A death row inmate’s final words were “let’s get this over with” as he became the first person to be executed in Indiana in 15 years.
Joseph Corcoran, aged 49, was executed by lethal injection on Wednesday for the 1997 murders of his brother, his sister’s fiancee, and two other men.
Despite pleas from his legal team and advocates, Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb proceeded with the execution. Corcoran had been on death row since 1999, with his lawyers arguing that he suffered from severe and long-standing paranoid schizophrenia, as documented in his self-published books from prison.
Deputy public defender Joanna Green urged Gov Holcomb to grant clemency to Corcoran, a mentally ill man. This request came after a federal appeals court ruled that Corcoran was mentally fit for execution.
Anti-death penalty groups protested outside Indiana’s state capitol building, urging Gov Holcomb to grant clemency. The governor had announced in June the procurement of pentobarbital for lethal injections.
An undated photo of Joseph Corcoran. Pic: AP
Corcoran’s last meal
The Indiana Department of Correction began the execution process shortly after midnight local time on Wednesday, with Corcoran pronounced dead around 44 minutes later. His last words were: “Not really. Let’s get this over with.” Corcoran requested Ben & Jerry’s ice cream as his last meal.
Before the execution, David Frank of the Indiana Abolition Coalition criticized the execution happening a week before Christmas, while Corcoran’s sister expressed her belief that the death penalty should be abolished.
What was Corcoran convicted of?
Corcoran was convicted of fatally shooting his brother, his sister’s fiancee, and two friends, but had been acquitted five years earlier for the murders of his parents due to lack of evidence.