A convicted murderer and rapist in Louisiana was executed by nitrogen gas Tuesday night, marking the state’s first death row killing in 15 years — and the first time the lethal method was used in the Pelican State.

Jessie Hoffman Jr., 46, was declared dead at 6:50 p.m. after he inhaled the lethal gas for 19 minutes through a fitted full-faced respirator mask while strapped to a gurney inside the execution chamber at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, officials confirmed.

He declined to give a final statement or eat a final meal before his death.

Hoffman, who was sentenced to death in 1996 for the rape and murder of Mary “Molly” Elliot, a 28-year-old advertising executive, became the fifth inmate in the US to be put to death via nitrogen gas, and the first ever in Louisiana.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said justice was served 28 years after Hoffman made Elliot kneel and shot her dead on a makeshift dock near Middle Pearl River.

“Since that dreadful day, Molly’s family and friends have been forced to relive the tragedy through countless legal proceedings. They have lived with the pain for 28 years, with a promise of justice that went unanswered. Tonight, after 28 years, Justice was served,” he said in a statement.

“It is unfortunate that bad people exist, and they do real bad things. When these acts of violence happen, society must not tolerate it,” he said.

“In Louisiana, we will always prioritize victims over criminals, law and order over lawlessness, and justice over the status quo. If you commit heinous acts of violence in this State, it will cost you your life. Plain and simple.”

One official characterized Hoffman’s execution as “flawless,” following multiple attempts by his lawyers to halt his death.

“Tonight, the State of Louisiana took the life of Jessie Hoffman, a man who was deeply loved, who brought light to those around him, and who spent nearly three decades proving that people can change,” his attorney, Carolina Tillman, said in a statement to NOLA.com.

The United States Supreme Court rejected a last-ditch effort to block Hoffman’s execution in a 5-4 vote just moments before he was put to death. Hoffman’s lawyers argued that breathing the nitrogen gas would violate his religious freedom.

Justices Sonia Sotomayer, Elena Kagan, Ketanji Brown Jackson and Neil Gorsuch were the dissenting votes.

His lawyers claimed that nitrogen hypoxia would interfere with Hoffman’s Buddhist breathing and meditation during his final moments alive, in addition to violating the Eighth Amendment by causing extreme psychological suffering.

The decision followed similar rulings made by both the federal district and appeals courts in the days and weeks leading up to Hoffman’s execution. Advocates against the death penalty have continued to try to stop Hoffman’s execution.

He was granted a temporary reprieve by a federal judge, but it was overturned Friday by the Fifth Circuit courts, with additional attempts to stop the state’s execution also rejected Tuesday morning.

A crowd of protesters, who included Hoffman’s younger sister Florence and faith leaders, gathered outside the prison ahead of his execution. Florence Hoffman was pictured sitting beneath an oak tree looking at a photo of her brother as she awaited news of his death, according to NOLA.com.

The execution marked the first time Louisiana has used the lethal method on a death row inmate since state lawmakers expanded the death penalty in 2024 to include nitrogen hypoxia and electrocution. Death by nitrogen gas is currently permitted in four states: Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Oklahoma.

The method has only been used four times before in Alabama.

Hoffman, who was convicted of abducting Elliot from her home a day before Thanksgiving and shooting her execution-style in rural St. Tammany Parish when he was 18 years old, became the seventh death row execution in the country this year.

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said she expects the state to execute at least four more death row inmates this year.

Most recently, Kenneth Eugene Smith was gassed to death in late January after surviving a lethal injection attempt two years previously. The process took 22 minutes as he continuously thrashed against the restraints while he slowly suffocated.

Since the New Year, atypical means of execution have been on the rise. Following Smith’s gassing, South Carolina spearheaded the first death by firing squad in the country in 15 years.

Brad Sigmon voluntarily chose to be shot to death over more conventional methods like the electric chair and lethal injection. He was found guilty in 2002 of bludgeoning his ex-girlfriend’s parents to death with a baseball bat.