Darren Lyn
March 19, 2025•Update: March 20, 2025
HOUSTON, United States
Louisiana administered its first death penalty using nitrogen gas Tuesday night in the state’s first execution in 15 years, according to media reports.
Jessie Hoffman Jr, 46, was executed at the state penitentiary in Angola, located 209 kilometers (130 miles) northwest of New Orleans. He was convicted for the rape and murder of advertising executive Mary Elliott, 28, in the Crescent City in 1996.
The experimental method has only been carried out by one other death-penalty state -- Alabama -- which has executed four inmates since last year using nitrogen hypoxia. The procedure administers nitrogen gas to the inmate through a mask until the person dies from a lack of oxygen.
Critics of the procedure claim that the nitrogen gas method is a form of cruel and unusual punishment, but last-minute appeals to the US Supreme Court for Hoffman's stay of execution were denied.
Hoffman’s attorney, Cecelia Kappel, spoke to reporters after the execution and called it a "senseless" killing.
"Governor (Jeff) Landry says he is doing this for the victims, but we have heard directly from victim family members that killing Jessie will not bring them peace," said Kappel.
Kate Murphy, a sister-in-law of Elliott, issued a statement before the execution, calling for him to be pardoned.
"Executing Jessie Hoffman is not justice in my name, it is the opposite," said Murphy.
Arkansas became the fifth state to adopt the nitrogen gas death penalty earlier on Tuesday, joining Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Oklahoma. Arkansas currently has 25 inmates on death row.
Three other states are scheduled to carry out the death penalty this week -- Arizona, Florida and Oklahoma.
