BATON ROUGE, La. — Jessie Hoffman Jr., a death row inmate in Louisiana, is facing execution as the first person in the state to be put to death using nitrogen gas. Seeking an alternative to this method, Hoffman has requested the execution be carried out in a more “humane” manner according to his attorneys, who presented their arguments in a Baton Rouge federal court.
This court hearing transpired shortly after Hoffman initiated a lawsuit to halt his execution scheduled for March 18. During this execution, nitrogen will be administered through a mask to Hoffman, convicted for the 1996 execution-style murder of Mary Elliott in New Orleans.
Hoffman’s legal team claims nitrogen hypoxia constitutes as cruel and unusual punishment under the U.S. Constitution. They argue it encroaches upon Hoffman’s religious freedoms by interfering with his Buddhist practices, which include breathing and meditation exercises. Additionally, they assert that the mask, central to the nitrogen hypoxia method, triggers and exacerbates Hoffman’s post-traumatic stress disorder and claustrophobia, amounting to mental torture.
Criticism of the new execution method has also focused on the lack of transparency, with concern that Hoffman’s attorneys are not deemed “required witnesses” under the current policy.
The defense proposes alternatives such as death by firing squad or medical-aid in dying, which involves consuming a drug mixture with apple juice, as more “humane” execution options.
Louisiana currently recognizes nitrogen hypoxia, lethal injection, and electrocution as lawful execution methods. However, the state has encountered long-standing legal disputes and difficulties in acquiring the necessary drugs for lethal injections over the past twenty years.
State attorneys argue that nitrogen hypoxia is an acceptable method under Louisiana law, citing its successful application in Alabama, where it is considered seemingly painless.
Republican leaders, including Governor Jeff Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill, advocate for the execution to provide closure and justice to victims’ families. Louisiana’s last execution occurred 15 years ago, employing lethal injection to execute Gerald Bordelon.
Following the Louisiana Legislature’s decision to include nitrogen hypoxia in the list of execution methods, officials identified a means to continue capital punishment procedures.
Attorney General Murrill has stated that as many as four individuals could face execution this year, with 56 inmates currently on death row.
If Hoffman’s execution proceeds as planned, Louisiana will join Alabama as the second state to implement this method, mirroring Alabama’s protocol.
In Alabama, where four executions have already been carried out using nitrogen, inmates are secured to a gurney and made to inhale pure nitrogen from a mask, resulting in oxygen deprivation.
Witnesses, including reporters, have seen inmates exhibiting involuntary physical responses such as shaking and gasping during these executions. State officials interpret these reactions as natural to the oxygen-deprivation process.