In South Carolina, Brad Keith Sigmon was executed by a firing squad for the 2001 beating deaths of his ex-girlfriend’s parents. Chief District Judge Shelly Dick blocked Louisiana’s first execution by nitrogen gas, ruling it could cause pain and terror. Jessie Hoffman, set to be executed by nitrogen gas for the kidnapping, rape, and murder of Molly Elliot in 1996, was the subject of the ruling. Four inmates have been executed by nitrogen gas in Alabama, while Louisiana chose this method due to difficulty obtaining lethal injection drugs. Dick pointed out accounts of suffering during nitrogen gas executions and criticizes Louisiana for lack of transparency. The state plans to appeal the ruling, claiming the method is constitutional and effective.
Jessie Hoffman kidnapped Molly Elliot at gunpoint in New Orleans and forced her to withdraw money from an ATM. He then raped and executed her in a remote area. Hoffman claimed the rape was consensual and the murder accidental, but he was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. Hoffman’s family has not commented on the case.
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