Louisiana carried out its first execution in 15 years on Tuesday, using nitrogen gas to put 46-year-old Jessie Hoffman Jr. to death. The execution, which took place at the Louisiana State Penitentiary, was completed in 19 minutes, with Hoffman pronounced dead at 6:50 p.m., according to state officials.
A rare execution method
The use of nitrogen gas, known as nitrogen hypoxia, remains an uncommon execution method in the United States. Tuesday’s execution marked only the fifth instance of the method being used, following previous cases in Alabama. Louisiana adopted nitrogen hypoxia last year due to difficulties in obtaining lethal injection drugs.
Hoffman’s case and legal challenges
Hoffman was convicted of the 1996 murder of 28-year-old Mary “Molly” Elliott. He was 18 at the time of the crime. His attorneys sought to halt the execution, arguing that nitrogen gas was cruel and violated his Buddhist beliefs. However, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene, allowing the execution to proceed.
How the execution was carried out
Hoffman was secured to a gurney and fitted with a full-face respirator mask, which was then filled with pure nitrogen gas, depriving him of oxygen. The gas was administered until five minutes after his heart stopped. While some previous nitrogen gas executions in Alabama led to visible physical reactions such as shaking and gasping, officials maintain that these are involuntary responses.
More executions expected
With this execution, Louisiana joins Alabama, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Arkansas in permitting nitrogen gas as an execution method. Although the number of executions in the U.S. has declined in recent years, Louisiana has at least four more nitrogen gas executions scheduled for this year.
