Louisiana Executes Jessie Hoffman Using Nitrogen Gas in Landmark Case

The execution marks the state's first in 15 years and the controversial adoption of nitrogen hypoxia as a capital punishment method.

Jessie Hoffman Jr., convicted of the 1996 abduction, rape, and murder of Mary 'Molly' Elliott, was executed using nitrogen gas on March 18, 2025.
This was the first execution in Louisiana in 15 years and the state's first use of nitrogen hypoxia, a method previously employed only in Alabama.
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to block the execution in a 5-4 decision, despite legal arguments citing cruel and unusual punishment and infringement on Hoffman's Buddhist practices.
Witness accounts from previous nitrogen gas executions in Alabama reported distressing physical reactions, raising ethical and constitutional concerns about the method.
Louisiana officials defended the execution as justice for the victim's family, while critics highlighted the secrecy surrounding the protocol and broader debates over the death penalty.