First execution with nitrogen: 19 minutes of death in Louisiana

First execution with nitrogen: 19 minutes of death in Louisiana

New Orleans, USA - Louisiana dared to take a historical step on March 19, 2025, by the state for the first time triggering a prisoner through nitrogen hypoxia. Jessie Hoffman Jr., who was convicted of murder in New Orleans in 1996, experienced a painful death in the Chamber of execution, which according to reports lasted 19 minutes. The supply of nitrogen began at 6:21 p.m., which led to a deadly lack of oxygen. Hoffman's last breath was registered at 6:37 p.m.

Witnesses were present in this execution that observed cramp -like movements and flatter breath at Hoffman. The 18-year-old, who did not speak the last words to his offenses and also waived a last meal, had vehemently resisted the direction of execution used with his lawyers, which he refused for religious reasons, his belonging to Buddhism and the importance of meditative breathing. It was the first execution in Louisiana since 2010.

First execution with nitrogen in the USA

Hoffman is not the first prisoner to be executed by nitrogen hypoxia. On January 26, 2024, Kenneth Smith in Alabama was the first prisoner in the USA to be executed by this method. In addition, involuntary movements and restless breathing led him to an outcry of criticism during execution. Smith's relatives and supporters found execution as a cruel torture because he did not immediately lose consciousness.

The supply of nitrogen is carried out via a mask, and as in Smith's case, a lack of oxygen and ultimately suffocation was found as the cause of death. The EU and the United Nations have already warned of the cruel nature of this method of execution and asked the US government for concern about the use of nitrogen. In Alabama alone there are currently 43 other prisoners in the death wing that have chosen this method.

growing concerns and developments

The discussion about the death penalty in the United States has recently become more intensive, especially with regard to possible judicial pens and social inequality. According to estimates, 23 of the 50 states have already abolished the death penalty, while enforcement was de facto in other countries. Since the restoration of the death penalty in 1976, over 1,600 people have been executed in the United States, although the most common method is still the poison injection. This week, three other executions are scheduled in the USA, but this is due to the traditional method of the poison injection in the states of Arizona, Florida and Oklahoma.