Death Row Inmate Who Robbed, Raped, Kidnapped And Killed A Woman Expects To Be Executed In A ‘Humane’ Way

Out of 56 death row inmates in the state of Louisiana, Hoffman is the only one with a scheduled date.

Jessie Hoffman Jr., a Black man scheduled to be the first death row inmate executed by nitrogen gas, wants a more “humane” way to die, CNN reports.

Scheduled for March 18, Hoffman Jr. filed a lawsuit to block the execution date where the 46-year-old will have a mask pumping nitrogen strapped to his face after being convicted of the 1996 execution-style murder of Mary Elliott in New Orleans.

In a Baton Rouge federal court on March 7, attorneys argued nitrogen hypoxia is cruel and unusual punishment based on the U.S. Constitution in addition to infringing on Hoffman’s religious freedoms of Buddhist breathing and meditation exercises that he has practiced since 2002.

He highlights that the religious practice has helped him through dark times, such as when his grandmother died and issues in prison.

“February 20, I was served a death warrant and immediately afterwards, I was moved to a different location, in isolation, away from what I was used to,” Hoffman said, according to NOLA.

“Everything I needed to cope and deal with what I was dealing with in that moment was inside me. It allows me every day to be a better version of myself.”

The last death row inmate executed using this method was Gerald Bordelon, who volunteered 15 years ago as the state struggled to produce the drugs needed for lethal injection. Out of 56 death row inmates in the state of Louisiana, Hoffman is the only one with a scheduled date. His attorneys claim the state is using their client as a test for an execution method that has only been tested in Alabama. Republican Gov. Jeff Landry supported a bill in 2024 that added nitrogen hypoxia to a menu of legal execution methods. Witnesses said inmates executed by nitrogen appeared to shake and gasp at different times.

However, the state argues something different. Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill feel the form of capital punishment is necessary as “the state is long overdue in delivering justice that has been promised to the families of victims.”

Mental triggers are another reason why Hoffman’s team is pushing for different methods. Attorneys say the full-face mask can cause mental torture, and the inmate fears his anxiety will be triggered, advancing his post-traumatic stress disorder and claustrophobia. “The idea of having a mask over my face,” Hoffman said.

“I fear it’s going to trigger.”

Back when he was a child, the inmate testified that his mother locked him in a pantry while she went to work. He described once having panic attacks during a medical transport from prison. Hoffman Jr. is seeking death by firing squad, which was recently used in South Carolina in early March 2025, or medical aid in dying, which would require him to take an oral solution of drugs mixed with apple juice as a more “humane” method.