Two executions were carried out in the United States recently, raising the total number of executions this year to 18. In Oklahoma, 52-year-old Emmanuel Littlejohn faced lethal injection for his role in the 1992 murder of Kenneth Meers during a convenience store robbery. Despite his claims of innocence regarding firing the fatal shot, clemency was denied by Governor Kevin Stitt, even after a recommendation for commutation from the Oklahoma State Board of Pardons.

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In Alabama, 59-year-old Alan Miller was executed using nitrogen gas, a method employed only twice in the U.S. Miller had been convicted of a workplace shooting in 1999 that resulted in the deaths of three coworkers. Reports indicate that he struggled against restraints as he suffocated. This method of execution has drawn criticism from civil liberties advocates, the United Nations, and the Biden administration.

Despite the controversies surrounding the method, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey chose not to intervene, even after Miller’s execution was postponed last year due to issues with administering lethal injection.