Five news outlets file lawsuit to open executions to press
Indiana is one of only two states with a death penalty law that doesn’t provide for media witnesses.
Death Penalty
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‘I am so sorry’: Clemency hearings begin for Indiana death row inmate Benjamin Ritchie
Indiana death row inmate Benjamin Ritchie expressed remorse and shed tears as he pleaded Monday for the state’s parole board to spare his life.
State’s response ordered in execution stay request of Indiana death row inmate
The Indiana Supreme Court has ordered the state to submit motions in response to death row inmate Benjamin Ritchie’s counsel, who requested a stay and oral arguments last week.
High court sets May 20 execution date for murderer of Beech Grove police officer
A divided Indiana Supreme Court denied condemned murderer Benjamin Ritchie’s request to seek post-conviction relief.
Supreme Court throws out Oklahoma inmate’s murder conviction and death sentence
The justices found that Glossip’s trial violated his constitutional rights because prosecutors did not turn over evidence that might have bolstered his defense.
Fort Wayne legislator makes case for hearing, passage of his anti-death penalty bill
A Republican legislator made a public plea Monday for his bill to abolish Indiana’s death penalty, arguing that the state’s execution process was flawed and didn’t serve as a deterrent for “heinous crimes.”
News outlet sues over Indiana’s refusal to disclose cost of lethal injection drug
A press freedom group representing the Indiana Capital Chronicle has filed a lawsuit in Marion Superior Court alleging the Indiana Department of Correction violated public records law by declining to reveal the cost of the lethal injection drug used in Joseph Corcoran’s December execution.
Greg Weaver: Cost of the state’s executions shouldn’t be a secret
The secrecy surrounding the return of death penalty executions in Indiana isn’t exactly doing much to bolster public confidence in what some consider to be an inhumane act.
Biden gives life in prison to 37 of 40 federal death row inmates so Trump can’t have them executed
President Joe Biden announced on Monday that he is commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row, converting their punishments to life imprisonment just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump, an outspoken proponent of expanding capital punishment, takes office.
Death row inmate Joseph Corcoran executed for quadruple murder
Convicted murderer Joseph Corcoran was pronounced dead by lethal injection at 12:44 a.m. Wednesday morning, marking the first Indiana execution since 2009.
Federal appeals court denies stay of execution for Indiana death row inmate Joseph Corcoran
The U.S. Court of Appeals late Monday denied a request to stay Indiana death row inmate Joseph Corcoran’s execution, which is scheduled to take place before sunrise Wednesday.
Sister, former lawyer decry upcoming Indiana execution; prosecutor conflicted
Joseph Corcoran’s legal team is asking a federal judge to step in and pause the execution to allow for a hearing and review of their claims that putting the inmate to death is unconstitutional.
Indiana Supreme Court justices explain why execution will go forward
The court’s ruling emphasized that concerns raised by defense counsel over Joseph Corcoran’s mental health have already “been thoroughly litigated in both state and federal courts.” Those prior court proceedings concluded that Corcoran was competent to waive his post-conviction options.
Indiana death row inmate’s mental illness warrants delayed execution for case review, lawyers say
In new court documents, Joseph Corcoran’s legal team doubled down that the Indiana death row inmate’s “severe” mental illness has prevented him from properly requesting post-conviction relief.
Refusing to sign clemency petition, Indiana Supreme Court weighs death row inmate’s final plea
About two weeks away from scheduled execution, Indiana death row inmate Joseph Corcoran’s last-ditch attempts to quash his capital punishment sentence are still up in the air.
Corcoran attorneys seek stay of execution on basis of mental illness
Attorneys for convicted murderer Joseph Corcoran on Friday filed for a stay of execution, arguing it’s cruel and unusual punishment to execute someone who is seriously mentally ill.
Indiana Department of Correction refuses to disclose cost of new execution drug, pentobarbital
The Indiana Department of Correction has refused to disclose how much the state paid to acquire a new execution drug, pentobarbital, that could be used to carry out at least one death warrant before the end of the year.
Counsel for convicted murderer given until Nov. 1 to file clemency request
Counsel for Benjamin Ritchie, a man convicted in 2002 of murdering Beech Grove Police Officer William Toney, have until Nov. 1 to file a clemency request in response to the state’s motion to set an execution date, Indiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Loretta Rush wrote in an Oct. 3 order.
Supreme Court taking the bench with ghost guns, a capital case and transgender rights on the docket
The Supreme Court is taking the bench again on Monday, ready to hear cases on ghost guns, a death sentence and transgender rights.
With Indiana’s next execution just 11 weeks away, clemency request is next move
Larry Komp, lead attorney for death row inmate Joseph Corcoran’s legal team, told the Indiana Capital Chronicle his client is seeking a last plea with a clemency petition, however. Komp said he plans to visit with Corcoran — who’s currently being held at the Indiana State Prison— and file the necessary paperwork this week.