MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. — An Indiana man convicted of murdering four individuals, including his brother and his sister’s fiancé, was executed Wednesday, marking 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. He was scheduled for execution using the sedative pentobarbital, although the state’s announcement did not specify the drug used. Corcoran’s execution was recorded as the 24th across the United States in 2023.
In July 1997, Corcoran was found guilty of killing his brother, 30-year-old James Corcoran; his sister’s fiancé, 32-year-old Robert Scott Turner; and two other men, Timothy G. Bricker and Douglas A. Stillwell, both aged 30.
Court documents reveal that prior to the fatal shootings, Corcoran experienced considerable stress regarding his sister’s impending marriage to Turner, which threatened his living situation in the Fort Wayne home he shared with his siblings.
While incarcerated for the 1997 murders, Corcoran allegedly boasted about having killed his parents in 1992. He was charged but later acquitted of those murders.
Last summer, Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb announced the resumption of state executions after a prolonged hiatus due to a nationwide shortage of lethal injection drugs.
Despite limited transparency concerning the execution procedures, it was noted that Corcoran had designated a reporter to witness his execution.
Notably, Indiana and Wyoming remain the only states that prohibit media witnesses at executions, according to recent findings.
Corcoran’s legal team spent years appealing against his death sentence, asserting he suffered from severe mental illness that impacted his judgment. This month, they requested the Indiana Supreme Court to halt his execution, a plea that was ultimately denied.
Corcoran exhausted his federal appeals in 2016, but his attorneys sought intervention from a Northern Indiana federal court last week to stop his execution, arguing it would be unconstitutional due to his mental health. This request was also denied, along with a subsequent appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court for an emergency stay, effectively exhausting all legal avenues.
Defense attorney Larry Komp expressed disappointment, stating the implications of Corcoran’s mental state were not adequately addressed. Komp criticized the execution, highlighting a failure in following proper legal protocols regarding competency evaluations.
Corcoran’s only remaining option for reprieve was Governor Holcomb, who could have commuted his death sentence; however, the commutation did not occur, and the execution proceeded as planned.
Hours before the execution, a group of death penalty opponents gathered outside the prison, singing “Amazing Grace” and engaging in a vigil.
Following the execution, Governor Holcomb’s office issued a statement reiterating that Joseph Corcoran’s case underwent extensive legal review over 25 years, involving multiple assessments by both the Indiana Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court, with his original sentence consistently upheld.
Since the last execution in Indiana in 2009, which involved Matthew Wrinkles, there have been federal executions administered in 2020 and 2021. State officials had previously halted executions due to a lack of available drugs for lethal injections, a situation compounded by pharmaceutical companies’ refusal to supply products for this purpose.
Advocacy groups, including religious and disability rights organizations, expressed opposition to Corcoran’s execution, highlighting the ongoing ethical debate surrounding capital punishment. A vigil was held near the prison, where demonstrators held signs advocating against the death penalty.
Corcoran was granted a final meal request and chose ice cream. During his last moments, he said farewell to family members, including his wife, who voiced concerns about his mental capacity to understand the events unfolding around him. She described him as being in shock and unable to fully comprehend the gravity of the situation.
