After a series of last-minute legal chal­lenges, cul­mi­nat­ing with a denial of stay from the U.S. Supreme Court, Louisiana exe­cut­ed Jessie Hoffman on March 18, 2025. Mr. Hoffman’s exe­cu­tion marked both the state’s first exe­cu­tion in 15 years and the state’s first exe­cu­tion using nitro­gen gas — only the sec­ond state to use this new method.

State offi­cials acknowl­edged that Mr. Hoffman exhib­it­ed ​“con­vul­sive activ­i­ty” as he inhaled nitro­gen gas through a mask while strapped to a gur­ney, but Louisiana Corrections Secretary Gary Westcott nonethe­less char­ac­ter­ized the exe­cu­tion as ​“flaw­less.” Media wit­ness­es who attend­ed the exe­cu­tion not­ed twitch­es, clenched hands, and jerk­ing through­out the process, sim­i­lar to obser­va­tions made by media wit­ness­es who attend­ed nitro­gen gas exe­cu­tions in Alabama. Mr. Hoffman, a Buddhist, was accom­pa­nied by his spir­i­tu­al advis­er, Rev. Reimoku Gregory Smith, who knelt on a rug a few feet away. The state pro­nounced Mr. Hoffman dead at 6:50pm Central Time. 

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