Gov. Mike Braun signals he's open to debate on future of death penalty, execution methods
Following two state executions of death row inmates in less than six months, Gov. Mike Braun said June 3 that Indiana does not have any more of the drug used and he does not "intend to put another one on the shelf."
Braun additionally signaled he was open to hearing debate on whether Indiana should continue capital punishment and if so, if there are other execution methods the state should consider besides lethal injection, currently the only option Indiana allows.
Indiana paid $900,000 last year to acquire the drug pentobarbital, according to the Indiana Capital Chronicle. The high price tag for the drug used to carry out death sentences is part of Braun's reasoning for hearing more debate about the death penalty in Indiana, he said.
"We've got to address the broad issue of, what are other methods, the discussion of capital punishment in general, and then something that costs, I think, $300,000 a pop that has a 90-day shelf life, I'm not going to be for putting it on the shelf and then letting them expire," Braun told reporters at the Indiana Statehouse.
Authorized execution methods in states across the country, according to the Death Penalty Information Center, include lethal injection, electrocution, lethal gas and firing squads.
There has been national debate over whether lethal injection is a humane way to execute someone. Two inmates in South Carolina this year chose to die by firing squad, but an autopsy found the man who was executed in April likely suffered after shooters missed his heart.
The Indiana General Assembly would have to approve any change to execution methods. One Republican lawmaker during the 2025 legislative session sought a repeal of the death penalty, but the bill died without a hearing.
Repeal the death penalty?: Despite bipartisan support, bill to end death penalty died without a committee hearing
Braun's comments come two weeks after Indiana executed Benjamin Ritchie, who was sentenced to death after the murder of Beech Grove police officer William Toney. Ritchie's was the first state execution during Braun's administration and the second since former Gov. Eric Holcomb and Attorney General Todd Rokita announced last summer that Indiana had acquired pentobarbital.
Indiana used the drug in December to execute Joseph Corcoran, who was found guilty of a quadruple murder he committed in 1997. It was the first execution in the state since 2009.
Contact IndyStar state government and politics reporter Brittany Carloni at brittany.carloni@indystar.com. Follow her on Twitter/X @CarloniBrittany.
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