Inside the death chamber at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City. (Photo provided by the Indiana Department of Correction)
Amid a surge of executions being carried out across the country, Indiana’s first death row inmate in more than a decade is scheduled to meet the same fate before the end of the year, barring a final act of clemency at the discretion of Gov. Eric Holcomb.
Joseph Corcoran, who killed four people in 1997, was ordered by the Indiana Supreme Court last month to be executed Dec. 18 .
Although Corcoran’s attorneys have argued that he should be spared due to his mental illness, the state’s high court upheld the sentence, just as multiple state and federal courts have done, as well.
Larry Komp, lead attorney for 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.