The Indiana Supreme Court has denied a motion to stay the execution of Joseph Corcoran, who was convicted for the 1997 murders of four men, including his brother, his sister’s fiancé, and two others. Corcoran has been on death row since 1999. The court’s decision came in a 3-2 vote, with justices Mark Massa, Geoffrey Slaughter, and Derek Molter in favor, while Chief Justice Loretta Rush and Justice Christopher Goff dissented.
Corcoran’s attorneys had argued that he should be spared due to his diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia. However, the Indiana Attorney General’s Office contended that his attorneys had not proven his incompetency for execution, asserting that Corcoran is presumed sane.
This ruling comes ahead of his scheduled execution on December 18, which would mark Indiana’s first state-level execution in 15 years. In response, State Rep. Bob Morris has introduced a bill to potentially repeal the death penalty in Indiana, alongside a request for Governor Eric Holcomb to delay executions until the legislature can review the proposal.