Indiana prison staffers, the condemned man’s friends and family members, and the victims’ family members may witness the state’s first execution since 2009. It’s likely that no independent witnesses will be included.
Joseph Corcoran, who killed four people in 1997, is scheduled to be executed Dec. 18. It would be the state’s first time killing a prisoner with pentobarbital instead of a traditional three-drug cocktail. Public information on how it goes will come exclusively from the Department of Correction because Indiana law doesn’t allow for media or other independent witnesses, reports the Indiana Capital Chronicle. There were 13 federal executions during the last six months of Donald Trump’s first presidential term and reporters were allowed to witness them.