Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill issued the following statement tonight after the execution of Jessie Hoffman at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola:

"Louisiana has successfully used nitrogen hypoxia to carry out the execution of Jessie Hoffman. Hoffman was convicted and sentenced to death for the brutal and merciless rape and murder of 28-year-old Molly Elliott in 1996. Tonight, justice was served for Molly and the State of Louisiana. Governor Jeff Landry and I made a promise to the citizens of Louisiana and to the family members of victims of these heinous crimes that we would follow the law and put them first. The last execution here in Louisiana was in 2010 of Gerald Bordelon, a convicted murderer and sex offender. Justice has been delayed for far too long. I, along with the Louisiana Department of Justice, remain committed to ensuring justice is carried out in all death penalty cases in Louisiana. I took an oath to follow and defend the law. Now Jessie Hoffman faces ultimate judgment before God in the hereafter. My prayers remain with Molly Elliott’s family and friends, and that no family member ever has to go through the pain that they still feel to this day for the loss of someone like Molly.” – Attorney General Liz Murrill

Jessie Hoffman’s time of death was pronounced deceased at 6:50 p.m.

Attorney General Murrill’s role for the last few months has been dealing with the legal aspects and appeals related to Hoffman’s case. General Murrill was on-site when the execution took place to make sure nothing came down from the U.S. Supreme Court.

Summary of Hoffman’s Crimes:
On the night before Thanksgiving Day in 1996, Jessie Hoffman kidnapped, robbed, and raped Mary “Molly” Elliott. Hoffman kidnapped Molly at gunpoint and drove her to an ATM, where he forced her to withdraw $200 4 and robbed her. Hoffman subsequently raped Molly in the backseat of her own car in a remote area of St. Tammany Parish. He then marched her—still naked— “down a dirt path which was overgrown with vegetation and in an area full of trash used as a dump.” “Her death march ultimately ended at a small, makeshift dock” on Middle Pearl River, where Hoffman “forced [her] to kneel” and “shot [her] in the head, execution style.” Molly “likely survived for a few minutes after being shot.” But she was not discovered until Thanksgiving Day, when a duck hunter came across her naked body on the dock. For his part, Hoffman “soon thereafter” took his girlfriend shopping with Molly’s money. A jury convicted Hoffman of first-degree murder, and he was sentenced to death. His direct appeal was litigated to finality. And he exhausted all of his state and federal post-conviction remedies.