Additional Coverage:
- Louisiana death row killer Jessie Hoffman choked to death on nitrogen gas for 19 minutes in chamber (themirror.com)
Louisiana carried out its first execution using nitrogen hypoxia Tuesday evening. Jessie Hoffman Jr., 46, convicted of the 1996 rape and murder of Mary Elliott in New Orleans, was pronounced dead at approximately 6:50 p.m. at the State Penitentiary in Angola.
Hoffman was strapped to a gurney and forced to breathe pure nitrogen gas through a full-face respirator mask. State officials reported that he exhibited “convulsive activity” as oxygen deprivation set in. The execution took 19 minutes.
Hoffman declined to offer a final statement or request a last meal. He had previously appealed for a firing squad or lethal injection, arguing that nitrogen hypoxia would violate his Buddhist beliefs. Louisiana currently authorizes lethal injection, nitrogen hypoxia, and electrocution as execution methods.
Hoffman’s attorney, Cecelia Kappel, had fought to prevent the execution, arguing the method was unconstitutional and would cause “psychological terror and a torturous death.” She criticized the state’s adoption of the new protocol, claiming it prevented thorough judicial review.
Mary Elliott’s husband, Andy Elliott, described the execution as “bittersweet,” acknowledging both relief at the conclusion of the ordeal and sympathy for Hoffman’s family.
The execution follows Louisiana lawmakers’ expansion of approved execution methods last year to include nitrogen hypoxia. This move has fueled efforts to resume executions in the state, despite a national decline in capital punishment due to legal challenges, drug shortages, and changing public opinion.