Background: Image of the death chamber at Indiana State Prison (Indiana Department of Corrections). Inset: Joseph Corcoran (Indiana Department of Corrections).
Indiana carried out its first death sentence in 15 years as it executed convicted murderer Joseph Corcoran, 49, just after midnight on Dec. 18.
Corcoran was found guilty in 1999 of murdering his brother James Corcoran, 30; his sister’s fiance, Robert Scott Turner, 32; Douglas A. Stillwell, 30; and Timothy G. Bricker, 30, on July 26, 1997. He was 22 when he shot his victims dead after overhearing that he would no longer be allowed to live with his brother and sister once his sister got married. Several appeals were made to stop the execution citing Corcoran’s long-documented mental illness, but those efforts failed.
In a statement issued by the Indiana Department of Corrections, Corcoran was asked if he had any last words and he responded, “Not really. Let’s get this over with.”
The full statement provided to the press had more details about Corcoran’s final moments, saying, “This morning, the Indiana Supreme Court’s order for the execution of Joseph Edward Corcoran was carried out. Corcoran was convicted and sentenced to death for the 1997 murders of his brother, James Corcoran; his sister’s fiancé, Robert Scott Turner; and two of their friends, Timothy Bricker and Douglass Stillwell. The execution process started shortly after 12:00 a.m. CST on December 18, 2024. Corcoran was pronounced dead at 12:44 a.m. CST on December 18, 2024.”
The department also confirmed to the press that Corcoran’s final meal request was Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, but a flavor was not provided.
The press was not allowed to witness the execution as it took place but the Indiana DOC provided photos of the death chamber where Corcoran received his lethal injection. Corcoran’s legal team also invited one reporter, Casey Smith from the Indiana Capital Chronicle, to witness the execution. Smith wrote that after the one-way blinds to the death chamber were lifted at 12:34 a.m. CT, “Corcoran appeared awake with his eyes blinking, but otherwise still and silent, at that time. After a brief movement of his left hand and fingers at about 12:37 a.m., Corcoran did not move again. Blinds to the witness room were closed by the prison warden at 12:40 a.m.”
Smith also wrote that despite the numerous advocates trying to have his execution stopped, Corcoran himself “resisted” pursuing opportunities to overturn his death sentence. His defenders claimed that his mental illness, reportedly paranoid schizophrenia, should have made him ineligible for the death sentence. Corcoran’s documented mental health history goes back to when he was 17 years old — a year after his parents were killed, a crime for which he was charged but acquitted.
The final say in Corcoran’s death sentence came from Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb, who declined to intervene. He released a statement after the execution was carried out that said, “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. His sentence has never been overturned and was carried out as ordered by the court.”
Corcoran’s execution was the first one carried out on the state level since 2009. Indiana’s federal prison at Terre Haute has carried out “at least” 13 executions since 2020, per WXIN, a local Fox affiliate.
