Jessie Hoffman, Jr. was pronounced dead around 6:50 p.m. Tuesday at the State Penitentiary at Angola, officials announced in a briefing after the execution. He inhaled pure nitrogen gas through a mask strapped to his face for 19 minutes while pinned to a gurney, officials said, until oxygen deprivation caused him to die.

On the day that Louisiana’s first execution in 15 years is scheduled to take place, attorneys for the inmate are hoping for a last-minute court ruling to halt the death penalty from being carried out.