Louisana poised to resume executions with nitrogen gas protocol

As reported in this local article, “Louisiana has approved a protocol for executions by nitrogen hypoxia, which will allow death sentences to be carried out again after nearly 15 years, Gov. Jeff Landry said Monday.”  Here is more:

Louisiana has not carried out the death penalty since 2010.

In an execution by nitrogen hypoxia, the inmate’s face is covered by a mask and pure nitrogen is pumped in instead of oxygen, causing death by asphyxiation.

“These capital punishment cases have been reviewed at every judicial level, have had decades of unsuccessful appeals, and the death sentences affirmed by the courts,” Landry said in the release. “I expect our DA’s to finalize these cases and the courts to move swiftly to bring justice to the crime victims who have waited for too long.”

The Louisiana Legislature passed a law permitting nitrogen hypoxia executions in the second 2024 special session, amid a shortage of lethal injection drugs. State Rep. Nicholas Muscarello, R-Hammond, sponsored the law, which also added electrocution to the list of state-sanctioned execution methods.

Louisiana stopped using electrocution to carry out the death penalty 34 years ago. Legal challenges and reports of burns on the bodies of those executed helped pressure the state to retire its electric chair.

It is unclear if and when an execution will take place. 57 people currently sit on death row, according to Cecelia Kappel of the Capital Appeals Project, a nonprofit law firm that represents all defendants facing the death penalty who would otherwise have a public defender….

State Attorney General Liz Murrill, who has typically been in lockstep with Landry on criminal justice issues, praised the state’s move toward resuming executions. “Those sentenced to death have been convicted by a jury of their peers for the most heinous and barbaric crimes imaginable. These are the worst of the worst,” she said in a statement. “Governor Landry and I are committed to moving this process forward to finally get justice for victims.”…

Landry’s office included a brief summary of the new execution protocol along with the news release, saying it “builds upon Alabama’s constitutionally approved method.” The condemned person will have access to a spiritual adviser. “Designated victim relationship witnesses” and media will be authorized to observe so long as it is in accordance with Louisiana law.