An Indiana man was convicted of the 1997 murders of four people, including his brother and his sister’s fiancé. was executed last Wednesday. It was the state’s first execution in 15 years.
Joseph Corcoran, 49, was pronounced dead at 12:44 a.m. CST at the Indiana State Prison. in Michigan City, Indiana, according to the Indiana Department of Corrections. Making it the 24th execution in the United States this year, he was scheduled to be executed with the powerful sedative pentobarbital. Although officials did not mention the drug in their statement.
Prison officials said his last meal was Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.
Corcoran was convicted in the July 1997 shooting death of his brother, James Corcoran, 30; his sister’s fiancé, Robert Scott Turner, 32, and two other men, Timothy G. Bricker, 30, and Douglas A. Stillwell, 30.
Indiana likely to carry out first state execution in 15 years
Joseph Corcoran, 49, was pronounced dead at 12:44 a.m. CST at the Indiana State Prison. in Michigan City, Indiana (Indiana Department of Corrections via AP)
Prior to filming, Corcoran was under stress due to his sister’s impending wedding and would require him to move out of the home in Fort Wayne, Indiana, that he shared with his brother and his sister According to court records
While he was in prison for those murders, Corcoran reportedly boasted about shooting and killing his parents in 1992 in Steuben County, northern Indiana. with which he was charged But later he was acquitted.
Wednesday’s execution came after Governor Eric Holcomb, a Republican, It announced plans in June to resume state executions. After a 15 year hiatus due to difficulties in obtaining the lethal injection.
The state provides limited details about the execution process. And no media is allowed to testify according to state law. But Corcoran chose an Indiana Capital Chronicle reporter as one of his witnesses.
Indiana and Wyoming are the only two states in the country that do not allow media viewing of state executions. According to the Death Penalty Information Center
Corcoran’s lawyers have been challenging his death sentence for years. Claiming that he is seriously mentally ill This affects his ability to understand and make decisions. at the beginning of last month The state Supreme Court rejected a request from his lawyers to halt the execution.
He exhausted federal appeals in 2016, but his lawyers asked the U.S. District Court for the Northern Indiana District to stay the execution. and holding a trial to determine whether the execution violates the constitution. This is because Corcoran has a serious mental illness. The court declined to intervene on Friday. This was followed by another rejected request on Tuesday from the U.S. Court of Appeals. For field number 7
Corcoran’s lawyers then made a final request and appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. An emergency order was issued to prevent his execution. But it also rejected their request to stay late on Tuesday.
Defense attorney Larry Comb said he was disappointed by the high court’s decision. It said Corcoran’s mental health issues had not been properly investigated.
Indiana attempts to carry out first execution in 15 years after lethal injection drug
Joseph Corcoran was taken to the city-county siege on August 8 on September 26, 1999, in Fort Wayne, Indiana, after being sentenced to death for the murders of four people in July. 1997 (Matt Sullivan/The Journal-Gazette via AP)
“There has never been a hearing to determine whether he is competent to be executed,” Comp said in a statement to The Associated Press. where appropriate laws and procedures have not been followed.”
Corcoran’s only remaining option to extend his life after legal challenges turned out to be Holcomb, who could have commuted Corcoran’s death sentence but chose not to.
Holcomb’s office released a statement Wednesday after Corcoran was executed.
“The Joseph Corcoran case has been reviewed repeatedly over the past 25 years, including seven times by the Indiana Supreme Court and three times by the United States Supreme Court, most recently tonight,” Holcomb. say “His verdict has never been reversed. and has complied with the court’s orders.”
The last execution in Indiana was in 2009, when Matthew Wrinkles was executed for the 1994 murders of his wife, brother, and sister-in-law. Since then, There have been 13 executions in the state. But those executions have already begun. and conducted by federal officials in 2020 and 2021 at a federal prison.
Government officials said They could not revive the execution again. This is because there are no drugs used in lethal injections mixed together.
The drug has been in short supply across the country for years. This is because pharmaceutical companies refuse to sell drugs for execution. which forces states including Indiana Use compounding pharmacies, which produce drugs specifically for customers. Some of these pharmacies carry more easily accessible medications, such as the sedatives pentobarbital or midazolam. Both of which, critics argue, can cause severe pain.
at midnight A group of anti-death penalty activists began singing “Amazing Grace.”
Religious groups, disability rights advocates and others opposed Corcoran’s execution of about a dozen people, including some holding candles. gathered to pray outside the prison on Tuesday evening.
Sunset behind Indiana State Prison on Tuesday, December 1, September 17, 2024 in Michigan City Indiana (AP)
“We can build a society without giving government agencies the right to execute their own citizens,” said Bishop Robert McClory of the Diocese of Gary. said the prayer leader.
Other death penalty opponents A protest was also held outside the prison on Tuesday night. Some held signs that read: “Executions are not the solution” and “Remember the victims but not by killing more.”
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“It is not necessary and does not provide any benefit. From this execution It all shows,” said Abraham Borowitz, director of death penalty operations. His organization protests every execution in the United States.
Tahina Corcoran, Corcoran’s wife Speaking to reporters outside the prison, her husband is “very mentally ill” and she doesn’t think he fully understands what has happened to him.
“He was shocked. He didn’t understand,” she said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
