Midwest
Indiana to carry out first state execution in 15 years
A man who killed four people including his brother in 1997 will be put to death in Indiana – the state’s first execution in 15 years.
Joseph Corcoran, 49, was on death row since his 1999 conviction and, despite late appeals on the grounds that he was severely mentally ill, is set to be executed Wednesday by lethal injection at Indiana State Prison.
Corcoran fatally shot his brother James Corcoran, 30, his sister’s fiancé Robert Scott Turner, 32, and two other 30-year-old men, Timothy G. Bricker and Douglas A. Stillwell, inside his family home in Fort Wayne on July 26, 1997.
Joseph Corcoran is led to the City-County Lockup on Aug. 26, 1999, in Fort Wayne, Ind., after being sentenced to death in the slayings of four people in July 1997. (Matt Sullivan/The Journal-Gazette via AP)
INDIANA SEEKS TO CARRY OUT FIRST EXECUTION IN 15 YEARS AFTER OBTAINING LETHAL INJECTION DRUG
Five years earlier, he was acquitted in the shooting death of his parents after the jury found insufficient evidence to convict him.
Indiana’s last state execution was in 2009 when Matthew Wrinkles was put to death for killing his wife, her brother and sister-in-law in 1994. Thirteen executions have been carried out in Indiana since Wrinkle’s execution, but those were initiated and performed by federal officials in 2020 and 2021 at a federal prison.
Since Wrinkles was put to death, the state suspended state executions because a combination of drugs used in lethal injections had become unavailable. There has been a years-long nationwide shortage because pharmaceutical companies — particularly in Europe, where opposition to capital punishment is strongest — have refused to sell their products for that purpose.
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb, a Republican, announced in June that Corcoran’s execution was to go ahead after the state acquired a drug — pentobarbital — which can be used to carry out executions and is used by multiple states in lethal injections.
Joseph Corcoran pictured in prison. (Indiana Department of Corrections via AP)
Corcoran was being held at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City.
Corcoran’s attorneys had fought his death sentence for years, arguing that Corcoran was severely mentally ill, which affected his ability to understand and make decisions. Corcoran exhausted his federal appeals in 2016. Earlier this month, his attorneys asked the Indiana Supreme Court to stop his execution but the request was denied.
OKLAHOMA DEATH ROW INMATE EXECUTED FOR DOUBLE KILLING AFTER 3 LAST WORDS
His attorneys felt that the denial gave some bit of hope to stave off the execution as the justices were split 3-2.
“Given that it is a close case, it shouldn’t be rushed through,” defense attorney Larry Komp said previously. “He’s so extremely mentally ill. We think he’s irrational. We’ve never had a fair process.”
Corcoran wrote the justices a handwritten affidavit this month saying he was done litigating his case, although his attorneys said it was a sign of his mental illness, per the Associated Press.
“I am guilty of the crime I was convicted of, and accept the findings of all the appellate courts,” Corcoran wrote.
Corcoran fatally shot the four victims as he was under stress because the forthcoming marriage of his sister to Turner would necessitate moving out of the Fort Wayne home he shared with his brother and sister, according to court records.
He awoke to hear his brother and others downstairs talking about him, loaded his rifle and then shot all four men, records say.
After the shootings, Corcoran asked a neighbor across the street to call the police. When they arrived, Corcoran told them, “You might as well just arrest me,” per the Tampa Bay Times.
While jailed, Corcoran reportedly bragged about fatally shooting his parents.
One of Corcoran’s sisters, Kelly Ernst, said she believes the death penalty should be abolished and that her brother’s execution won’t solve or change anything.
She criticized the execution for taking place so close to Christmas.
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb speaks at the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Jan. 8, 2024, in Indianapolis. Holcomb announced in June that Corcoran’s execution was to go ahead after the state acquired a drug — pentobarbital (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)
“I’m at a loss for words. I’m just really upset that they’re doing it close to Christmas,” she said. “My sister and I, our birthdays are in December. I mean, it just feels like it’s going to ruin Christmas for the rest of our lives. That’s just what it feels like.”
Earlier this year, Alabama became the first state to use nitrogen gas for an execution when it carried out the death penalty for convicted killer Kenneth Smith.
The execution method, which has been criticized for being inhumane and a form of torture, killed Smith after he appeared to shake and writhe on the gurney, sometimes pulling against the restraints before several minutes of heavy breathing until breathing was no longer perceptible.
Fox News’ Landon Mion and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Read the full article from Here
ROCHESTER, Minn. (FOX 9) – A man from Illinois is facing felony charges after police say he took part in a scheme that convinced a Rochester resident to hand over thousands of dollars in cash and nearly fell for a gold bar handoff.
Rochester phone scam
What we know:
According to a criminal complaint filed in Olmsted County District Court, police say the victim was contacted by phone and told he was under investigation for a crime. The caller convinced him to deliver $30,000 in cash to a man he met in person on June 17, 2026.
The victim was then pressured to arrange a second delivery — this time, 10 one-ounce gold bars — on June 23, 2026. Detectives worked with the victim to set up a controlled delivery using fake gold bars and a GPS tracker.
Charges state that the plan was for the victim to meet whoever arrived to pick up the package, while officers watched nearby. Surveillance officers saw a white SUV with Illinois plates circling the parking lot at 2711 Commerce Drive NW in Rochester.
The complaint states a man, later identified as Kiranbhai Kanubhai Vasava, got out, met the victim, gave the password and took the package. Officers followed the car as it left the scene. Detectives stop suspects and recover cash
Why you should care:
Police stopped the SUV near Eyota and searched it, finding $50,000 in cash, several cell phones, bank checks with Vasava’s name, and packaging materials similar to those used for the fake gold bars. The package with the GPS tracker and fake gold was missing, but officers later found the GPS device torn apart on the side of the highway.
The second man in the car, Hemendrasinh Pravinsinh Dabhi, told police he got a call from India about a package but claimed he knew nothing about it, saying, “he just drives.” Vasava also denied knowing what was happening.
Kiranbhai Vasava linked to Wisconsin case
The backstory:
The complaint states detectives linked Vasava to another similar case in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, where a bank customer was convinced to hand over $50,000 in cash to a driver in a white Honda SUV. Video from that incident showed Vasava receiving the package.
Police say this type of swindle involves convincing victims they are under investigation and must pay money or hand over valuables to clear their name. Detectives say the investigation involved coordination between local police and law enforcement in Wisconsin.
The Source: Criminal charges filed in Olmsted County Court.
KOSCIUSKO COUNTY, Ind. (WSBT) — It’s fair season and a new law uncorks adult beverage sales!
The new Indiana law will go into effect July 1st, making it legal to sell alcohol at county fairs.
The Kosciusko County Fair is set to kick off in just a few weeks and Indiana is officially allowing alcohol to be sold.
The law is bringing back something that’s not necessarily new to this fair.
Here’s what you need to know
The new law will go into effect on July 1st. It officially allows county fairs to apply for fee-free permits to sell alcohol.
Officials with the Kosciusko County Fair say they are participating this year. They are implementing the same guidelines they used when they sold alcohol just at grandstand events.
The difference now is, you can walk around the grounds with your drink. But strict guidelines will be in place for purchasing a drink.
“Actually, we’ve never had any issues. Because we card everybody, so we take that seriously. We also got the ID guides so we can identify the different types of IDs,” said Sheal Dirck, Treasurer of Kosciusko County Fair.
The Kosciusko County Fair already have guidelines in place, so this was an easy transition for the fair.
They will be the only vendors selling alcohol, which will make it easier to control distribution.
The sales will also bring in more revenue.
“Hopefully it allows to keep our ticket prices where they are because right now, insurance, utilities and everything else is going sky high and it’s hard to make ends meet,” said Dirck.
However, some fairs cannot participate because of the July 1st start date, like the Pulaski County Fair, which is going on right now. Pulaski County officials said it is on the agenda for next year. Whereas other fairs are choosing to sit this year out.
“We wanted not spend some time to, to see what that really means for us. It was not a decision we wanted to rush into. But we are happy for the option of it,” said Shelly Steury, GM of Elkhart County 4H Fairgrounds.
Leaders at the St. Joseph County and Elkhart County Fairs said neither of them are selling alcohol.
The Kosciusko County Fair is the only fair that will sell alcohol in our area this year.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) -Water and wastewater utility rates in Iowa City will increase starting July 1, following a city council decision on May 19.
The water utility rate will increase by 3%, while the wastewater rate will increase by 5%.
The increases are part of a funding model to help recover the costs of providing water and wastewater services to Iowa City residents.
The new rates will take effect in tandem with Iowa City’s 2027 fiscal year and apply to customers served by the Iowa City Water Division and the Iowa City Wastewater Division.
The city said the rate adjustment supports its continued provision of safe and reliable water service.
To learn more about the city’s utilities, visit their website.
Copyright 2026 KCRG. All rights reserved.
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