The state of Indiana in the United States has carried out its first execution in 15 years, putting to death a man, whose lawyers say he was mentally ill, murdering four people in 1997, including his own brother.

Joseph Corcoran, 49, was executed by lethal injection and pronounced dead early Wednesday morning at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City, officials said.

His last words were “Not really. Let’s get this over with,” a statement by the Indiana Department of Correction said.

Corcoran’s lawyers argued in court filings that carrying out the death penalty would violate the Constitution because he had long suffered from paranoid schizophrenia, including experiencing hallucinations and delusions, making him unable to understand the severity of his crimes.

Corcoran’s “longstanding and documented mental illness continues to torment him as it did at the time of the 1997 offence,” his legal team said.

His lawyer, Larry Komp, said the question of Corcoran’s mental health was never properly evaluated.

“There has never been a hearing to determine whether he is competent to be executed,” he said in a statement to The Associated Press. “It is an absolute failure for the rule of law to have an execution when the law and proper processes were not followed.”

More than two dozen people were gathered outside the prison before his execution to protest and pray, according to the Indy Star newspaper.

The state provided limited details about the execution process, and no media witnesses were permitted under state law. However, Corcoran chose a reporter for the Indiana Capital Chronicle as one of his witnesses, the outlet’s editor posted on X early Wednesday.

Indiana and Wyoming are the only two states that do not allow members of the media to witness state executions, according to a recent report by the Death Penalty Information Center.

Corcoran was going through a stressful period in July 1997 because the upcoming marriage of his sister meant he would have to move out of the home he was sharing with her and his brother in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

After he overheard his brother, James Corcoran, 30, talking about him, he loaded his rifle and shot his brother and three other men, including his sister’s fiance, according to court filings.

Corcoran had previously been acquitted of the murders of his parents, who were found shot dead in their home in 1992.

“Serves no purpose”

Corcoran’s sister, Kelly Ernst, sought to stop the execution, saying she had forgiven him.

“I believe that the death penalty does not address grief or provide true justice especially for victims, and those with mental illness,” she wrote on December 2 on Facebook.

“Instead, it is a lengthy, costly and political process,” she added. “I believe his execution serves no purpose.”

Corcoran’s execution is the 24th in the United States this year. Indiana paused executions in 2009 because it was unable to obtain the necessary drugs, with pharmaceutical companies reluctant to be associated with capital punishment.

But Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb and Attorney General Todd Rokita, both Republicans, announced earlier this year that the state had acquired the drug – pentobarbital – and that executions would resume, beginning with Corcoran’s.

Corcoran sent a letter last month to the Indiana Supreme Court, saying he no longer wanted to litigate his case.

His lawyers nonetheless filed an emergency appeal to the US Supreme Court on Tuesday to stay the execution, which was ultimately rejected.

“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 US Supreme Court, the most recent of which was tonight,” Holcomb said in a news release after the execution was completed.

Rokita also issued a statement, saying Corcoran “finally paid his debt to society as justice was provided to his victims”.

The death penalty has been abolished in 23 of the 50 US states, while six others – Arizona, California, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Tennessee – have moratoriums in place.

An umbrella and a moderately warm jacket are what Hoosiers might want to keep on hand over the next three months. Meteorologists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are predicting Indiana’s winter to be wetter than average.

The most recent seasonal outlook map by NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center shows several Midwest states now have equal chances for both above and below average temperatures January throughout March of 2025. The agency updated its predictions last week, saying La Niña conditions have a 59% chance of emerging this winter.

Here’s what that means for Hoosiers living in Indiana.

What is La Niña?

La Niña is a natural climate pattern in which the ocean’s seawater cools in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean, according to the National Weather Service. It occurs normally every 3-5 years and can have a significant impact on the weather, such as worsening the Atlantic hurricane season.

How does La Niña impact winter?

Changes in the ocean’s temperature can affect tropical rainfall patterns, which in turn can impact weather all over the world. These effects, writes NWS, are more acute during the winter months when the jet stream is strongest over the United States, which causes colder and stormier than average conditions across the North and warmer, less stormier conditions in the south.

What does La Niña mean for the Midwest?

Historically for the Midwest, La Niña conditions usually create fall weather that’s warmer and drier than normal while winters tend to be wetter than average, according to NWS. This year Indianapolis experienced its third warmest fall on record, according to records kept by NWS, with the highest recorded temperature in 2024 set on Sept. 21 at 94 degrees. Winter for Central Indiana, as a result, could follow historical trends of getting more precipitation than average January through March 2025.

When is the first day of winter?

The first day of winter is Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, also known as the winter solstice for the northern hemisphere.

What’s the NOAA forecast for Indiana this winter?

Indiana is forecast to have a wet winter this year, according to NOAA. Areas in Central Indiana stretching as far north as Fort Wayne have a 50–60% higher chance of above-normal precipitation. The odds of Evansville and places along Indiana’s southern edge near Louisville are leaning toward a 40–50% greater chance of more precipitation than average this winter.

Records kept by NWS show the average total rainfall from January through March in Indianapolis equaled 9.24 inches.

How cold will Indiana get this winter? Here’s what NOAA says…

Indiana has an equal chance of seeing above or below normal temperatures during the first three months of 2025, according to a seasonal outlook map updated by NOAA on Nov. 21. An earlier prediction showed Indiana leaning toward above-normal temperatures.

The average daily high in Indianapolis, according to NWS, is 36 in January; 41 in February; and 52 in March. Lows during those three months average in the low 20s to low 30s

Warmer than normal temperatures are possible over large swaths of the U.S., according to NWS, in part because of the lowered seawater temperatures of La Niña. The map is valid from January to March 2025.

Winter in Indiana: Winter solstice is the shortest day of the year. Here’s how much daylight Indiana gets.

What do the Farmers’ almanacs predict for winter in the Midwest?

A winter prediction by the Old Farmer’s Almanac forecasts the Hoosier state would have snowy, cold conditions in the southern half of the state with cold, drier weather in northern Indiana.

Meanwhile, the Farmer’s Almanac predicts the Great Lakes, Ohio Valley and Midwest region (Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin) can expect a “big freeze” in January with “very, very cold conditions.”

Hoosiers might want to keep in mind the almanacs’ long-range predictions are sometimes little better than a coin flip. One study cited by Popular Mechanics reported the Farmer’s Almanac was right about 52% of the time.

Story continues after photo gallery.

When will winter end?

Winter lasts from Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in the northern hemisphere until Thursday, March 20, 2025, when the vernal equinox will mark the beginning of spring.

What are the dates for the four seasons in 2025?

• Spring: March 20, 2025 (vernal equinox)
• Summer: June 20, 2025 (summer solstice).
• Fall: Sept. 22, 2025 (autumnal equinox).
• Winter: Dec. 21, 2025 (winter solstice).

More forecasts: Old Farmer’s Almanac says to keep your flip-flops out for fall. Unless you live in Indiana

John Tufts covers trending news for IndyStar and Midwest Connect. Send him a news tip at JTufts@Gannett.com. Find him on BlueSky at JohnWritesStuff.

Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., announced Monday she won’t take any committee positions or caucus with Republicans in the upcoming congressional term but instead would prefer to spend her time working with the quasi-governmental panel Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy are planning to lead, the so-called Department of Government Efficiency.

“I will stay as a registered Republican but will not sit on committees or participate in the caucus until I see that Republican leadership in Congress is governing,” Spartz wrote on X, after Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., told Ramaswamy to “Count me in !”

“I do not need to be involved in circuses,” Spartz added. “I would rather spend more of my time helping @DOGE and @RepThomasMassie to save our Republic, as was mandated by the American people.”

Her post followed another in which she claimed Republicans must make the $2 trillion in deep spending cuts demanded by Musk, cuts that he has admitted are likely to impose “hardship” on Americans. She also released a statement that talked about “helping President Trump, his appointees and DOGE to deliver on their promises through reconciliation.”

One wonders how Spartz’s decision could affect the GOP’s already-slim House majority in the coming term and whether her refusal to cooperate might create any additional headaches for House Speaker Mike Johnson. (Politico, citing two anonymous sources “with direct knowledge of the matter,” reported that Spartz’s decision may have been a consequence of her not securing the committee position she was after.)

At any rate, this does seem mostly like a boon for the appearance of legitimacy for Musk and Ramaswamy’s group. There’s also no reason to assume the Department of Government Efficiency will be any less circuslike than the GOP-led Congress. Even if the Republican caucus is a circus, that’s the circus that Spartz’s voters elected her to serve in.

But her decision aligns with my theory that Trump and his allies in Washington are devising ways to minimize Congress’ authority and diminish its reputation so executives Trump puts in charge can make all the important decisions.

One can see signs of this in Musk and Ramaswamy’s insistence that Trump can use impoundment to withhold funds authorized by Congress for expenditure. And in the conservatives’ push for Trump to use recess appointments to circumvent the Senate’s duty to confirm his Cabinet picks. I think Spartz’s announcement is yet another way MAGA allies are working to shift power from Congress to Trump and his inner circle in the executive branch.