Louisiana carried out its first execution in 15 years on Tuesday, using nitrogen gas to put 46-year-old Jessie Hoffman Jr to death. The execution took place at the Louisiana State Penitentiary, where Hoffman was pronounced dead at 6:50 pm. Officials said the process lasted 19 minutes and went as planned.  

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A rare execution method  

Nitrogen gas execution, also called nitrogen hypoxia, is rare in the US This was only the fifth time the method had been used, following previous cases in Alabama. Louisiana adopted nitrogen hypoxia last year after struggling to obtain lethal injection drugs.  

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Hoffman’s case and legal battle  

Hoffman was convicted of murdering 28-year-old Mary “Molly” Elliott in 1996. He was 18 at the time. His lawyers tried to stop the execution, arguing that nitrogen gas was cruel and violated his Buddhist beliefs, but the US Supreme Court refused to intervene.

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How the execution happened  

Officials strapped Hoffman to a gurney and placed a full-face respirator mask on him. Pure nitrogen gas was pumped into the mask, cutting off his oxygen supply. The gas was administered until five minutes after his heart stopped. Some previous nitrogen gas executions in Alabama caused visible shaking and gasping, though officials call these involuntary reactions.  

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More executions expected  

Louisiana joins Alabama, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Arkansas in allowing nitrogen gas executions. While the number of US executions has declined in recent years, Louisiana plans to carry out at least four more this year.