Alabama pauses execution of workplace shooter

Alabama Corrections Commissioner John Hamm on Thursday said the state halted the execution of Alan Miller because of trouble accessing the inmate’s veins before his death warrant expired. A district court had previously delayed the execution by lethal injection because Miller claimed he applied to be executed via nitrogen hypoxia. But the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the state of Alabama had lawfully scheduled the execution and Miller’s claim was only an attempt to stall the execution. Currently, Alabama is one of 27 states that conduct capital punishment. Only three of those allow nitrogen hypoxia—a form of asphyxiation where the inmate is only given nitrogen to breathe. 

Who is Alan Miller? Miller, 57, was sentenced to death in 1999 for shooting three coworkers. Miller said Terry Jarvis, Lee Holdbrooks, and Scott Yancy were spreading rumors about him, including that he was gay. A psychiatrist hired by the defense said Miller had a severe mental illness and delusions but that he was fit to stand trial. 

Dig deeper: Listen to Leigh Jones’ report on the Effective Compassion podcast about what rehabilitation can look like.