INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb said the state will resume executions for the first time in over a decade after acquiring a drug used for lethal injections.
Holcomb said Wednesday that the state is seeking an execution date for Joseph Corcoran, a man convicted in the killings of four people in 1997. Republican Attorney General Todd Rokita filed a motion Wednesday asking the state Supreme Court to set an execution date.
Indiana's last execution was in 2009, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. Matthew Eric Wrinkles was executed for the murders of his wife and her brother and sister-in-law.
The yearslong pause has been attributed to the unavailability of lethal injection drugs.
The Indiana Department of Correction now has acquired a drug used by multiple states in lethal injections — the sedative pentobarbital — after ''years of effort,'' Holcomb's announcement said.
''Accordingly, I am fulfilling my duties as governor to follow the law and move forward appropriately in this matter,'' Holcomb said.
Corcoran's attorney, federal defender Larry Komp, said they will respond to the state's motion and request clarity on the state's lethal injection protocol.
A department of correction spokesperson did not immediately respond to voicemail and emailed messages seeking further information on how the state acquired the drug.