Indiana
What is pentobarbital? More questions than answers surround Indiana's new execution drug. • Indiana Capital Chronicle
After state officials announced last week that Indiana will resume executions for the first time in over a decade, secrecy largely shrouds the new drug, pentobarbital, acquired for the impending lethal injections.
The one-drug method is a departure from the state’s protocol used since 1995, involving a series of three chemicals.
Although no state-level executions in Indiana have used pentobarbital before, 13 federal executions carried out at the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute have been carried out with the drug. Fourteen states have used pentobarbital in executions, too.
But state and federal officials alike have remained closed-lipped about where pentobarbital is sourced from and how much it costs. Also still unknown is the amount Indiana has acquired and when the current doses expire.
Robin Maher, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC), a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C. that tracks state and federal executions, said it’s also critical for the public to know who will be administering the drug — and how — as well as what training those individuals will receive.
“These are the hard questions that have to be asked,” Maher told the Indiana Capital Chronicle. “This is an official government function, and in a democracy, we value honesty and transparency in our government officials and the acts they do on our behalf. This is absolutely one of those official acts, and voters in Indiana deserve to know what their government is doing in their name.”
What is pentobarbital?
The Hoosier state has carried out 20 executions since 1981. The first three — in 1981, 1985 and 1994 — were by electrocution. The rest have been by lethal injection — which is now the only method permitted by state law.
The Indiana Code doesn’t specify what drugs are to be used for executions, saying only that the drugs must be injected intravenously in a quantity and for an amount of time sufficient to kill the inmate.
Previously, when a prisoner was executed by lethal injection in Indiana, they were strapped to a gurney, and an IV line was inserted to inject a lethal combination of three substances: a barbiturate to render the person unconscious; pancuronium bromide to paralyze voluntary and reflex muscles; and potassium chloride to stop the heart.
But after Indiana’s last execution in 2009, the state was effectively forced to pause. Increased scrutiny of lethal injection drugs led pharmaceutical companies to refuse to sell their products for use in executions. Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb said that made acquiring the necessary drugs “harder to get.”
It wasn’t until last week that the governor, along with Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, announced that the state’s Department of Correction has obtained the pentobarbital to carry out the death penalty.
The state is so far seeking an execution date for Joseph Corcoran, a man convicted in the killings of four people in Fort Wayne in 1997. There are currently eight men on Indiana’s death row, including Corcoran. No one has been added to the state’s death row since 2014.
In the one-drug executions, a prisoner is injected with an overdose of pentobarbital. The new drug, which Maher described as a sedative, has commonly been used to euthanize pets.
“It’s a barbiturate that explodes the activity of the brain and the nervous system and breathing,” she said. “When you’re given an overdose of that, it will ultimately suppress breath and kill you.”
Pentobarbital was first introduced in 2010, according to the DPIC.
So far, 14 states have used the drug in executions: Alabama, Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas and Virginia. Five additional states — Kentucky, Louisiana, Montana, North Carolina and Tennessee — additionally plan to use pentobarbital. Colorado includes pentobarbital as a backup drug in its lethal-injection procedure.
The same drug was also used for the 13 federal executions during the last six months of Donald Trump’s presidency.
In 2019, former U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr approved the use of pentobarbital in executions, though President Joe Biden’s Justice Department announced a moratorium on federal executions in 2021.
A first-time method in Indiana
Whether Indiana uses pentobarbital or other drugs for executions, Maher said there are still concerns about what could go wrong.
She noted that lethal injections have the highest rate of botched executions, which occur when there is a breakdown in — or departure from — the “protocol” for a particular method of execution.
The DPIC describes at least two botched executions that have occurred in Indiana.
In October 1985, it took 17 minutes to execute William Vandiver. Still breathing after the first application of 2,300 volts, four more bursts of electricity were fired into him before he was pronounced dead, according to media reports from that time. The Indiana Department of Corrections admitted the execution “did not go according to plan.”
Tommie Smith, who died by lethal Injection in July 1996, also had a prolonged execution, according to the DPIC. Because of unusually small veins, it took more than an hour after the execution team began sticking needles into his body for Smith to be pronounced dead. After multiple attempts, the lethal drugs were finally injected into Smith 49 minutes after the process began. It took another 20 minutes before he was pronounced dead.
Holcomb defends Indiana’s move to carry out execution, saying ‘justice will be served’
Maher said many of the documented botched executions in recent years have occurred because the drugs being used had expired, were contaminated, or they were administered “incorrectly.”
“There are a number of ways that the executions can go wrong, and it doesn’t only have to do with the kind of drug that is used,” she said, noting, for example, that if pentobarbital isn’t stored at a proper temperature, the drug can expire and should not be used.
When asked where DOC acquired the drug — pentobarbital, which can be used to carry out executions – and how much the state paid, Holcomb said he “can’t go into those details, by law.”
Lawmakers made information about the source of the drugs confidential on the last day of the 2017 legislative session.
Indiana Capital Chronicle has filed an official records request seeking the cost of the drugs.
“States have been hiding this information behind secrecy statutes in an effort to avoid answering difficult questions about their execution protocols. These are elected officials. They are using government funding, and they are saying they are conducting an official function,” Maher said. “And all of that means they should be honest and transparent about what they’re doing and why. The fact that they have shrouded everything in secrecy in an attempt to avoid answering these questions is not something that we should simply be accepting.”
Recent reporting by The Intercept and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver identified Connecticut-based Absolute Standards as the source of the pentobarbital used in 13 federal executions in 2020 and 2021. Reporting did not confirm if the company also supplied to specific states, including Indiana.
Absolute Standards produces materials for calibrating research equipment, but in 2018, it applied to the Drug Enforcement Administration to be registered as a bulk producer of pentobarbital. The company has since indicated this week that it will no longer produce the drug.
Maher further pointed to Idaho, which reportedly spent $100,000 earlier this year to purchase three doses of pentobarbital, the drug used in lethal injections. It’s not clear if that’s the same quantity purchased or price paid by Indiana, however.
Need to get in touch?
Have a news tip?
“What officials have said … is that they do not want to have people who are involved in the execution process — for manufacturers of a drug — to be harassed by advocates. But there are almost no real life examples of that happening unless we characterize criticism as harassment, which I don’t think we should in a democracy,” Maher said. “People who are critical of decisions the state is making, in terms of where they are finding their drugs and how they are choosing to administer them, that’s part of being a public official. Responding to those questions from your constituents — that’s part of being a public official. That comes with the territory, and there is no justifiable reason for them to avoid answering those questions.”
The Indiana Public Defender’s Office, which is providing Corcoran with legal counsel, did not reply to the Capital Chonicle’s requests for comment about pentobarbital or the impending execution.
Larry Komp, a federal defender for Corcoran, said the legal team is still seeking clarity on the state’s lethal injection protocol.
Groups are starting to come out against Indiana’s move, including the Libertarian Party of Indiana.
“A government whose primary function is to protect life should not be in the business of ending it, especially given the United States Constitution protects the accused from cruel and unusual punishment. There is no more cruel punishment than putting someone to death,” the party said in a statement. “The state, simply put, should not be killing its citizens. The Libertarian Party of Indiana calls upon Governor Holcomb and the State of Indiana to halt all planned executions and, furthermore, upon the General Assembly to ban the use of the death penalty in Indiana.”
SOUTH BEND, IN (WSBT) — On Friday, December 5th, the new Indiana Congressional Redistricting Map passed the Indiana House of Representatives, sending it to the Indiana State Senate.
Indiana University South Bend Political Science Professor, Elizabeth Bennion, said that some communities could potentially be split by the new potential lines.
This could put a strain on on local and county governments to place new voter precincts to fit the new districts.
According to Bennion, the lines were drawn using a super computer that was coded to give Republicans the best opportunity to win all 9 of Indiana’s House of Representative seats.
“One of the things we know about how this map is determined is that super computers are being used to Get as many GOP districts as possible. In other words to try to get as many safe seats for Republican candidates as possible to maximize the likelihood that the GOP will hold all of the seats in the US congressional delegation for the state of Indiana,” said Bennion.
BE THE FIRST TO COMMENT
The State Senate will meet on Monday and will discuss the proposed map.
College football Power Four title picks and top Group of Five contender
Before the Snap looks at who’s poised to win the Power Four leagues and which Group of Five program could emerge as the top contender.
It’s No. 1 vs. No. 2 in the Big Ten Championship game. It’s familiar territory for top-ranked Ohio State. But this is new ground for the “home” team as No. 2 Indiana looks to make history Saturday night at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
The winner is the College Football Playoff’s top seed and the loser should still finish in the top four, especially if the game is competitive. (And especially if the loser is Ohio State.) Think of this matchup as a barometer for both teams heading into the postseason.
Saturday’s title game could also help decide the Heisman Trophy as Buckeyes QB Julian Sayin and Hoosiers QB Fernando Mendoza are both among the favorites heading into the final weekend before Heisman votes cast their ballots.
Here’s what you need to know about the game and who we think will win:
Big Ten Championship game: Ohio State vs Indiana
- Records: Ohio State (12-0), Indiana (12-0)
- Time/TV: Saturday, 8 p.m., FOX
- Where: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis
Big Ten Championship game predictions
- Ohio State 27, Indiana 17: Curt Cignetti’s offense feasts on most Big Ten defenses. This is not your ordinary Big Ten defense, though. The Buckeyes keep winning with an anaconda defense that suffocates opponents. Pair that with steady-handed quarterback Julian Sayin and the best receiving corps in the country, and you get the nation’s most complete team. I’ve been on the Buckeyes to win the national championship since August. I’m not fading them now. — Blake Toppmeyer
- Indiana 27, Ohio State 24: I just can’t get over what the Ohio State defense has faced, instead of what it has done. Who have the Buckeyes played this season that could actually stress their defense? Texas? In Arch Manning’s first start? Washington? Illinois? Come on. The Hoosiers will be a completely different animal, a multiple offense with an accurate quarterback who can make every throw — and scramble and get critical yards. One more thing: Hoosiers have 34 sacks and have forced 24 turnovers. The defense will get enough stops, and Indiana will be the No.1 seed in the CFP. — Matt Hayes
- Ohio State 34, Indiana 16: Ohio State’s historically good defense is going to be tested by Indiana and possible Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza. This is a group with no weak links, nearly unmatched depth and all-everything talent such as safety Caleb Downs, who might be the best pound-for-pound player in college football. The Buckeyes are on a collision course for a repeat national title and won’t be tripped up even by the mighty Hoosiers. — Paul Myerberg
Big Ten Championship game betting odds
Odds via BetMGM, as of Dec. 5.
- Spread: Ohio State (-4)
- Over/under: 47.5
- Moneyline: Ohio State (-200)
LAKE STATION, Ind. – Indiana State Police announced that charges have been dropped in the heat-exhaustion deaths of eight dogs discovered in a box truck last summer.
What we know:
A verdict was reached Thursday in the case involving the July 27, 2023, incident in Lake Station, Indiana, according to ISP.
Police said the box truck, allegedly unventilated, was transporting the dogs from O’Hare International Airport to a K-9 training facility in Michigan.
“The Indiana State Police respects the role of the judiciary and the legal process; however, we are disappointed in the court’s recent decision to dismiss the charges in this case. Our detectives dedicated significant time and effort into this investigation, following the evidence, to present a thorough and accurate case for prosecution. We believe the charges filed by the Lake County Prosecutor’s Office appropriately reflected the seriousness of the alleged conduct. The Indiana State Police will continue to work tirelessly to investigate crimes, support victims, and bring forward cases based on facts and evidence, regardless of the ultimate legal outcome,” ISP said in a statement.
According to state police, multiple animal-cruelty charges had been filed against the two suspects, Michael McHendry and Jessie Urbinski.
The truck driver, who was representing a Michigan dog-training company reportedly known as FMK9, was allegedly allowed by Lake Station police to refuse help from Hobart Humane Society workers. Responders said they arrived quickly and attempted to provide first aid to the dogs.
PETA also issued a statement condemning the court’s decision.
“No amount of deference to the police and its contractors can undo the prolonged suffering these dogs endured, baking to death and desperate to escape cages as their organs shut down in the suffocating heat of an unventilated truck. But the system’s utter failure to hold the dogs’ “owner” accountable in some small way for the hell he put them through serves as another example of why the time is now for law-enforcement agencies to phase out the use of K9s,” PETA said.
No additional details on the case or the court’s ruling have been released.
Indiana prosecutor requests investigation into heat exhaustion deaths of 8 dogs in box truck
The Source: The information in this story was provided by the Indiana State Police and previous FOX 32 reporting.
Iowa State basketball, Tamin Lipsey, Dom Nelson pregame update
HC Mark Pope on Kentucky Fans Booing During Gonzaga Blowout: ‘Well-Deserved’
Two fugitives on the run after brazen Louisiana jailbreak
Maine’s zoning maze shows us reform can’t wait | Opinion
Soft-on-crime ex-NYC, Maryland jail honcho helping Zohran Mamdani reshape services for criminals
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Video: ‘It Didn’t Have to Happen This Way:’ U.Va. Faculty Call for Review of Police Response to Protests
A 3-D Look at Trump’s Proposed White House Ballroom
‘Another D-Day’: Biden once urged ‘international strike force’ on narco-terrorists as Dems now blast Trump
EU members seek fewer ‘Solidarity Pool’ relocations of asylum seekers
West Virginians question National Guard deployments after attack on 2 of their own
ICE arrests Azerbaijan national with multiple criminal convictions including animal cruelty, arson
-
Politics4 days agoTrump rips Somali community as federal agents reportedly eye Minnesota enforcement sweep
-
Technology1 week agoNew scam sends fake Microsoft 365 login pages
-
News4 days agoTrump threatens strikes on any country he claims makes drugs for US
-
Ohio2 days agoWho do the Ohio State Buckeyes hire as the next offensive coordinator?
-
World4 days agoHonduras election council member accuses colleague of ‘intimidation’
-
Politics1 week agoRep. Swalwell’s suit alleges abuse of power, adds to scrutiny of Trump official’s mortgage probes
-
News1 week ago2 National Guard members wounded in ‘targeted’ attack in D.C., authorities say
-
World1 week agoTrump yanks G20 invitation from South Africa over false genocide claims