Death row inmates were hoping to become the first person to die. Nitrogen gas Louisiana is looking for it Stop execution and We cite constitutional concerns about controversial killing methods.
Jesse Hoffman is scheduled to be executed on March 18th, but his lawyers are asking the judge for a preliminary injunction to prevent it, due to the secret of how the execution will be carried out.
The inmate will present his argument at a hearing Friday, during which he is expected to testify.
Hoffman was convicted of first-degree murder in 1996 rape and murder of 28-year-old Mary “Molly” Elliott.
Hoffman's lawyers say he was notified that he would be killed using nitrogen gas on February 20, but state officials have not yet provided detailed implementation protocols.
“The state wants to roll out this new gas protocol, but we want to keep it hidden in the public and even from those they are trying to kill,” Samantha Kennedy, executive director of the Promise of Justice Initiative, who represents Hoffman, told NewsNation.
“Jesse Hoffman has the right to know how he will be killed, and we, as his lawyer, have the right to determine whether it will become a constitution.”
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Maril defended the state's decision to exploit nitrogen hypoxia. This is a method used to suffocate a person by rejecting oxygen and allowing only nitrogen gas to inhale.
“On March 18, 2025, Louisiana will execute Hoffman with nitrogen hypoxia for Molly's murder. We continue to carry out this sentence and vehemently defend the state's obligation to bring justice to Molly Elliott's family and friends,” Maryle said. statement.
Murrill told Nexstar affiliate WVLA That she has not personally spoken to the victim's family.
History of nitrogen gas execution in the United States
The country's first execution using nitrogen gas was carried out in Alabama last year. This is currently being used to run four people in the state. If Hoffman's execution does not halt, Louisiana will become the second state to use this method on death row inmates.
All the men executed in Alabama using nitrogen swayed to varying degrees at the gurney and were breathless at the varying degrees at the gurney, according to witnesses in the media, including the Associated Press.
Rev. Jeff Hood, a spiritual advisor to Kenneth Smith, was the first person to be killed using nitrogen, and witnessed his execution and said, ” A slow and painful means of torture. ”
Smith's execution was “the most violent thing I've ever witnessed or involved,” Hood told Catholic news outlet OSV. “It was absolutely…it was incredibly unsettling to see a human being suffocated by death.”
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall maintains this method as “painless and humane.”
After convicted murderer Alan Miller A lawsuit against Alabama has been resolved Regarding the use of nitrogen gas in 2024, Marshall said:
The execution of Nitrogen in Alabama further evidence of how the method has not been tested, Kennedy said.
“It's impossible to know if the Louisiana Department of Corrections fixed all the issues that happened in Alabama. Every time we kill people with gas, it was an absolutely tortureful, terrifying, horrifying experience,” she said.
“Jesse Hoffman and the public have the right to know the processes in which Louisiana is involved.
Which states allow nitrogen gas to be used in executions?
Currently, four states are allowed to run nitrogen gas in Louisiana, Alabama, Oklahoma and Mississippi.
The Arkansas bill that allows death row inmates to nitrogen passed the Capitol on Tuesday, and is now moving forward for a full vote.
Louisiana had suspended executions for 15 years due to its inability to secure lethal injections, but the state wants to proceed with nitrogen gas execution protocols last month.
“For too long, Louisiana has been unable to keep the promises made by our state's most violent crime victims, but the previous administration's failure to lead is over,” Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said in a statement.
Louisiana was scheduled for two executions on consecutive March days, but Christopher Sepulbud, who was scheduled to be executed a day before Hoffman, passed away from illness on February 23rd.
Hoffman initially challenged Louisiana's fatal injection protocol in 2012, because this method was a cruel and unusual punishment.
US District Judge Shelley Dick dismissed the case in 2022 as the state had not planned an execution but resumed the lawsuit last month, saying the scheduled executions were “extraordinary circumstances” that ensured more scrutiny.
A three-person judge panel of judges in the US Fifth Circuit issued a stay in Dick's decision, taking into account opposition from Marile.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
