Joseph Corcoran to be executed for quadruple murder in Indiana's first execution since '09

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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 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 their two friends, 30-year-old Timothy Bricker and 30-year-old Douglas Stillwell.

If Corcoran's execution moves forward on Wednesday, he would become the first inmate to be executed in Indiana since 2009, according to state records. He will also be the 24th execution in the nation this year.

Larry Komp, Corcoran's attorney, told Paste BN that the four victims were not threats and did not say anything about his client, who he says had an "irrational and oversized response" due to his then-undiagnosed mental disability.

"If Corcoran was not mentally ill, the crimes never would have happened," Komp said.

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita said in a statement obtained by the Indianapolis Star, part of the Paste BN Network, saying: "We're doing our duty − on behalf of the victims and the law-abiding public − to hold perpetrators like Joseph Corcoran accountable for their horrific actions.” 

As Corcoran's execution approaches, Paste BN is looking 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

A 22-year-old Corcoran was lying on his bedroom floor in the Fort Wayne, Indiana, home he lived in with his sister and brother on July 26, 1997, when he heard men's voices, according to a court filing from 2013. He later explained to authorities that he became upset once 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 angry Corcoran then shot and killed Jim Corcoran, Scott Turner and Timothy Bricker at close range, according to the filing. Doug Stillwell tried to escape, but Corcoran chased him into the kitchen and shot him in the head, the court document says.

According to an appellate court document from 2002, Corcoran was stressed because he would have had to move out of the home once his sister, Kelly Ernst, got married. Jim Corcoran also told his brother that he could not move in with him once he moved out, the filing continued.

Corcoran was convicted of murder on May 22, 1999, and sentenced to death on Aug. 26, 1999.

Joseph Edward Corcoran diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 1999

During Corcoran's pre-sentencing memorandum, his defense attorneys shared the opinions of two doctors who interviewed the inmate in 1999, according to the court documents. The doctors diagnosed Corcoran as suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, the filing continued.

Despite the court expressing "understandable concern" regarding the diagnosis and agreeing that Corcoran was predisposed to be a "loner" or "hermit," the judge decided that the inmate's crime outweighed his mental health condition, according to the court documents.

After Corocran's conviction and sentence, he initially waived any legal reviews and said he should be put to death, the petition against his execution reads. He later recanted and has unsuccessfully appealed his death sentence numerous times.

On behalf of Corcoran, Komp and his other attorneys filed a request at the Indiana Supreme Court asking them to consider his client's competency, which the court denied on Dec. 5.

The request claimed Corcoran is under the belief that the prison is torturing him with an ultrasound machine that can cause him to "blurt out his innermost thoughts and permit others to read his thoughts."

Komp said that Corcoran's irrationality fueled various steps in the case that did him harm, including rejecting a plea offer of life in prison, refusing to immediately appeal his conviction and "seeking his own execution."

"Corcoran’s paranoid schizophrenia removes him from reality," the request filing says. "He cannot distinguish between reality and his delusions and hallucinations − they are his reality. And because his reality is informed by his delusions and hallucinations, he is incapable of rational thought."

More about Joseph Edward Corcoran

Corcoran grew up in Hamilton, Indiana, with his parents, two sisters and one brother.

Throughout Corcoran's adolescence, he did not have a good relationship with his parents, whom he thought were too strict on him, reported the Rochester Sentinel, a newspaper that covered the initial trial in 1997. He was also described as a "loner" with no friends, according to the outlet.

At age 17, Corocran was indicted for the double murder of his parents in 1992. Jack and Kathryn Corcoran were found killed in the family's Ball Lake home, shot dead with a 12-gauge shotgun. Their murders have still not been solved, according to court documents.

According to Komp, Corcoran was diagnosed with prodromal schizophrenia, which is the earliest stage of the mental disorder and not "full-blown schizophrenia," in 1992. Corcoran's family was never told about his diagnosis, so instead of treating him, his condition worsened, the attorney said after referencing previous testimony from one of his sisters who claimed during his post-conviction hearing to not know about the earlier diagnosis.

Corcoran's schizophrenia led to him soundproofing his bedroom because he was "hearing voices," Komp 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 dating back to 1897. After Wrinkles' death, the state took a 15-year hiatus until this year, when Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb decided to resume executions in Indiana.

Holcomb and Attorney General Todd Rokita announced in June that they intended to bring back executions beginning with Corcoran.

“Accordingly, I am fulfilling my duties as governor to follow the law and move forward appropriately in this manner,” Holcomb said in a statement.

Anti-death penalty advocates have rallied against Holcomb's decision, including the Indiana Abolition Coalition and Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty, who argue that executions are undignified, morally wrong and expensive for taxpayers.

Contributing: Kayla Dwyer & Sarah Nelson/ Indianapolis Star