Louisiana executes man with nitrogen gas after 15-year pause

Louisiana put a condemned man to death using nitrogen gas in its first execution since 2010, making it only the second state to administer the controversial method.

Louisiana put a condemned man to death using nitrogen gas in its first execution since 2010, making it only the second state to administer the controversial method.

The execution of Jessie Hoffman Jr., convicted in the 1996 murder of a woman abducted from a New Orleans parking garage, was completed Tuesday. He was pronounced dead at 6:50 p.m. at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, authorities said.

They said the nitrogen gas had flowed for 19 minutes during what an official characterized as a “flawless” execution.

Hours before the planned execution, a state district court judge rejected an attempt by Hoffman's lawyers to obtain a temporary pause. Gov. Jeff Landry, who signed a bill last year making nitrogen hypoxia a legal alternative to lethal injection, did not intervene.

Tuesday evening, the U.S. Supreme Court denied a last-ditch effort to intervene in a 5-4 vote. Hoffman's lawyers argued Monday that the method violated his constitutional rights, including his ability to practice his Buddhist religion in his final moments.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/louisiana-execute-jessie-hoffman-using-nitrogen-gas-rcna196619

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