Louisiana carried out its first execution in 14 years on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, putting Jessie Hoffman to death using nitrogen gas after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene.
The execution marked the state’s return to capital punishment and was conducted under Gov. Jeff Landry’s initiative to reinstate the death penalty as part of broader criminal justice reforms.
Hoffman, 46, was convicted of the 1996 abduction, rape, and murder of 28-year-old advertising executive Molly Elliott in New Orleans.
He was executed at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola after last-minute appeals were denied.
Execution by Nitrogen Hypoxia
Louisiana became the second U.S. state, following Alabama, to use nitrogen gas as a method of execution. The state legalized the practice after difficulties in obtaining lethal injection drugs and legal challenges surrounding their use.
Gary Westcott, secretary of the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections, stated that the execution proceeded “as expected.” According to corrections officials, nitrogen gas was pumped into a mask affixed to Hoffman, depriving him of oxygen. He convulsed for approximately two minutes before being pronounced dead after 19 minutes.
Seth Smith, chief of operations for Louisiana’s corrections department, acknowledged Hoffman’s movements but claimed he was unconscious during the process.
Legal Challenges and Supreme Court’s Divided Ruling
Hoffman’s attorneys mounted a last-ditch effort to halt the execution, citing his Buddhist faith. They argued that nitrogen hypoxia would interfere with his meditative breathing, which they said was integral to his religious practice. The Supreme Court rejected his application for a stay in a 5-4 ruling, with Justice Neil Gorsuch siding with the court’s three liberal justices in dissent.
“No one has questioned the sincerity of Mr. Hoffman’s religious beliefs,” Gorsuch wrote, expressing concern that lower courts had not properly addressed the issue.
Louisiana’s highest court also declined to intervene earlier in the day.
Backlash and Statements from Hoffman’s Legal Team
Cecelia Kappel, one of Hoffman’s attorneys, condemned the execution, calling it “senseless.”
“Jessie no longer bore any resemblance to the 18-year-old who killed Molly Elliott,” she said in a statement. “He was a father, a husband, and a man who showed extraordinary capacity for redemption.”
Louisiana’s Return to Capital Punishment
Gov. Landry, a Republican who took office in 2023, has been a vocal advocate for reinstating the death penalty, arguing that it serves as a deterrent and provides justice for victims’ families.
“For too long, Louisiana has failed to uphold the promises made to victims of our state’s most violent crimes,” Landry said in February after officials formally adopted nitrogen gas as an execution method.
With this execution, Louisiana joins a growing number of states seeking alternative methods of capital punishment amid ongoing debates over the legality and ethics of lethal injection.
