Convicted murderer becomes Louisiana's first nitrogen gas execution after appeal denied

Yahoo

19-03-2025

A Louisiana death row inmate on Tuesday was executed with nitrogen gas, a method that has never been used before in the state.
"Louisiana has successfully used nitrogen hypoxia to carry out the execution of Jessie Hoffman," Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill shared with Fox News Digital in a statement.
Hoffman, 46, was convicted in 1996 of the kidnapping, rape, and murder of 28-year-old advertising executive, Mary "Molly" Elliott.
Elliott was abducted by Hoffman, who was 18 at the time, from her home the day before Thanksgiving and shot execution-style in rural St. Tammany Parish.
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"Hoffman was convicted and sentenced to death for the brutal and merciless rape and murder of 28-year-old [Mary] Molly Elliott in 1996. Tonight, justice was served for Molly and the State of Louisiana," Murrill continued.
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"Governor Jeff Landry and I made a promise to the citizens of Louisiana and to the family members of victims of these heinous crimes that we would follow the law and put them first."
Hoffman declined to give a final statement before the gas began flowing, and he was subsequently pronounced dead at 6:50 p.m. at the Louisiana State Penitentiary, the Associated Press reported.
Authorities said the nitrogen gas flowed for 19 minutes during what one official called a "flawless" execution, although one witness claimed to see Hoffman convulsing during the process.
Shortly before Hoffman was scheduled to be put to death, the U.S. Supreme Court voted 5-4 to deny a last-ditch request to block the execution.
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Hoffman's attorney, Cecelia Kappel, previously and unsuccessfully argued in a state appeal that executing the convicted murderer by way of nitrogen gas was unconstitutional and would violate his religious freedom.
"It's conscious suffocation," Kappel told WVUE. "It's having a pillow over your face. It's like drowning."
The appeal stated that since Hoffman is a Buddhist, his breathing and meditation practices would be disrupted by the execution process.
"He has proposed, 'Kill me with a firing squad,'" Kappel said. "'At least then, I'll be able to breathe air at the time of my death.' And the state has said no."
Louisiana officials say that the method, which deprives a person of oxygen, is painless, declaring that it is past time for the state to deliver justice promised to victims' families after a decade-and-a-half hiatus — a pause brought about partly by an inability to secure lethal injection drugs, the Associated Press reported.
Hoffman was granted a temporary reprieve by a federal judge, but it was overturned Friday by the Fifth Circuit courts and additional attempts to stop the state's execution were also rejected Tuesday morning.
Murrill said the court's decision will help bring justice for Elliott.
"BREAKING: Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals overturns injunction in Hoffman case. Convicted killer and rapist will be brought to justice on Tuesday," Murrill wrote in a post on X.
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"This is justice for Mary "Molly" Elliott, her friends, her family, and for Louisiana."
Murrill added that she expects at least four people on Louisiana's death row to be executed this year.
"The last execution here in Louisiana was in 2010 of Gerald Bordelon, a convicted murderer and sex offender. Justice has been delayed for far too long. I, along with the Louisiana Department of Justice, remain committed to ensuring justice is carried out in all death penalty cases in Louisiana," Murrill vowed.
"I took an oath to follow and defend the law. Now Jessie Hoffman faces ultimate judgment before God in the hereafter. My prayers remain with Molly Elliott's family and friends, and that no family member ever has to go through the pain that they still feel to this day for the loss of someone like Molly."
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Hoffman is set to become the seventh person executed in the U.S. in 2025, and the first in Louisiana since 2010. He was the fifth person in the U.S. ever to be executed by nitrogen gas, with the previous four occurring in Alabama.
Death by nitrogen gas is currently allowed in only four states, including Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Oklahoma. However, the method has only been used in Alabama.
Over recent decades, the number of executions nationally has declined sharply amid legal battles, according to the AP, which has led a majority of states to either abolish or pause carrying out the death penalty.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. Original article source: Convicted murderer becomes Louisiana's first nitrogen gas execution after appeal denied