LIVE: State officials speak following the nitrogen hypoxia execution of Alan Eugene Miller

Over two decades after he was sentenced to death, Alan Eugene Miller has become the second person executed by the state of Alabama by way of nitrogen hypoxia.The execution was carried out at 6:38 p.m. Thursday.“Just as Alan Miller cowardly fled after he maliciously committed three calculated murders in 1999, he has attempted to escape justice for two decades. Tonight, justice was finally served for these three victims through the execution method elected by the inmate. His acts were not that of insanity, but pure evil. Three families were forever changed by his heinous crimes, and I pray that they can find comfort all these years later.” – Governor Kay IveyWho is Alan Miller and what did he do?In 1999, Miller was employed as a delivery truck driver at Ferguson Enterprises in Pelham, Alabama, according to court documents.On the morning of Aug. 5, Johnny Cobb, the company's vice president, had just arrived at work and was preparing to enter the building when he heard "loud noises and what sounded like someone screaming."Cobb had a brief confrontation at the building's entrance with an armed Miller, who said “I’m tired of people starting rumors on me,” before leaving the area. Cobb then entered and found the body of Christopher Yancy under a desk. In the hallway, he found Lee Holdbrooks, who had reportedly crawled 20-25 feet in an attempt to escape Miller before dying, "as evidenced by the trail of blood he had left behind."Both men had been "shot several times and were covered in blood," with law enforcement finding nine .40 caliber shell casings at the scene.While police were investigating the scene, Miller arrived at Post Airgas in Pelham, where he had previously worked. Once inside, he confronted Andy Adderhold and Terry Jarvis, shooting Jarvis several times and ordering Adderhold to leave.Adderhold then jumped a fence and phoned police from a neighboring business.Miller was later stopped by officers on Interstate 65 in Chilton County, "forcibly subdued and handcuffed after resisting efforts to place him in custody." A Glock and an empty magazine were found inside his truck.What happened during the trial?Following his indictment, Miller pleaded not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect. After a 30-minute mental assessment, he was deemed competent to stand trial. This was followed up by a three-day evaluation in which the same conclusion was reached.Miller's trial began on June 12, 2000, and five days later, he was found guilty of capital murder.On July 31, Miller was sentenced to death.How did Miller survive his first execution attempt?In October 2022, the state attempted to execute Miller by use of lethal injection, but after failing to find a vein, the execution was aborted.Miller said he was led into the execution chamber at 10 p.m., about an hour after the U.S. Supreme Court lifted an injunction that had been blocking the lethal injection, and was strapped to the gurney at about 10:15 p.m.After the two men used needles to probe various parts of his body for a vein, also using a phone flashlight to help, Miller told the men, “he could feel that they were not accessing his veins, but rather stabbing around his veins.” Later, a third man then began slapping his neck in an apparent attempt to look for a vein.The three men in scrubs stopped their probing and left the chamber after there was a loud knock on a death chamber window from the state’s observation room, according to the court filing. A prison officer then raised the gurney to a vertical position. Miller said the wall clock read 11:40 p.m., and he estimated that he hung there for about 20 minutes before he was let down and told that his execution was canceled for the evening.At the time, attorneys called him the "only living execution survivor in the United States."Following the aborted attempt, the state and Miller agreed that any other execution attempt would be made with nitrogen gas. What is nitrogen hypoxia and how does it work?Nitrogen hypoxia is an execution method in which death is caused by forcing the inmate to breathe only nitrogen, thereby depriving them of the oxygen needed to maintain bodily functions.During the execution of Kenneth Eugene Smith, the state's first use of nitrogen hypoxia, Smith was strapped to a gurney and had a mask placed over his face.Smith appeared to remain conscious for several minutes. For at least two minutes, he appeared to shake and writhe on the gurney, sometimes pulling against the restraints. That was followed by several minutes of heavy breathing until breathing was no longer perceptible.Miller has suggested several changes to the state’s nitrogen gas protocol, including the use of medical grade nitrogen, having a trained professional supervise the gas flow and the use of sedatives before the execution after some called the method "tortuous" and "botched."How did Miller spend his final hours?On Wednesday, Miller was visited by his sisters, brother and brother-in-law, as well as his attorneys and spiritual advisor.He refused breakfast, lunch and dinner but snacked on the following foods throughout the day:Philly cheesesteak sandwichPizzaChicken sub sandwichSeveral sodasChicken burritoBottled waterOn Thursday, he was once again visited by his siblings and attorneys as well as a friend.His final meal was a hamburger steak, a baked potato and french fries.This is a developing story and will be updated as information becomes available. 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