Controversial Execution Method Sparks Outrage in Louisiana

Louisiana is set to carry out its first execution in 15 years using a controversial method that is actually banned for euthanizing animals in the state. Unless the US Supreme Court intervenes at the last minute, Jessie Hoffman, 46, will be executed using nitrogen gas on Tuesday at Angola prison. He received the death sentence for the 1996 rape and murder of advertising executive Mary Elliott.

If this execution proceeds, Louisiana will become only the second state to employ nitrogen gas for executions. Hoffman’s legal team strongly criticizes the plan, arguing it’s a cruel and unusual form of punishment.

They highlight recent nitrogen gas executions in Alabama, where all four prisoners exhibited signs of extreme distress while strapped to the gurney. Among them was Kenneth Smith, who reportedly shook violently and convulsed as he inhaled pure nitrogen through a mask.

Nitrogen causes death by depriving the body of oxygen, effectively leading to suffocation. It is a widely debated method due to evidence that conscious animals become highly distressed before dying. The American Veterinary Medical Association insists nitrogen should only be used on sedated animals for euthanasia, a guideline that Louisiana law enforces by banning its use on conscious cats and dogs.

Veterinarian Lee Capone, who has been practicing in Louisiana for 45 years, played a role in the campaign to ban mammal gassing in the state. He concluded the method was inhumane for euthanizing animals after witnessing dogs killed by gas in the early 1980s.

Capone expressed horror at the thought of Hoffman being executed this way, stating, “We are going backward; it’s not humane.” Hoffman received a temporary reprieve from a federal judge last week, but this stay was revoked on Friday by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, known for its conservative stance.

Photos from inside Angola’s death chamber have surfaced in court records, revealing the state’s execution setup. They show a blue industrial mask resting on the gurney next to handcuffs and leather straps, along with pipes for delivering the gas.

Last year, it was reported that three major US suppliers of medical-grade nitrogen refused to sell their products for execution purposes. Airgas, a subsidiary of the French company Air Liquide, confirmed to the Guardian their refusal to supply nitrogen for human executions.

Using Airgas nitrogen for Tuesday’s execution would directly breach the company’s strict policy against involvement in judicial killin