A Family Shattered: Indiana Executes Joseph Corcoran After 15 Years

Indiana has carried out its first state execution in 15 years, putting Joseph Corcoran to death in the early hours of December 18. Corcoran, 49, was convicted of a gruesome crime in 1999, where he killed four people in Fort Wayne on a summer evening in 1997.

Among the victims were his own brother, James Corcoran, his sister’s fiancé, Robert Scott Turner, and their two friends, Douglas Stillwell and Timothy Bricker. He was only 22 years old when he used a gun to shoot them after overhearing that he wouldn’t be allowed to live with his brother and sister once his sister got married.

Corcoran’s execution by lethal injection took place at the Indiana State Prison. The process began shortly after midnight Central Time, and he was pronounced dead at 12:44 a.m. When asked if he had any final words, he replied, “Not really. Let’s get this over with.”

Leading up to his execution, there were numerous appeals from advocates and his legal team to stop it. They argued that Corcoran’s long history of mental illness, specifically paranoid schizophrenia, should have made him ineligible for the death penalty.

Corcoran’s mental health struggles were reportedly documented as far back as age 17, just a year after his parents were murdered—a crime he was charged with but later acquitted. Despite these efforts, Corcoran himself resisted pursuing further appeals to overturn his death sentence.

The final decision to proceed with the execution came from Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb. In a statement, the governor explained that Corcoran’s case had been thoroughly reviewed over the past 25 years. The Indiana Supreme Court examined it seven times, and the U.S. Supreme Court reviewed it three times. None of those courts overturned his sentence. Holcomb emphasized that the execution was carried out as the courts had ordered.

Corcoran’s last meal request was Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, though officials did not share which flavor he chose. The media was not allowed to witness the execution in person, but one reporter, Casey Smith from the Indiana Capital Chronicle, was invited by Corcoran’s legal team.

Smith described the final moments as solemn and silent. At 12:34 a.m., the blinds to the execution chamber were lifted, and Corcoran appeared awake, blinking but otherwise still. He made a brief hand movement at 12:37 a.m. before becoming completely still. The blinds were closed again at 12:40 a.m.

This was Indiana’s first state-level execution since 2009, though the federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, has conducted several executions in recent years. These included at least 13 carried out since 2020. Corcoran’s case stands as a stark reminder of the complexity and controversy surrounding the death penalty in the United States.