Indiana Man Killed 4 People—His Lawyers Now Say He's Too Sick to be Executed

The attorneys of an Indiana man Joseph Corcoran – who killed four men including his brother in 2007 – claimed that he is too mentally ill for the death penalty .

Knewz.com has learned that these claims follow an announcement by the state that it had acquired the drug needed to proceed with executions—a practice that has been halted since 2009.

Corcoran’s lawyers claim that the death row inmate believes his wardens are targeting him with ultrasonic weapons and that he has conversations with people who are not there. Corcoran also allegedly believes that he has a speech impediment.

Based on the latter, his legal team referred to the inmate’s 1997 quadruple murder of his brother James, his brother’s two friends Timothy Bricker and Doug Stillwell, and his sister’s fiancé, Robert Turner, claiming that the murders “had its roots in mental illness ”

Leading up to his crime, the 49-year-old placed his seven-year-old niece in her upstairs bedroom so that she was far from what he was about to do, loaded his semi-automatic rifle, confronted the four for speaking about him, and opened fire on them.

Stillwell made it from the downstairs sitting room into the kitchen in his bid to get away but was cornered and killed.

According to reports , after the murders Corcoran went across to the neighbors and asked them to call the police .

“Mr. Corcoran is a person with a serious mental illness,” the condemned man’s legal team insisted.

Be that as it may, Indiana has no laws in place preventing the execution of mentally ill criminals .

Noting this, the statement by Corcoran’s lawyers said: “Ohio and Kentucky, the only other two death penalty states around Indiana, have taken the pro-life position of not executing those people suffering from serious mental illnesses.”

“Our filing simply suggests Indiana should consider doing the same.”

This request was triggered by the state’s acquisition of pentobarbital which is a sedative commonly used to euthanize pets.

As a result, Republican Attorney General Todd Rokita has requested the state’s Supreme Court to set an execution date for Corcoran’s death.

“Today, I am filing a motion asking the Indiana Supreme Court to set a date for the execution of Joseph Corcoran,”  he announced .

Rokita justified his request saying: “In Indiana, state law authorizes the death penalty as a means of providing justice for victims of society’s most heinous crimes and holding perpetrators accountable.”

“Further, it serves as an effective deterrent for certain potential offenders who might otherwise commit similar extreme crimes of violence.”

“Now that the Indiana Department of Correction is prepared to carry out the lawfully imposed sentence, it’s incumbent on our justice system to immediately enable executions in our prisons to resume.”

Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb has also weighed in on the matter saying:

“After years of effort, the Indiana Department of Correction has acquired a drug — pentobarbital — which can be used to carry out executions .”

“Accordingly, I am fulfilling my duties as governor to follow the law and move forward appropriately in this matter.”

Cocoran is one of eight inmates on Alabama’s death row awaiting execution.