(Michigan City, IN) – Indiana has carried out its first execution in 15 years.
Joseph Corcoran was put to death overnight by lethal injection at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City.
Corcoran was on Death Row after he was convicted and sentenced in the 1997 killings of four men in Fort Wayne.
His execution was carried out despite attempts by advocates to halt it in the past few weeks. A judge denied a Stay of Execution on Monday.
“Joseph Corcoran’s case has been reviewed repeatedly over the last 25 years – including seven times by the Indiana Supreme Court and three times by the U.S. Supreme Court, the most recent of which was tonight,” said Gov. Eric Holcomb. “His sentence has never been overturned and was carried out as ordered by the court.”
It’s the first time since 2009 that an Indiana inmate has been put to death. All executions in the state were paused due to a lack of the drug cocktail needed to carry out lethal injection.
The Indiana Department of Correction says the execution process started shortly after 1 a.m. Eastern Time, and Corcoran was pronounced dead about 45 minutes later.
Corcoran’s last meal was Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream, and his last words were, “Not really. Let’s get this over with.”
