Indiana executes man for 2010 double murder of children

Jeffrey Weisheit died at 12:45 a.m. Central on Thursday morning at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City. The Indiana Department of Correction carried out the lethal injection shortly after midnight. Weisheit was serving a death sentence for the 2010 murders of two children in Evansville.

The Indiana Supreme Court voted 3-2 earlier that day to deny an emergency motion for a 10-day stay. Legal representatives argued the state mishandled the procurement of execution drugs. They specifically cited the role of Indianapolis pharmacy Pharmaneek in supplying the lethal cocktail.

The defense also noted a $5,000 campaign donation made by Pharmaneek’s owner to Attorney General Todd Rokita in June. The pharmacy currently faces a license revocation hearing scheduled for Monday, five days after the execution. Chief Justice Loretta Rush and one other justice dissented, arguing the court needed more time to review those procedural concerns.

Governor Mike Braun stated that state and federal judges had reviewed Weisheit’s case multiple times since his 2013 conviction. The State Parole Board unanimously recommended against granting clemency. Weisheit was found guilty of killing 8-year-old Alyssa Lynch and her 5-year-old brother, Caleb, in an arson attack at their home.

Investigators discovered Caleb bound with duct tape and a washcloth over his mouth. Firefighters later found Alyssa dead inside a closet after the fire spread. Weisheit had been dating the children’s mother, who left them in his care while she worked.

Attorney General Todd Rokita said the execution offered the family some measure of peace. Prison officials reported Weisheit had no final words. His last meal consisted of barbecue ribs from Texas Corral and a Mountain Dew.