Latest news with #IndianaDepartmentofCorrection
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Braun says Indiana is out of execution drugs, signals willingness to debate capital punishment
Gov. Mike Braun speaks to reporters at the Indiana Statehouse on Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (Casey Smith/Indiana Capital Chronicle) Indiana has exhausted its supply of lethal injection drugs after carrying out two executions in the past six months — and Gov. Mike Braun said Tuesday he doesn't plan to buy more, at least for now. The governor's remarks followed the state's December execution of Joseph Corcoran — Indiana's first since 2009 — and last month's execution of Benjamin Ritchie. Recent reporting by the Indiana Capital Chronicle revealed the state spent $900,000 last year to obtain pentobarbital to carry out executions, but officials wouldn't say how much was purchased and refused to provide information on expiration dates, storage or other details. Braun said the high cost and short shelf life of the drug should prompt new discussions on how the state approaches capital punishment moving forward. ... I'm not going to be for putting it on the shelf and then letting them expire. – Indiana Gov. Mike Braun '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,' the governor told reporters at the Indiana Statehouse. Braun, a Republican in his first year as governor, said the question of whether Indiana should continue to carry out executions at all is one that lawmakers should weigh in the months ahead. 'There are legislators that wonder if it's still relevant,' Braun continued. 'I'm going to listen to them, the courts, and the broader discussion in general.' Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita and former Gov. Eric Holcomb announced the state's acquisition of pentobarbital in June 2024, but it's not clear when the state ultimately received the drugs. Indiana Department of Correction officials have refused to disclose how many doses of pentobarbital were used for each of recent executions, or how close the drug was to its expiration when it was administered. 'I think we got in a pickle where we stored three, and now it looks like … it will be coming up again,' Braun said Tuesday, appearing to refer to execution drug expiration. 'Violent' moment during Indiana execution draws scrutiny; DOC officials deny 'botched' process Current Indiana law only allows lethal injection as a means of execution. The one-drug method is a departure from the state's protocol used since 1995, involving a series of three chemicals. But with ongoing drug shortages and increasing legal and political complications, some states have revived older execution methods — or approved new ones. South Carolina recently reinstated the firing squad as an option after years of delays due to its inability to obtain lethal injection drugs. The state has so far carried out two executions by firing squad in 2025 — the first in the U.S. in 15 years. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, prior to South Carolina's move only three executions by firing squad had taken place nationwide since 1977 — all in Utah. It's expected to be the primary method for executions in Idaho starting in 2026. Mississippi and Oklahoma also permit firing squads, but only as a secondary method to lethal injection. Braun pointed to South Carolina, specifically, but he didn't endorse any specific execution method. Nine states permit executions by lethal gas, but only five — Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Oklahoma — specifically authorize death by nitrogen hypoxia, a process that deprives inmates of oxygen using nitrogen gas. So far, Alabama and Louisiana are the only states that have performed executions by nitrogen gas, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. Arizona and Mississippi additionally allow gas chambers, a method in which inmates are exposed to a lethal gas — traditionally hydrogen cyanide — inside a sealed chamber. The process can take several minutes, however, and has drawn criticism over the risk of prolonged suffering. Earlier this year, some Indiana lawmakers — from both sides of the aisle — questioned the future of capital punishment in the state. Rep. Bob Morris, R-Fort Wayne, filed House Bill 1030, which sought to abolish the death penalty altogether in Indiana and replace it with life without parole. He later discussed plans to scale back the bill — and instead focus on execution drug rules and witness guidelines — hoping that a narrowed proposal could give it a better chance at advancing through the legislative process. Despite some bipartisan support, Morris' bill never received a committee hearing in the House, effectively killing the measure. Separately, an amendment Morris offered on another bill sought to require that Indiana State Police test pentobarbital between 12 and 24 hours before an execution to ensure the substance is '100% effective' before it's administered. But that proposal never moved, either. Other Republican and Democratic lawmakers have previously suggested narrowing the list of crimes eligible for execution or mandating that any new methods meet constitutional and ethical standards. No one has been added to death row in Indiana since 2013 as many prosecutors choose life in prison without parole over the cost of a death penalty trial. The next opportunity for lawmakers to file and debate bills is during next year's legislative session, slated to begin in January 2026. The last person executed in Indiana before Corcoran was Eric Wrinkles in 2009. Six inmates currently remain on Indiana's death row, and more than a dozen capital punishment cases are still pending statewide. 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Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
Texas man who set store clerk on fire executed by lethal injection
A man who pleaded guilty to killing a convenience store worker by setting her on fire was put to death in Texas on Tuesday in the second of three executions to be carried out in the United States this week. Matthew Johnson, 49, was executed by lethal injection at the Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville and pronounced dead at 6:53 pm local time (2353 GMT). Johnson was sentenced to death for the 2012 murder of Nancy Harris, a 76-year-old grandmother. He admitted at trial to pouring lighter fluid on Harris and setting her alight during an early morning robbery of a store in Garland, Texas. Harris suffered severe burns and was taken off life support five days later. In his final statement, Johnson thanked God and asked for forgiveness from the victim's family, saying "I never meant to hurt her." He also apologized to his wife and asked for her forgiveness, along with the forgiveness of their three daughters. "Just know that it's nothing that y'all did," he said to his family. "I made wrong choices, I've made wrong decisions, and now I pay the consequences." Johnson's execution was scheduled to take place just hours after the midwestern state of Indiana carried out its second execution since 2009. Benjamin Ritchie, 45, was put to death by lethal injection overnight at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City for the 2000 murder of officer Bill Toney, the Indiana Department of Correction said in a statement. Toney, a father of two, was shot to death after pursuing a van that had been stolen by Ritchie and another man from a gas station in the town of Beech Grove. The other execution scheduled this week is in the southern state of Tennessee. Oscar Smith, 75, is to be put to death by lethal injection on Thursday for the 1989 shooting and stabbing murders of his estranged wife, Judy Smith, and her two sons, Chad and Jason Burnett. There have been 18 executions in the United States this year: 14 by lethal injection, two by firing squad and two using nitrogen gas. The death penalty has been abolished in 23 of the 50 US states, while three others -- California, Oregon and Pennsylvania -- have moratoriums in place. President Donald Trump is a proponent of capital punishment and called on his first day in office for an expansion of its use "for the vilest crimes." cl/st/sla/jgc
The Sun
21-05-2025
- The Sun
Texas man who set store clerk on fire executed by lethal injection
WASHINGTON: A man who pleaded guilty to killing a convenience store worker by setting her on fire was put to death in Texas on Tuesday in the second of three executions to be carried out in the United States this week. Matthew Johnson, 49, was executed by lethal injection at the Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville and pronounced dead at 6:53 pm local time (2353 GMT). Johnson was sentenced to death for the 2012 murder of Nancy Harris, a 76-year-old grandmother. He admitted at trial to pouring lighter fluid on Harris and setting her alight during an early morning robbery of a store in Garland, Texas. Harris suffered severe burns and was taken off life support five days later. In his final statement, Johnson thanked God and asked for forgiveness from the victim's family, saying 'I never meant to hurt her.' He also apologized to his wife and asked for her forgiveness, along with the forgiveness of their three daughters. 'Just know that it's nothing that y'all did,' he said to his family. 'I made wrong choices, I've made wrong decisions, and now I pay the consequences.' Johnson's execution was scheduled to take place just hours after the midwestern state of Indiana carried out its second execution since 2009. Benjamin Ritchie, 45, was put to death by lethal injection overnight at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City for the 2000 murder of officer Bill Toney, the Indiana Department of Correction said in a statement. Toney, a father of two, was shot to death after pursuing a van that had been stolen by Ritchie and another man from a gas station in the town of Beech Grove. The other execution scheduled this week is in the southern state of Tennessee. Oscar Smith, 75, is to be put to death by lethal injection on Thursday for the 1989 shooting and stabbing murders of his estranged wife, Judy Smith, and her two sons, Chad and Jason Burnett. There have been 18 executions in the United States this year: 14 by lethal injection, two by firing squad and two using nitrogen gas. The death penalty has been abolished in 23 of the 50 US states, while three others -- California, Oregon and Pennsylvania -- have moratoriums in place. President Donald Trump is a proponent of capital punishment and called on his first day in office for an expansion of its use 'for the vilest crimes.'
The Sun
21-05-2025
- The Sun
Texas Executes Man for 2012 Murder in Store Arson
WASHINGTON: A man who pleaded guilty to killing a convenience store worker by setting her on fire was put to death in Texas on Tuesday in the second of three executions to be carried out in the United States this week. Matthew Johnson, 49, was executed by lethal injection at the Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville and pronounced dead at 6:53 pm local time (2353 GMT). Johnson was sentenced to death for the 2012 murder of Nancy Harris, a 76-year-old grandmother. He admitted at trial to pouring lighter fluid on Harris and setting her alight during an early morning robbery of a store in Garland, Texas. Harris suffered severe burns and was taken off life support five days later. In his final statement, Johnson thanked God and asked for forgiveness from the victim's family, saying 'I never meant to hurt her.' He also apologized to his wife and asked for her forgiveness, along with the forgiveness of their three daughters. 'Just know that it's nothing that y'all did,' he said to his family. 'I made wrong choices, I've made wrong decisions, and now I pay the consequences.' Johnson's execution was scheduled to take place just hours after the midwestern state of Indiana carried out its second execution since 2009. Benjamin Ritchie, 45, was put to death by lethal injection overnight at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City for the 2000 murder of officer Bill Toney, the Indiana Department of Correction said in a statement. Toney, a father of two, was shot to death after pursuing a van that had been stolen by Ritchie and another man from a gas station in the town of Beech Grove. The other execution scheduled this week is in the southern state of Tennessee. Oscar Smith, 75, is to be put to death by lethal injection on Thursday for the 1989 shooting and stabbing murders of his estranged wife, Judy Smith, and her two sons, Chad and Jason Burnett. There have been 18 executions in the United States this year: 14 by lethal injection, two by firing squad and two using nitrogen gas. The death penalty has been abolished in 23 of the 50 US states, while three others -- California, Oregon and Pennsylvania -- have moratoriums in place. President Donald Trump is a proponent of capital punishment and called on his first day in office for an expansion of its use 'for the vilest crimes.'
RTÉ News
21-05-2025
- RTÉ News
Texas man who set shop employee on fire executed
A man who pleaded guilty to killing a supermarket worker by setting her on fire was put to death in Texas in the second of three executions to be carried out in the United States this week. Matthew Johnson, 49, was executed by lethal injection at the Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville and pronounced dead at 6.53pm local time yesterday (11.53pm Irish time). Johnson was sentenced to death for the 2012 murder of Nancy Harris, a 76-year-old grandmother. He admitted at trial to pouring lighter fluid on Ms Harris and setting her alight during an early morning robbery of a store in Garland, Texas. She suffered severe burns and was taken off life support five days later. In his final statement, Johnson thanked God and asked for forgiveness from the victim's family, saying "I never meant to hurt her." He also apologised to his wife and asked for her forgiveness, along with the forgiveness of their three daughters. "Just know that it's nothing that y'all did," he said to his family. "I made wrong choices, I've made wrong decisions, and now I pay the consequences." Johnson's execution was scheduled to take place just hours after the midwestern state of Indiana carried out its second execution since 2009. Benjamin Ritchie, 45, was put to death by lethal injection overnight at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City for the 2000 murder of officer Bill Toney, the Indiana Department of Correction said in a statement. Toney, a father of two, was shot to death after pursuing a van that had been stolen by Ritchie and another man from a gas station in the town of Beech Grove. The other execution scheduled this week is in the southern state of Tennessee. Oscar Smith, 75, is to be put to death by lethal injection tomorrow for the 1989 shooting and stabbing murders of his estranged wife, Judy Smith, and her two sons, Chad and Jason Burnett. There have been 18 executions in the United States this year: 14 by lethal injection, two by firing squad and two using nitrogen gas. The death penalty has been abolished in 23 of the 50 US states, while three others - California, Oregon and Pennsylvania - have moratoriums in place. President Donald Trump is a proponent of capital punishment and called on his first day in office for an expansion of its use "for the vilest crimes."
