Corcoran’s wife asks governor to save him INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Joseph Corcoran was executed early Wednesday morning, the Indiana Department of Correction said. Corcoran was convicted and sentenced to death for the 1997 murders of his brother, JamesCorcoran; his sister’s fiancé, Robert Scott Turner; and two of their friends, Timothy Bricker andDouglass Stillwell. Corcoran’s execution started shortly after 12:00 a.m. CST on Wednesday, Dec. 18, at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City. He was pronounced dead at 12:44 a.m. CST Corcoran’s last words were: “Not really. Let’s get this over with.” Tune into News 8 and follow our live blog throughout the day for the latest developments. For a brief summary of the Joseph Corcoran case, scroll to the bottom of the page. NOTE: The times listed in the blog headers are the times which the entries were added. 2:09 a.m.: Indiana officials issue statements Gov. Holcomb issued a statement on Corcoran’s execution: “Joseph Corcoran’s case has been reviewed repeatedly over the last 25 years – including 7 times by the Indiana Supreme Court and 3 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.” Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita issued a statement after Corcoran’s execution: “Early this morning, Indiana conducted its first execution since 2009. Joseph Corcoran’s case worked its way through our judicial system and today he finally paid his debt to society as justice was provided to his victims. “A jury recommended and a judge imposed a sentence of death for the senseless murders of four people. My office fought to defend that sentence and state law every step of the way, and the Indiana Department of Correction carried it out professionally.” 1:59 a.m.: Joseph Corcoran executed This morning, the Indiana Supreme Court’s order for the execution of Joseph Edward Corcoran was carried out shortly after 12:00 a.m. CST on Dec. 18. He was pronounced dead at 12:44 a.m. His last words were: “Not really. Let’s get this over with.” 1:34 a.m.: ISP Troopers leave All of the extra Indiana State Police troopers brought in for security are leaving the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City. 10:28 p.m.: Clergy comes to pray for Corcoran Clergy from the Archdiocese of Gary came to pray to Corcoran. “We live in a very violent culture and the more we feed into that cycle of violence – even through state means – it weakens our culture and numbs us to the loss of life in all it’s forms, so certainly we pray for all victims of violence and we understand that what he did was abhorrent, but at the same time we’re seeking to ensure that his life is preserved at this time,”  said Bishop Robert McClory. 8:00 p.m.: Corcoran’s wife speaks Tahina Corcoran, Joseph Corcoran’s wife, spoke to News 8 on on their final moments. “We talked about our memories. We talked about what is going to take place and we talked about the fact that we both believe in Jesus and that we believe someday we will see each other again,” Tahina said. On Joseph’s mental condition, Tahina said, “He’s in shock. He doesn’t understand.” “Mental illness is real and it’s time that people not only in this country, but every other country, accept it as a true illness,” she said. Once it’s all over, Tahina said, “I just want the Governor to take into consideration that Joseph is very mentally ill. By another person’s death it’s not going to change the past, but it can change the future.” 6:04 p.m.: Corcoran’s last meal Earlier this year, the Indiana Supreme Court issued an order for the execution of Joseph Edward Corcoran to be carried out before the hour of sunrise on Wednesday, December 18.  Joseph Corcoran has requested his last meal: Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. The Indiana Department of Correction’s Chief said a final statement will be released after his execution is carried out. 4:07 p.m.: Attorneys ask US Supreme Court to grant stay of execution Corcoran’s attorneys have filed a request to the US Supreme Court to grant a stay of execution. The appeal goes immediately to Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who would decide whether to reject or refer it to the full court for consideration. Justice Barrett handles emergency requests/matters from the 7th Circuit, which includes Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin.  SCOTUS Corcoran appealDownload 1:25 p.m.: Hearing by full appeals court denied The defense’s request for a hearing by full 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has been denied. No judge requested a vote on the petition for a mental competency hearing, leading to its rejection. The case could still be appealed to the United States Supreme Court. 11:40 a.m.: Appeals court sets deadline in Corcoran case Indiana’s 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has given attorneys on both sides in the Corcoran case until 1 p.m. (2 p.m. EST) to file briefs on whether the court should rehear the appeal or hear it en banc, meaning all members of the Court of Appeals would decide on the case, not just a three-judge panel as the earlier ruling. This decision comes days after attorneys for Joseph Corcoran filed another stay of execution, and on Saturday, filed a motion requesting time for an evidentiary hearing to determine whether Corcoran is mentally competent. If found incompetent, his execution would be unconstitutional. A federal judge on Tuesday rejected both requests, leading to the defense’s retaliatory appeal filed with the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. Brief summary of the Joseph Corcoran case Joseph Corcoran, 49, has been on death row in Indiana since 1999, the year he was convicted in the shootings of his brother, 30-year-old James Corcoran, his sister’s fiancé, 32-year-old Robert Scott Turner, and two other men: Timothy G. Bricker, 30, and Douglas A. Stillwell, 30. On July 26, 1997, Corcoran was at home, a home he shared with his brother and sister in Fort Wayne. Per Murderpedia, he was upstairs when he claims he heard his brother and the three other victims about him. Nineteen inmates have been executed by lethal injection since 1995, and 92 have been executed since the state adopted capital punishment. Corcoran’s execution has been appealed multiple times, his defense attorneys claiming his mental illness should exclude him from execution. Corcoran went downstairs to confront the men, shooting and killing them with a Ruger Mini-14 semi-automatic rifle. Corcoran then “put the rifle down, went to a neighbor’s house, and called the police.” A search of his room and attic “revealed over 30 firearms, several munitions, explosives, guerilla tactic military issue books, and a copy of ‘The Turner Diaries,’ a book considered “explicitly racist and anti-Semitic.” The website also says that Joseph Corcoran in 1992 was accused of fatally shooting his parents because they were “too strict.” A jury, though, was unconvinced, and Corcoran went free. Corcoran, at the time, was 17, and was said to be firmly defended by the brother he would later kill. In 1999, Corcoran went on trial again for the Fort Wayne murders. He pled guilty by reason of insanity based upon his paranoid schizophrenia diagnosis. A Porter County jury found him guilty of four counts of murder in May 1999 and “recommended he be put to death.” His first execution date was July 21, 1999, but a federal judge granted a stay of execution so “the federal court could review decisions made by the state.” This motion would be followed by years of appeals and further stays halting. His attorneys have maintained since his conviction that Corcoran’s mental illness should exclude him from execution. Underscoring Corcoran’s appeals came the state’s struggle to obtain the medication for lethal injections. Nineteen inmates have been executed by lethal injection since 1995, and 92 have been executed since the state adopted capital punishment. The state approved lethal injections as the primary execution method in 1995 Nineteen inmates have been executed by lethal injection since then, and 92 have been executed since the state adopted capital punishment. When the state approved lethal injections, they did not specify which drug to use. Sodium thiopental, at first, served as the “go-to,” but a shortage led to the halt in executions, and Indiana had difficulty finding a new drug to use. In 2014, Indiana announced it would switch to Brevital as part of a three-drug cocktail, but the state ran into many brick walls when pharmaceutical companies refused to sell the drug to the Department of Correction. Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb and Attorney General Todd Rokita announced in June that the state had acquired pentobarbital to carry out the executions and filed Corcoran’s execution date. Corcoran’s attorneys have since filed multiple appeals and requests to block his execution, maintaining that he may not be mentally competent enough. Each request has been denied by the Indiana Supreme Court. Indiana’s last execution was Matthew Eric Wrinkles on Dec. 11, 2009. Wrinkles was sentenced in 1995 for the shooting deaths of his estranged wife, and her brother and his wife in July 1994 in Evansville. Unless overruled by a court, Corcoran’s execution is set for any time between midnight and sunrise Wednesday, Dec. 18, at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City. He will be the state’s first execution in 15 years. Previous coverage Joseph Corcoran set for lethal injection in state’s 1st execution in 15 years Indiana death row inmate Joseph Corcoran files to reopen appeal window in death penalty case Indiana death row inmate’s lawyers say mental illness should preclude him from execution Indiana Supreme Court again clears way for Corcoran execution Corcoran’s attorneys ask federal judge to block execution Corcoran’s defense discusses latest attempt to stay execution Federal judge rejects request to block Corcoran execution, appeal filed to 7th Circuit Court