INDIANA, USA — The State of Indiana is preparing to execute its first inmate in nearly 15 years.
The Indiana Supreme Court denied a stay of execution for Joseph Corcoran, 49, of Fort Wayne, Ind., who was convicted of killing four people in 1999.
In 1997, when Corcoran was 22 years old, he shot and killed his brother, James; his sister's finance, 32-year-old Robert Turner; and two of their friends, 30-year-olds Timothy Bricker and Douglas Stillwell.
Corcoran was sentenced to death and has sat on death row for 25 years. Though his legal team filed many appeals, the state supreme court ruled he would be executed before sunrise on Wednesday, Dec. 18, in Michigan City.
Why did Indiana pause executions?
Indiana has not executed an inmate since Matthew Eric Wrinkles, of Evansville, Ind., was put to death through lethal injection on Dec. 11, 2009.
Wrinkles was convicted of murdering his estranged wife and her brother and sister-in-law in front of the family's young children.
Shortly after Wrinkles' death, the state paused executions due to a lawsuit and complications keeping prison officials from acquiring pentobarbital, the drug used to administer lethal injections.
In June, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb and Attorney General Todd Rokita announced they wished to resume executions now that officials have the drug necessary to carry out death sentences.
Corcoran's attorney asked the state to halt the execution, arguing his mental illnesses, including schizophrenia, have impeded his ability to understand the gravity of the situation.
In a statement, the Indiana Attorney General's Office said the following:
"This case has worked its way through our justice system for decades. With the Indiana Supreme Court's latest decision the execution date remains on schedule. We're doing our duty — on behalf of the victims and the law-abiding public — to hold perpetrators like Joseph Corcoran accountable for their horrific actions."
