A Louisiana death row inmate scheduled to die on March 18 is pleading with the court to delay his execution, arguing that the use of nitrogen gas is cruel.
Jessie Hoffman faces death for the 1996 rape and murder of 28-year-old Mary "Molly" Elliot, CNN reported. In a court filing, Hoffman has asked that his sentence be carried out in a more "humane" way.
Louisiana is planning to use nitrogen gas to execute Hoffman. The execution would involve putting a gas mask over his face and executing him through nitrogen hypoxia. Among Hoffman's arguments is that as a Buddhist, he will not be able to use his breathing and meditation techniques, violating his constitutional rights, the network reported.
Hoffman's attorneys also argue that he is claustrophobic and has post-traumatic stress disorder and the nitrogen gas mask will cause mental torture, CNN reported.
Nitrogen gas has been is a recent execution method. Alabama was the first state to use it in January 2024 in the execution of 58-year-old Kenneth Smith, WBRZ-2 reported.
"When they turned the nitrogen on, he began to convulse. He popped up on the gurney over and over and over again. It's wrong to experiment on people. But that's what I saw," Smith's spiritual adviser, Rev. Jeff Hood, told the station.
The state has argued that the method renders a person unconscious quickly and that any convulsions are not linked to pain. The state argues that people become unconscious in seconds to a few minutes, and it is a the fastest, least painful way to execute people, WBRZ-2 reported. Meanwhile, Hoffman has proposed using a firing squad or a drug cocktail similar to what's used in assisted suicide.
Lousiana has three potential execution methods: Nitrogen gas, lethal injection, and the electric chair. CNN reported that the state has faced years of legal battles over the drugs it uses and procures for lethal injection.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said the state expects to execute four of its 56 death row inmates this year.
