Louisiana carries out first execution in 15 years and first with nitrogen hypoxia

Louisiana has conducted its first execution in nearly 15 years, using nitrogen hypoxia for the first time in the state, according to officials.

Jessie Hoffman, convicted of the 1996 abduction, rape, and murder of 28-year-old Mary “Molly” Elliott, was executed on Tuesday evening at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola. His time of death was recorded at 6:50 p.m.

Hoffman was sentenced to death for kidnapping Elliott at gunpoint from a parking garage in downtown New Orleans, forcing her to withdraw money from an ATM, and later raping and executing her on a makeshift dock in St. Tammany Parish.

A duck hunter discovered her body on Thanksgiving morning. After committing the crime, Hoffman reportedly went shopping with the stolen money.

“Louisiana has successfully used nitrogen hypoxia to carry out the execution of Jessie Hoffman,” Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill stated. “Tonight, justice was served for Molly and the State of Louisiana.” She emphasized the state’s commitment to enforcing the death penalty and described the delay in executions as “justice postponed for too long.”

Governor Jeff Landry also addressed the execution, stating that Elliott’s family had endured nearly three decades of legal battles.

“Tonight, after 28 years, justice was served,” Landry said. “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.”

Kate Murphy, Elliott’s sister-in-law, had pleaded for a pardon hearing, writing in a letter on Monday that executing Hoffman “is not justice in my name, it is the opposite.” She stated that she had hoped to meet with him before his death and that his execution would bring “more grief and trauma,” NOLA reported.

According to NOLA, in a 2023 clemency petition, Hoffman had offered a formal apology, writing, “I am extremely and genuinely sorry for all the pain that my very selfish, horrible and heartless acts caused.” His attorneys said Hoffman had long wished to meet with Elliott’s family to “offer his heartfelt apology face-to-face and answer any questions they may have.”

One of Hoffman’s attorneys, Caroline Tillman, described him as a changed man who had spent decades trying to make amends.

“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,” Tillman said. “Jessie built a family inside those walls—not just with the men who served time alongside him, but with the officers and staff who came to know him over decades. He found faith, not just as a belief, but as a way of living.”

“[Hoffman] carried deep remorse, not as a burden, but as a responsibility—to help others and to make amends however he could. He never stopped expressing his sorrow for the harm he caused, and he never stopped striving to live a life of meaning, Tillman added. “His son will remember their weekly phone calls, the unwavering love, and the stabilizing presence Jessie provided in his life.”

Tuesday’s execution was Louisiana’s first since 2010 and the first in the state to use nitrogen hypoxia, a method that replaces oxygen with pure nitrogen. The process involves depriving the inmate of oxygen by replacing it with nitrogen, leading to asphyxiation. Those in favor have defended the method as a more humane alternative to lethal injection, though its use remains controversial.