Latest news with #JessieHoffman
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Yahoo
You Won't Believe How the State of Louisiana Executed This Black Man
A Louisiana man was executed this week after a hard-fought battle by his legal team arguing that the method violated his religious freedom went all the way to the Supreme Court. Even more alarming is the fact that it was the state's first time attempting the Nitrogen gas was used to put Jessie Hoffman to death on March 18. The execution marks the fifth time the method was used in the United States and the first time in the state of Louisiana, according to Hoffman's legal team had been trying to block the state from executing him, saying that the use of nitrogen gas, which as CNN explains deprives the body of oxygen and ultimately forces the organs to shut down, violated his Eighth Amendment protection against cruel and unusual punishment as well as his freedom of religion. Attorneys argued that inhaling the gas would prevent Hoffman, who was Buddhist, from practicing mindful breathing and meditation before his death, according to ABC News. Hoffman had been sitting in a Louisiana penitentiary since he was convicted of raping and murdering a 28-year-old woman in New Orleans when he was 18. But his attorneys argued that he spent most of his time in prison becoming a new man who was loved by many. 'Tonight, the State of Louisiana took the life of Jessie Hoffman, a man who was deeply loved, who brought light to those around him, and who spent nearly three decades proving that people can change,' attorney Caroline Tillman said in a statement. Nearly 50 people held a vigil outside of the prison, praying, meditating and calling for an end to the death penalty in the United States. Hoffman's case went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ultimately voted 5-4 against granting a stay of execution, according to ABC News, with justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Ketanji Brown Jackson and Neil Gorsuch in the minority. Jessie Hoffman was pronounced dead at 6:50 p.m. March 18, just 19 minutes after the gas began flowing, according to ABC News. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Yahoo
Louisiana conducts its first nitrogen gas execution, ending 15-year death penalty hiatus
Jessie Hoffman, 46, was executed Tuesday, March 18, 2025, for the 1996 kidnapping, rape and murder of Mary 'Molly' Elliot, 28, in St. Tammany Parish. He's the first person put to death through nitrogen hypoxia, and the first death sentenced carried out in Louisiana in 15 years. (Photo courtesy Hoffman's defense team) Lawyers for Jessie Hoffman confirmed Tuesday evening he was put to death at Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, being the first person in the state executed using nitrogen gas. It also marked the first time Louisiana has carried out the death penalty in 15 years, citing its inability to obtain the drugs necessary for lethal injection. With no foreseeable source for that method, Republican Gov. Jeff Landry and the GOP-dominated state legislature approved nitrogen hypoxia as an alternative. Alabama is the only other state to have used the technique, having put four condemned men to death since adopting the method in February 2024. 'It went flawless. There was nothing that happened incorrectly,' Gary Westcott, secretary of Louisiana's Department of Public Safety and Corrections, told reporters after Hoffman's execution, according to WAFB-TV. Hoffman, 46, was executed for the 1996 kidnapping, rape and murder of 28-year-old Mary 'Molly' Elliot. She had just gotten married a week before she was killed. Investigators said Hoffman abducted Elliot at a downtown New Orleans parking lot where he was a valet and where she parked daily for her job at an advertising agency. She was taken to rural St. Tammany Parish, where she was assaulted and fatally shot the day before Thanksgiving. A hunter found her nude body the next day at a remote boat launch near the Pearl River. If you commit heinous acts of violence in this State, it will cost you your life. – Gov. Jeff Landry Lawyers for Hoffman, seeking a last-minute reprieve from his death sentence being carried out, argued nitrogen hypoxia amounts to cruel and unusual punishment, prohibited under the 8th Amendment. Hoffman instead sought death by firing squad or lethal injection, acknowledging his responsibility for Elliot's violent death. Earlier this month, U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick of Louisiana's Middle District Court, temporarily blocked Hoffman's execution date to allow that argument to proceed. Attorney General Liz Murrill challenged that order. Last week, the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals removed the injunction from Dick, a federal court appointee of former President Barack Obama. In a 5-4 decision late Tuesday afternoon, the Supreme Court refused to stop Hoffman's execution. Cecelia Koppel, one of Hoffman's attorneys and director of the Center for Social Justice at Loyola University College of Law, issued a statement on Hoffman's death shortly before 7 p.m. Tuesday. 'Tonight, the State of Louisiana carried out the senseless execution of Jessie Hoffman,' Koppell said. 'He was a father, a husband, and a man who showed extraordinary capacity for redemption. Jessie no longer bore any resemblance to the 18-year old who killed Molly Elliot.' Koppel had unsuccessfully challenged Louisiana's move to nitrogen hypoxia, arguing the method was an illegal affront to Hoffman's Buddhist faith. Justice Neil Gorsuch, an appointee of President Donald Trump, joined the court's three liberal jurists and wrote the dissenting opinion, calling out the 5th Circuit's failure to address Hoffman's religious concerns. The expedited nature of Louisiana's nitrogen hypoxia protocols was also a point of contention for Koppel. Although Landry and lawmakers approved the method last year, the governor didn't release the legally required execution protocol until Feb. 10. Those details remained under seal until March 5, giving Hoffman's team less than two weeks to challenge the pending execution. 'The State was able to execute him by pushing out a new protocol and setting execution dates to prevent careful judicial review and shrouding the process in secrecy,' Koppel said. Landry's office also issued a statement from him after Hoffman's execution. It stressed how Elliot's 'family and friends have been forced to relive the tragedy through countless legal proceedings.' 'In Louisiana, we will always prioritize victims over criminals, law and order over lawlessness, and justice over the status quo,' Landry said. 'If you commit heinous acts of violence in this State, it will cost you your life. Plain and simple.' Read the governor's full statement below. State corrections officials allowed only two journalists to witness the execution. According to The Advocate, Hoffman was fastened to a gurney and inhaled nitrogen gas for 19 minutes. State officials said he displayed 'convulsive activity' as he died, and he was pronounced dead at 6:50 p.m. Hoffman declined to make a final statement before his death and refused a last meal, according to the report. Ilona Hoffman, the executed man's wife, issued a statement that said he 'was not defined by his worst moment' and that the 'system' had failed him as a child. 'This execution was not justice. It was revenge,' Ilona Hoffman said. 'True justice recognizes growth, humanity, and redemption. Louisiana chose to ignore that.' The Promise of Justice Initiative, which opposes the death penalty, was among the groups in Hoffman's corner. Its senior staff attorney, Samantha Pourciau, took critical aim at the Landry administration in a statement after his death. 'Governor Landry's yearslong pursuit of this execution concluded with more pain and more trauma. Tonight, while many in our state cannot afford groceries, the state used countless resources to kill one man,' Pourciau said in part. 'The governor cannot cloak this in fighting for victims, because today we learned that this is not, in fact, what this family wants. This is what the governor wants. This has been in service of no one, but the bloodlust of our state government.' There are 55 more people on death row in Louisiana, and Murrill has said the state intends to execute four people this year. The full statement from Gov. Jeff Landry on Jessie Hoffman's execution: 'It is unfortunate that bad people exist, and they do real bad things. When these acts of violence happen, society must not tolerate it. God is as Just as he is Merciful; and my hope is that when Louisiana empties death row, there will never be another victim whose perpetrator must be placed there. In Louisiana, we will always prioritize victims over criminals, law and order over lawlessness, and justice over the status quo. If you commit heinous acts of violence in this State, it will cost you your life. Plain and simple.'
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
District judge dissolves order to stop Jessie Hoffman execution
BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — A district judge dissolved an order to stop the execution of Louisiana death row inmate Jessie Hoffman. Hoffman's execution is set for the evening of Tuesday, March 18. A temporary restraining order to keep the state from executing Hoffman expired at 9:30 a.m. this morning. Attorney General Liz Murrill said in a March 17 statement that she expected the plan for execution to go forward despite Hoffman's attorneys filing pleadings. His attorneys filed an emergency petition with the U.S. Supreme Court Sunday, March 16 asking justices to halt the execution. Hoffman was sentenced to death for the 1996 kidnapping and murder of Molly Elliott in New Orleans. Louisiana has not carried out an execution in 15 years but announced in February that it would resume executions using nitrogen gas after the legislature approved the method in 2024. Republican files impeachment against judge who ruled against Trump deportations What do you need for spring gardening? VA halts gender-affirming care for transgender veterans Trump, Putin hold nearly 3-hour call amid ceasefire push in Ukraine District judge dissolves order to stop Jessie Hoffman execution Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Express Tribune
18-03-2025
- Express Tribune
Louisiana to execute prisoner using nitrogen gas banned for animal euthanasia
Listen to article The US state of Louisiana is set to carry out its first execution in 15 years using nitrogen gas, a method that is banned under the state's own laws for euthanizing cats and dogs. Unless the US Supreme Court intervenes, Jessie Hoffman, a 46-year-old prisoner, is scheduled to be executed in Louisiana State Penitentiary, also known as Angola Prison. Hoffman was sentenced to death for the 1996 rape and murder of advertising executive Mary Elliott. If the execution proceeds, Louisiana will become only the second US state to use nitrogen gas for capital punishment. Photo: Jessie Hoffman/ Jessie Hoffman legal team Why Is nitrogen gas controversial? Nitrogen gas causes death by suffocation, depriving the body of oxygen in a process called hypoxia. The method has been widely criticized as inhumane, even for animals. The American Veterinary Medical Association states that nitrogen should not be used to euthanize conscious animals because they experience extreme distress before death. Louisiana law explicitly bans nitrogen gas for euthanizing cats and dogs due to its inhumane nature. A veterinarian in Louisiana, Dr. Lee Capone, recalled witnessing dogs being gassed in the 1980s and described it as horrific, with the animals showing fear, distress, and signs of suffering before they died. Concerns over past executions using nitrogen gas Louisiana's decision follows four recent executions in Alabama using the same method. Witnesses described disturbing scenes: Kenneth Smith was seen shaking violently, writhing, and convulsing as he was forced to inhale nitrogen. Alan Miller, another prisoner, shook and trembled for about two minutes before dying. Critics argue that nitrogen gas causes immense suffering, making it a cruel and unusual punishment under international human rights standards. Legal challenges and secret preparations Hoffman was granted a temporary reprieve last week by a federal judge. However, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, one of the most conservative courts in the US, overturned the stay on Friday, clearing the way for the execution. Legal documents have revealed photographs from inside Louisiana's execution chamber, showing: A blue industrial-style mask placed on the execution gurney alongside leather straps and handcuffs. Pipes leading to nitrogen gas canisters, indicating how the lethal gas will be delivered Did Louisiana obtain execution gas illegally? Last year, three major US suppliers of medical-grade nitrogen—Airgas, Air Products, and Matheson Gas—banned the use of their products for executions. Despite this, court documents show that Louisiana has acquired nitrogen gas produced by Airgas, a company owned by the French multinational Air Liquide. This appears to violate Airgas' own policy, which explicitly forbids supplying gas for executions. The Guardian contacted Airgas for comment, but the company has yet to respond. Growing international concern over US execution methods The use of nitrogen gas for executions is drawing global criticism, with human rights groups and medical professionals warning against the suffering it causes. Many see Louisiana's decision as a step backward in human rights, especially considering that its use is banned for animals in the same state. The fate of Jessie Hoffman now depends on last-minute legal appeals or intervention from the US Supreme Court before the execution scheduled for Tuesday.
USA Today
18-03-2025
- USA Today
Is nitrogen execution too 'gruesome' and 'cruel?' Louisiana is about to find out
Is nitrogen execution too 'gruesome' and 'cruel?' Louisiana is about to find out A court in Louisiana ruled Jessie Hoffman can be put to death Tuesday using nitrogen hypoxia - deprivation of oxygen causing suffocation. Show Caption Hide Caption Nitrogen hypoxia: What to know about the problematic execution method Alabama plans to execute inmate Kenneth Smith by nitrogen hypoxia. Here's what we know about the execution method. Jessie Hoffman, 46, is condemned to die Tuesday for the kidnapping, rape and murder of 28-year-old accounting executive Molly Elliott in 1996. While some states have passed or are considering legislation to allow nitrogen gas executions, it is uncertain how widely the method will be used. Public support for the death penalty is declining, and several states with capital punishment have not carried out executions in years. After Alabama carried out the country's first known execution by nitrogen gas last year, the state's attorney general delivered a message to other states: "Alabama has done it, and now so can you." So far, that hasn't happened. But Louisiana is set to perform its first execution by nitrogen gas Tuesday, after a volley of court decisions blocked and then paved the way for the execution, arguing by turns the method was cruel or humane. A federal judge said the method could violate the Eighth Amendment's prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment, citing witness accounts of the Alabama executions. But the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday ruled it could go forward. Condemned to die Tuesday is Jessie Hoffman, 46, for the kidnapping, rape and murder of 28-year-old accounting executive Molly Elliott in 1996. Hoffman's attorney has pledged to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall has described nitrogen hypoxia − oxygen deprivation causing suffocation − as "textbook," "humane and effective." Alabama has executed four prisoners using this controversial method and lawmakers in several other states have proposed legislation that would add nitrogen gas to their roster of ways to kill their inmates as official struggle to obtain drugs used for the country's primary method of execution, lethal injection. Capital punishment experts say that while a handful of the 27 states that have the death penalty may actually adopt this method, it's unlikely to be widely used and the outcome of the Louisiana case might inform how other states may handle future legal challenges. "I think the decision of these few states to introduce new methods of execution, including nitrogen gas, are out of line with what we've seen as a general trend to the country," said Megan Byrne, senior staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union's Capital Punishment Project. Texas, Louisiana both halted executions: What's going on? Nitrogen hypoxia faces multiple legal challenges The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which rescinded Hoffman's temporary reprieve, is arguably the most conservative appeals court in the nation and has become a testing ground for key causes. The U.S. Supreme Court has previously tried to rein in the News Orlean-based court but also allowed Alabama and other states to use the nitrogen method. Alabama inmate David Phillip Wilson filed a lawsuit similar to Hoffman's last month claiming the state's plan to execute him using nitrogen gas violates the Constitution's prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment, citing the "torturous" execution of Kenneth Eugene Smith in January 2024. Witness accounts from his and other Alabama executions "describe suffering, including conscious terror for several minutes, shaking, gasping, and other evidence of distress." Chief District Judge Shelly Dick cited those accounts when delaying Hoffman's execution by nitrogen in Louisiana. Wilson's case is pending. Smith's lawyers did not have the benefit of such evidence when opposing the then-untested method, Byrne said. Mounting evidence gathered from nitrogen gas executions could give challengers more firepower. The Supreme Court's three liberal justices previously criticized the majority's decision to allow Smith's execution, arguing he should have had more time to pursue legal challenges and more needed to be known about the execution method. The Constitution does not guarantee inmates a painless death. But Deborah Denno, a law professor at Fordham University, pointed out judges have deemed certain execution methods cruel and unusual punishment in the past. The high courts in Georgia and Nebraska banned electrocution, and a circuit judge in South Carolina found both the firing squad and electric chair unconstitutional in 2022. But that decision was overturned, and the state carried out its first firing squad execution in modern history earlier this month. The litigation over nitrogen gas might make other states hesitant to use it, Denno said. But she said death penalty states have remained "desperate" to execute their prisoners despite legal challenges and botched executions using many of the country's other methods. "That desperation may outweigh this litigation that's going on here," she said. Pushes for nitrogen gas executions stall Nitrogen hypoxia is already an authorized method of execution in Mississippi and Oklahoma, although it has not been used. Steven Harpe, director of Oklahoma's prison system, visited Alabama to study its nitrogen gas protocol and told the Associated Press he would "absolutely" want to use the method if possible, but the governor later told the outlet he had no plans to change the state's process. A bill approving the use of the method is currently awaiting Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signature. When asked if Sanders plans to sign the bill, spokesperson Sam Dubke told USA TODAY the governor "reviews legislation as it is introduced." Lawmakers in Ohio and Nebraska have reintroduced similar bills this year while another bill sponsored by Kansas' attorney general died in committee last year. It's possible some of these bills may become law, particularly in Arkansas, but just because a state has an execution method on the books doesn't mean officials will use it, said Austin Sarat, a professor of jurisprudence and political science at Amherst College. "The thing that we need to remember is that nitrogen hypoxia is authorized, but it's not the only method of execution available," he said. Nitrogen executions could face long term issues States like Louisiana turned to nitrogen hypoxia or other alternative methods like the firing squad after struggling to procure drugs for lethal injection, but if those drugs were readily available, prison officials may not need to use nitrogen gas. President Donald Trump issued an executive order in January directing the attorney general to help states secure the lethal drugs. Experts said it's not clear what the federal government could do because the primary issue is that pharmaceutical companies do not want to publicly provide drugs for lethal injections. Though it does not yet appear to be an issue, states could eventually run into the same problem securing gas for executions. Multiple manufacturers of medical-grade nitrogen gas told The Guardian last year they would not allow their product to be used in capital punishment. "Nitrogen gas is easier to get than lethal injection drugs, but that's only right now," Denno said. Public support for the death penalty lags Even as Trump has pledged to revive the death penalty, experts said the country is generally moving away from support for capital punishment. Several states that have the death penalty have not executed anyone in years, and a 2024 Gallup poll found support for the death penalty in the U.S. has fallen to 53%, a level not seen since the early 1970s. Several experts and human rights organizations including the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and Amnesty International criticized Smith's execution as particularly inhumane. Hoffman's execution has drawn protests from Jews Against Gassing Coalition, which says the method bears painful similarities to the gas chambers used during the Holocaust, CNN reported. Sarat said nitrogen gas isn't likely to become the "safe, reliable and humane" execution method the country has long been searching for. "Is it likely now to fix the problems of executions? I don't think so," he said. "So the story of a broken system, I think, is likely to continue to include methods of execution that will prove to be unreliable or will prove to be more gruesome than Americans can stomach." Contributing: Maureen Groppe and Amanda Lee Myers, USA TODAY
