Jessie Hoffman Jr. became the first person in 15 years to be executed by the state of Louisiana on Tuesday evening. The big picture: Hoffman was Louisiana's first death row inmate to face capital punishment by nitrogen hypoxia,

It was the fifth time nitrogen gas was used in the US after four executions by the same method — all in Alabama.

ANGOLA, La. – Jessie Hoffman has been executed, according to a statement from his attorney shortly before 7 p.m. Attorney Caroline Tillman said “Tonight, the state of Louisiana took the life of Jessie Hoffman, a man who was deeply loved, who brought light to those around him, and who spent nearly three decades proving that people can change."