FROM INDIANA PUBLIC BROADCASTING

Death penalty opponents are calling on Governor Eric Holcomb to halt the planned execution of an Indiana prisoner, the first in 15 years.

Faith leaders rallied Sunday at the Indiana Statehouse, asking for clemency for Joseph Corcoran, who is scheduled for lethal injection next month. Corcoran was convicted of murdering four people in Fort Wayne in 1997.

Corcoran’s legal team and supporters argue that his diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia makes the execution inappropriate. Critics also question the state’s focus on executions, highlighting the need for increased investment in mental health services.

Corcoran’s execution is set for December 18 at the Indiana State Prison. Governor Holcomb previously announced Indiana had obtained a supply of pentobarbital, a drug used in executions by other states and the federal government, allowing the state to resume executions after years of delay. A second death row inmate is also awaiting an execution date.