Family to victim of death row inmate executed by controversial method breaks silence
Warning: This story contains details of rape and an execution, some of which readers may find distressing.
Mary 'Molly' Elliott's husband said her life was 'so full of hope and promise for a beautiful future', before Jessie Hoffman Jr. took it away from her.
Hoffman was sentenced to death in 1996 for the rape and murder of Elliott. His execution was carried out yesterday (March 18), making him the first person in Louisiana to be put to death by nitrogen gas.
The family of the 28-year-old victim, whose full name was Mary Margaret Murphy Elliott, spoke out ahead of Hoffman's execution.
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In November 1996, Andy Elliott became a widower and has since battled with the idea of what 'justice' would look like.
"There is something about knowing it could actually finally happen that has forced all of us to re-live the past tragedy and re-examine our true feelings," Andy said in a statement per the New Orleans Times-Picayune, last week.
"The reality is this: after this much time passing, I’ve become indifferent to the death penalty vs. life in prison without possibility of parole. However, I’m not indifferent to the uncertainty that has accompanied these many years.
"If putting him to death is the easiest way to end the uncertainty, then on balance I favor that solution. But, his death will not provide closure."
Andy continued: "Anyone who has experienced a tragedy of this magnitude will recognize the absolute truth - Molly’s and my families and friends lost a great human being to a senseless series of crimes, the reasons for which we still don’t know.
"The pain is something we simply have learned to live with. That pain cannot be decreased by another death, nor by commuting the sentence of Molly’s assailant to life in prison."
He also touched on the quality of his wife's character, and what Hoffman took away from her.
"Molly was a cherished person who missed out on motherhood, a promising and successful career, and a life in the country on the property we bought together," he told USA Today in a statement on Thursday (March 13).
"Hers was a life that was so full of hope and promise for a beautiful future. The loss of Molly is a scar we will forever carry, and it will never heal."
Elliott's sister-in-law, Kate Murphy, also sent a last-minute plea to Louisiana government officials, requesting them grant Hoffman a pardon hearing.
"Executing Jessie Hoffman is not justice in my name, it is the opposite," she wrote. The plea was ultimately denied.
Hoffman was 18 years old when he ordered the advertising executive to withdraw cash from an ATM at gunpoint, before driving her to a remote area in St. Tammany Parish.
It was there that he raped Elliott before killing her. Her body was discovered two days later.
The death row inmate was pronounced dead yesterday at 6.50pm local time, with authorities saying the mask - which filtered nitrogen gas into his lungs - was strapped to his face for a staggering 19 minutes. One official even said the way procedure was carried out was 'flawless'.
Hoffman did not provide a final statement or have a final meal before his execution.
If you've been affected by any of the issues in this article, you can contact The National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800.656.HOPE (4673), available 24/7. Or you can chat online via online.rainn.org.
Joe Yates