Official announcements from the Indiana Department of Corrections or reputable news outlets

Indiana Executes Joseph Corcoran by Lethal Injection, 24th U.S. Execution This Year, Despite Mental Illness Claims

Dec 18, 2024, 07:35 AM

Joseph Corcoran, a 49-year-old man convicted of killing four people, including his brother James Corcoran and his sister's fiancé Robert Scott Turner, in July 1997, was executed by lethal injection at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City early Wednesday. This marked Indiana's first state execution in 15 years and the 24th execution in the U.S. this year. Corcoran was pronounced dead at 12:44 a.m. CST. The execution process, shrouded in secrecy, did not allow media witnesses as per state law, though Corcoran chose a reporter from the Indiana Capital Chronicle as one of his witnesses. His last words were reported as 'Not really. Let's get this over with.' Corcoran's last meal was Ben & Jerry's ice cream. He was scheduled to be executed with the powerful sedative pentobarbital. Corcoran's attorneys had argued against his execution, citing his severe mental illness, schizophrenia, but their appeals were rejected by various courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court. Governor Eric Holcomb's office confirmed the execution, noting that Corcoran's case had been reviewed multiple times over the past 25 years without his sentence being overturned. The other victims were Timothy G. Bricker and Douglas A. Stillwell, and the killings took place in Fort Wayne, Indiana.