FROM INDIANA PUBLIC  BROADCASTING

Some faith leaders across Indiana are calling on Governor Eric Holcomb to halt next week’s planned execution of Joseph Corcoran, convicted in 1997 of four murders in Fort Wayne.

On Thursday, 70 clergy members delivered a letter to Holcomb’s office at the statehouse, urging clemency and expressing general opposition to resuming executions. Indiana’s last execution occurred in 2009.

David Frank, president of the Indiana Abolition Coalition, emphasized a shared belief in the dignity of life. “This can’t happen,” he said.

Corcoran’s attorneys argue he is incompetent to be executed, citing a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia. They have also requested a federal ruling to allow him physical contact with a spiritual advisor during the execution.

Attorney General Todd Rokita has successfully defended the execution plan in state courts. Corcoran’s execution is scheduled for early Wednesday at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City.