An Indiana death row inmate convicted of murdering his brother, his sister's fiancé and their two friends because he thought they were talking about him behind his back is just a day away from execution.
Joseph Edward Corcoran, 49, was convicted of the 1997 quadruple murder in Fort Wayne, Indiana, five years after he was found not guilty of murdering his parents, Jack and Kathryn Corcoran. The four people Corcoran was convicted of killing are: his brother, 30-year-old James Corcoran; his sister's fiancé, 32-year-old Robert Scott Turner; and her two friends, 30-year-old Timothy Bricker and 30-year-old Douglas Stillwell.
If Corcoran's execution moves forward Wednesday, he would be the first inmate executed in Indiana since 2009, according to state records. It will also be the 24th execution in the country this year.
Larry Komp, Corcoran's attorney, told USA TODAY that the four victims were not threats and that he said nothing about his client, who he said was acting in an “irrational and exaggerated manner” due to his then-undiagnosed intellectual disability “Reaction” has shown.
“If Corcoran wasn’t mentally ill, the crimes would never have happened,” Komp said.
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita said in a statement obtained by the Indianapolis Star, part of the USA TODAY Network, “We are doing our duty – on behalf of victims and the law-abiding public – to arrest perpetrators like Joseph Corcoran.” responsible for their terrible actions.”
As Corcoran's execution approaches, USA TODAY looks back at the crime, Corcoran's background and what led him to kill his own family and friends.
More about what Joseph Edward Corcoran was convicted of
According to a 2013 court filing, on July 26, 1997, a 22-year-old Corcoran was lying on his bedroom floor in the home where he lived with his sister and brother in Fort Wayne, Indiana, when he heard men's voices, later explained He told authorities he became upset when he realized the men were talking about him, so he grabbed a semi-automatic rifle and went downstairs to confront them, the document continued.
An enraged Corcoran then shot Jim Corcoran, Scott Turner and Timothy Bricker at point-blank range, the filing said. Doug Stillwell tried to escape, but Corcoran chased him into the kitchen and shot him in the head, the court document said.
According to a 2002 appeals court document, Corcoran was stressed about having to move out of the house after his sister Kelly Ernst married. Jim Corcoran also told his brother that he could no longer move in with him after he moved out, the filing continued.
Corcoran was convicted of murder on May 22, 1999 and sentenced to death on August 26, 1999.
Joseph Edward Corcoran was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 1999
During Corcoran's pre-sentence memorandum, his defense attorneys shared the opinions of two doctors who interviewed the inmate in 1999, court documents show. Doctors diagnosed Corcoran with paranoid schizophrenia, the filing continued.
Although the court expressed “understandable concern” about the diagnosis and agreed that Corcoran was predisposed to being a “loner” or “recluse,” the judge ruled that the inmate's crime outweighed his mental health condition, according to court documents.
After Corocran's conviction and sentence, he initially waived any legal review and said he should be executed, according to the petition against his execution. He later revoked his death sentence and unsuccessfully appealed his death sentence several times.
On behalf of Corcoran, Komp and his other attorneys filed a motion with the Indiana Supreme Court to consider his client's competency, which the court denied on December 5.
The request alleged that Corcoran believed the prison was torturing him with an ultrasound machine that could cause him to “blurt out his innermost thoughts and allow others to read his mind.”
Komp said that Corcoran's irrationality spurred various moves in the case that caused him harm, including rejecting a plea for a life sentence, refusing to immediately appeal his conviction and “seeking his own execution.”
“Corcoran’s paranoid schizophrenia distances him from reality,” the motion states. “He cannot distinguish between reality and his delusions and hallucinations – they are his reality. And because his reality is shaped by his delusions and hallucinations, he is unable to think rationally.”
More about Joseph Edward Corcoran
Corcoran grew up in Hamilton, Indiana with his parents, two sisters and a brother.
During Corcoran's youth, he did not have a good relationship with his parents, who he said were too strict on him, reported the Rochester Sentinel, a newspaper that covered the first trial in 1997. He has also been described as a “loner” with no friends, according to the outlet.
At age 17, Corocran was charged with the double murder of his parents in 1992. Jack and Kathryn Corcoran were found dead in the family's Ball Lake home, shot with a 12-gauge shotgun. According to court documents, their murders remain unsolved.
According to Komp, Corcoran was diagnosed with prodromal schizophrenia in 1992, which represents the earliest stage of the mental disorder and not “full-blown schizophrenia.” Corcoran's family was never informed of his diagnosis, so his condition worsened instead of being treated, the lawyer said, citing previous testimony from one of his sisters who claimed ignorance of the previous diagnosis during his post-conviction hearing knowledge.
Corcoran's schizophrenia led him to soundproof his bedroom because he “heard voices,” Comp said.
After graduating from Hamilton Junior-Senior High School, Corcoran worked as a machine operator in New Haven, Indiana, the Sentinel reported.
Corcoran would be Indiana's first execution in 15 years
Indiana officials have not executed an inmate since Dec. 11, 2009, when Matthew Eric Wrinkles died by lethal injection for the 1994 murders of his estranged wife, her sister and her brother-in-law.
In total, 94 inmates have been executed in Indiana since 1897. After Wrinkles' death, the state went on a 15-year hiatus until Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb decided this year to resume executions in Indiana.
Holcomb and Attorney General Todd Rokita announced in June that they planned to resume executions that began with Corcoran.
“Accordingly, I am fulfilling my duties as governor to follow the law and, in doing so, move forward appropriately,” Holcomb said in a statement.
Death penalty advocates have rallied against Holcomb's decision, including the Indiana Abolition Coalition and death penalty conservatives. They argue that executions are undignified, morally wrong and expensive for taxpayers.
Featuring: Kayla Dwyer and Sarah Nelson/Indianapolis Star
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Indiana plans to execute Joseph Corcoran for quadruple murders
