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Governor says state's execution was 'justice;' Jessie Hoffman's wife calls it 'revenge'
BATON ROUGE — Convicted rapist and murderer Jessie Hoffman was executed Tuesday, making him the first victim of capital punishment in Louisiana in more than a decade.
For some, Hoffman's execution by nitrogen hypoxia, a method of execution never used in Louisiana before Tuesday, was the ultimate culmination of justice for a nearly 30-year-old crime.
Shortly after Hoffman was declared dead around 6:45 p.m., Gov. Jeff Landry said that "justice was served" for the family of Mary "Molly" Elliot, who Hoffman was convicted of kidnapping, raping and murdering in 1996.
"When these acts of violence happen, society must not tolerate it," Landry 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."
Both Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill are pushing to expedite death row executions in the state following Hoffman's death. Hoffman's execution is the culmination of a campaign promise Landry made in 2023 to expand death penalty protocols.
"Justice has been delayed for these victims and their families for far too long. I, along with my office, remain committed to ensuring that justice is carried out in all the death penalty cases," the AG said.
Based on statements Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections Gary Westcott gave after Hoffman's death, nitrogen gas will likely be used in future executions.
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"My staff, we followed the protocol of Alabama," said Westcott, regarding the first-time use of nitrogen hypoxia as part of putting inmates to death in Louisiana. "We let them lead the way, we followed them. We probably did it a little bit better than they did with some of the equipment we did and we made some tweaks to what they did. It was flawless."
Others did not see Hoffman's execution as an act of just punishment, most notably Illona Hoffman, Jessie Hoffman's wife.
"Today, the state of Louisiana took the life of my husband, Jessie Hoffman. This execution was not justice; it was revenge," she said. "True justice recognizes growth, humanity and redemption. Louisiana chose to ignore that. It has been the greatest honor of my life to be his wife."
In a statement to The Advocate, Andy Elliot, Mary's husband, said that the execution was bittersweet.
"There is relief that this long nightmare is finally over, but also renewed grief for Molly and sadness for Mr. Hoffman’s family, whose nightmare began when mine did and who’ve also had to go through nearly 30 years of this gut-wrenching process through no fault of their own," he told the paper. "As to the death penalty itself, I hope that this case can help bring about meaningful change."
He said that, if the death penalty is going to exist, the process "must be resolved within a reasonable period of time, because a multi-decade long wait is not only difficult for all involved."
"Also, it seriously blunts the effectiveness of the death penalty as a deterrent on crime," the widower told the paper.
Anti-death penalty activists are concerned about the precedent Hoffman's death may set. In a protest the day before his death, members of Death Penalty Action said that it is only a matter of time before the state executes an innocent person.
"Jesse Hoffman may be guilty of the murder that he is scheduled to be executed for, but sooner or later, we're going to get it wrong," Executive Director of Death Penalty Action Abraham Bonowitz said on the steps of the State Capitol. "And it's not just about 'Did the person do the crime?' But, 'Are they fully culpable?'"
Hoffman's execution came after weeks of hearings and controversy over the efficacy and ethics of using nitrogen gas to induce asphyxiation for execution. In a denied eleventh-hour appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, Hoffman's lawyers asked to consider his religious rights as a Buddhist.
The three dissenting justices wrote that they would have put the execution on hold because lower courts didn't, in their view, bother to consider the religious argument Hoffman presented regarding Buddhist meditative breathing.
"I thought in Louisiana we valued the right to practice religion and at no time is it more important than at the time of your death, your last rites," Hoffman's lawyer Cecelia Kappel said after her client's execution.
Other critics said that the nitrogen gas was a violation of Hoffman's Eighth Amendment rights. The gas used is not medical-grade and has been deemed unsafe for use in veterinary settings.
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