Louisiana executed a man convicted of murder with nitrogen gas on Tuesday evening, capping a raging legal battle that ended with a gas mask strapped over the man's face in the Angola State Penitentiary death chamber.

Hoffman's execution marks Louisiana's first in 15 years as well as the Bayou State's first time using nitrogen hypoxia for capital punishment. Alabama was the first state to use the method, as it put Kenneth Eugene Smith to death last year.

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.