicted of killing three men in back-to-back workplace shootings in 1999, spent his final hours indulging in a substantial American feast before his execution by nitrogen gas. Miller was sentenced to death for the murders of Terry Jarvis, Lee Holdbrooks, and Scott Yancy, and faced multiple execution attempts by lethal injection that were halted due to difficulties in establishing an IV line.
Ferguson Enterprises in Pelham, Alabama ( Image: Google Maps)
In preparation for his execution, Alabama officials and Miller reached an agreement to proceed with nitrogen gas as the method of execution. Reports indicate that for his last meal, Miller chose hamburger steak, a baked potato, and French fries, a traditional American dinner.
Miller’s legal team had filed lawsuits concerning the method of execution, which they described as a potential violation of the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. The lawsuit was settled in August, resulting in a confidential agreement that allowed the execution to proceed without further litigation. His attorneys argued that the execution of another inmate, Kenneth Smith, earlier in January raised concerns about the potential for unnecessary pain during nitrogen gas executions.
On September 2024, Miller became the second inmate in the United States to be executed using nitrogen gas, a method that induces death by depriving the body of oxygen. Following Smith’s execution, which had been labeled “human experimentation” by human rights advocates, there were calls for greater scrutiny of nitrogen gas as a viable execution method.
Miller’s lawsuit against the state stemmed from his right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment ( Image: Alabama Department of Corrections)
While Alabama’s Attorney General Steve Marshall asserted that the state had demonstrated the efficacy of the nitrogen gas method and that Miller’s execution would go ahead as scheduled, death penalty opponents remain critical, arguing that more investigation is needed to ensure the humane application of this new protocol.
Miller’s case highlights ongoing debates over the death penalty and the methods employed in executions, as concerns about ethical treatment and the possibility of cruel and unusual punishment continue to surface. .Vuong.
