Louisiana Executes Inmate Using Nitrogen Gas Method \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ Louisiana executed Jessie Hoffman Jr. using nitrogen gas, marking its first execution in 15 years. Hoffman was convicted of murdering Mary “Molly” Elliott in 1996 and had spent decades on death row. Despite legal challenges, the execution proceeded under a method previously used only in Alabama.
Louisiana Executes Inmate Using Nitrogen Gas Method — Quick Looks
- Louisiana resumes executions after 15 years using nitrogen gas.
- Jessie Hoffman Jr., 46, was executed for a decades-old murder.
- Hoffman declined a final statement before the gas began flowing.
- Execution lasted 19 minutes, with Hoffman pronounced dead at 6:50 p.m.
- He was convicted of murdering Mary “Molly” Elliott in New Orleans at age 18.
- Hoffman’s legal team challenged nitrogen hypoxia as cruel and unusual punishment.
- The Supreme Court declined to block the execution in a 5–4 decision.
- Execution method mirrors Alabama’s nitrogen gas protocol.
- Witnesses reported convulsions during the execution process.
- Louisiana’s legislature recently expanded execution methods to include nitrogen gas and electrocution.
Deep Look
On Tuesday evening, Louisiana carried out its first execution in over 15 years, using nitrogen gas to put 46-year-old Jessie Hoffman Jr. to death for a murder committed decades ago. The execution marks the first time the state has used nitrogen hypoxia as an execution method, joining a small group of states implementing this controversial practice.
Hoffman, convicted of murdering Mary “Molly” Elliott — a 28-year-old advertising executive in New Orleans — when he was just 18, spent much of his adult life on death row at the Louisiana State Penitentiary. On Tuesday, strapped to a gurney and fitted with a full-face respirator, he was executed by nitrogen gas and pronounced dead at 6:50 p.m.
State officials described the execution as “flawless,” with nitrogen gas flowing for 19 minutes. However, at least one witness observed Hoffman convulsing during the process — a reaction that has similarly been reported during prior nitrogen executions in Alabama. Experts and state officials claim these involuntary movements are expected due to oxygen deprivation.
Hoffman’s legal team fought to halt the execution, arguing that nitrogen hypoxia — which suffocates the inmate by replacing oxygen with nitrogen — violates the Eighth Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment. In a last-minute appeal, they also argued that it infringed on Hoffman’s religious freedom, preventing him from practicing Buddhist breathing techniques and meditation in his final moments. Despite these efforts, the U.S. Supreme Court denied their appeal in a close 5-4 decision.
Justice Neil Gorsuch, in a brief dissent, stated that he believed Hoffman should have been granted the opportunity to argue his religious freedom claim in a lower court. The three liberal justices who also voted to block the execution did not elaborate on their reasoning.
Under Louisiana’s nitrogen hypoxia protocol, modeled closely after Alabama’s, inmates are secured to a gurney and fitted with a tightly sealed respirator mask. Pure nitrogen is pumped into the mask, replacing oxygen and causing death by asphyxiation. The gas is administered for at least 15 minutes or five minutes after the inmate’s heart shows a flatline on an EKG, whichever is longer.
Louisiana’s return to executions follows legislative action last year by the GOP-led state legislature to expand approved execution methods to include nitrogen hypoxia and electrocution, supplementing the previously authorized lethal injection. This expansion came after a long hiatus in executions, partly caused by challenges in obtaining lethal injection drugs.
Louisiana’s use of nitrogen hypoxia is only the fifth time the method has been employed in the United States, with the previous four executions occurring in Alabama. Kenneth Eugene Smith was the first inmate put to death using nitrogen gas last year, the first new execution method introduced in the U.S. since lethal injection debuted in 1982.
On Tuesday afternoon, outside the gates of the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, a small group of death penalty opponents held a vigil. They distributed prayer cards bearing images of Hoffman and organized a Buddhist meditation reading for peace in honor of his faith.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill emphasized that the state is committed to carrying out executions and said at least four additional executions are expected this year. Before Hoffman’s execution, she stated that “justice will finally be served” with his death.
Hoffman’s execution is part of a broader national trend where executions have declined over the past two decades due to legal challenges, drug shortages, and changing public opinion on capital punishment. However, some states are reviving execution practices with alternative methods like nitrogen gas in response to these hurdles.
On the same day as Louisiana’s execution, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed legislation approving nitrogen hypoxia as an execution method, making Arkansas the fifth state to officially adopt the practice. Arkansas currently has 25 inmates on death row. Mississippi and Oklahoma also permit the use of nitrogen gas for executions.
As the debate around capital punishment continues, nitrogen hypoxia has emerged as a controversial alternative to lethal injection. While some officials tout it as humane and painless, critics — including attorneys, human rights organizations, and medical professionals — argue that the method can cause distressing physical reactions and raises ethical concerns.
Despite these challenges, Louisiana officials remain committed to resuming executions after a lengthy pause. Hoffman’s execution may mark the beginning of a new era in capital punishment for the state, with more scheduled in the near future. Whether nitrogen hypoxia becomes a more widely accepted method remains to be seen, but for now, it has become Louisiana’s chosen tool for delivering what officials describe as long-overdue justice.
Louisiana Executes Inmate
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