An Indiana man who murdered four people, including his brother, in 1997 has been sentenced to death. This is the first execution in the state in 15 years.
Death row inmate Joseph Corcoran, 49, who has been on death row since his 1999 conviction, was executed by lethal injection at an Indiana state prison on Wednesday despite a delayed appeal citing severe mental illness. It is planned that
Corcoran was arrested on July 26 inside his Fort Wayne home with his brother James Corcoran, 30, his sister's fiance Robert Scott Turner, 32, two other 30-year-old men, and Timothy G. – Shot and killed Bricker and Douglas A. Stilwell. 1997.
Joseph Corcoran was taken to a city-county lock-up facility in Fort Wayne, Indiana on August 26, 1999 after being sentenced to death for the murders of four people in July 1997. (Matt Sullivan/Journal Gazette, via AP)
Indiana aims to carry out first execution in 15 years after obtaining lethal injection drug
Five years ago, he was acquitted in the shooting death of his parents after a jury decided there wasn't enough evidence to convict him.
The last state execution in Indiana was in 2009, when Matthew Wrinkles was executed in 1994 for the murders of his wife, her brother, and sister-in-law. Since Mr. Wrinkle's execution, there have been 13 executions in Indiana, all initiated and carried out by the federal government. Employees incarcerated in federal prisons in 2020 and 2021.
Since Wrinkles was put to death, the state has halted national executions because the drug combination used in lethal injections is no longer available. There have been nationwide shortages for years because pharmaceutical companies have refused to sell their products for that purpose, especially in Europe, where opposition to the death penalty is strongest.
In June, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb (R) announced that Corcoran's decision was made after his state obtained pentobarbital, a drug that can be used in executions and is used in lethal injections in several states. It was announced that the death penalty would be carried out.
A photo of Joseph Corcoran in prison. (Indiana Department of Corrections, via Associated Press)
Mr. Corcoran was being held at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City.
Corcoran's lawyers have been fighting the death penalty for years, arguing that he suffers from severe mental illness that affects his ability to understand and make decisions. Corcoran lost his federal appeal in 2016. Earlier this month, lawyers asked the Indiana Supreme Court to halt the execution, but the request was denied.
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His lawyers felt the denial gave them some hope of stopping the execution, as the justices were split 3-2.
Defense attorney Larry Komp previously said, “Given the closeness of the race, there should be no rush to proceed with the investigation.'' “He is very mentally ill. We consider him irrational. We have never had a fair process.”
According to the Associated Press, Corcoran wrote a handwritten affidavit to a judge earlier this month saying he was done with the case, but his lawyers argued it was a sign of mental illness.
“I am guilty of the crimes for which I was convicted and accept the judgments of all appellate courts,” Corcoran wrote.
According to court records, Corcoran shot and killed the four victims because he was stressed out because he had to move out of the Fort Wayne home he shared with his brother and sister because of his sister's upcoming marriage to Turner.
He woke up after hearing his brother and others talking about him downstairs, loaded his rifle, and then shot and killed all four, according to records.
After the shooting, Corcoran asked his neighbor across the street to call police. When they arrived, Corcoran told them, “You should probably arrest me,” according to the Tampa Bay Times.
While in prison, Corcoran reportedly bragged about shooting his parents.
Kelly Ernst, one of Corcoran's sisters, said she believes the death penalty should be abolished and that her brother's execution will not solve or change anything.
She criticized the fact that the executions took place so close to Christmas.
Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb speaks at the Indiana School for the Blind on January 8, 2024 in Indianapolis. Holcomb announced in June that Corcoran would be executed after the state obtained the drug pentobarbital. (AP Photo/Daron Cummings, File)
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“I'm speechless. I'm really angry that something like this would happen so close to Christmas,” she said. “My sister and I, our birthdays are in December. I mean, it feels like Christmas is going to ruin the rest of our lives. That's just how it feels.”
Earlier this year, Alabama became the first state to use nitrogen gas in the execution of convicted murderer Kenneth Smith.
The method of execution has been criticized as inhumane and a form of torture, with Smith trembling and writhing on the stretcher, sometimes appearing to struggle against his restraints, until he could no longer perceive his breathing. After breathing heavily for several minutes, he was killed.
Fox News' Landon Mion and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
