A Louisiana death row inmate was executed with nitrogen gas Tuesday after declining to make a final statement or have a final meal.
46-year-old Jessie Hoffman Jr. was declared dead 19 minutes after nitrogen gas began to flow into his mask at the Louisiana State Penitentiary.
Authorities described the ordeal as a “flawless execution” despite witnesses’ reports that Hoffman started to involuntary shake while unconscious.
In addition to his “convulsive activity,” Hoffman was also left “twitching and jerking” while strapped to the gurney.
The curtains between the execution chamber and witness room were closed and only reopened when Hoffman was dead. The execution is the fifth using nitrogen gas in the US.
Hoffman was 18 years old when he raped and killed Mary Molly Elliott, 28, in New Orleans.
