The first execution using nitrogen gas was carried out in the US state of Louisiana. According to American media, 46-year-old prisoner Jesse Hoffman was executed after the Supreme Court overturned a district judge's order to stay the execution.
According to his lawyer, Cecilia Kappel, the execution was "meaningless" because the prisoner's current condition was "not the same" as when he was 18 and committed the murder.
Hoffman kidnapped 28-year-old advertising executive Mary Elliott at gunpoint in 1996. Then he forced her to withdraw $200 from an ATM. He later raped and shot her.
It is reported that Hoffman's execution was the first in Louisiana in 15 years. It was also the first time a prisoner was executed in the state using nitrogen gas.
In February, Hoffman filed a lawsuit against the state seeking a stay of execution. At a hearing in early March, the defense argued that the use of nitrogen gas is a "cruel" method under the U.S. Constitution.
On March 12, U.S. District Court Judge Shelley Dick issued a preliminary injunction to block the execution by nitrogen gas. However, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the ruling.
In the United States, the death penalty remains legal at the federal level and in most states, although its use varies widely.
As of 2024, the death penalty is legal in 24 states. 23 states have officially abolished it. The rest are under moratorium.
The most common method of execution is injection. However, in some states, methods such as the electric chair, shooting, gas chamber, and hanging are also used.
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