An inmate in Louisiana has been executed using nitrogen gas – becoming only the fifth person in the US to die through this method.
Jessie Hoffman Jr was the first convict to be put to death in Louisiana for 15 years – and the Supreme Court had rejected a last-ditch attempt to block the execution.
The 46-year-old had been found guilty of killing Mary “Molly” Elliott in New Orleans when he was 18.
Hoffman’s lawyers tried to argue that this method was unconstitutional because it was cruel and unusual – but state officials insist it is painless.
Inmates executed using nitrogen gas in the past have appeared to shake or gasp to varying degrees – involuntary movements associated with oxygen deprivation.
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