Indiana executes man using drugs from pharmacy under state investigation
Indiana purchased lethal injection drugs from a pharmacy it is actively investigating for contamination issues. Jeffrey Weisheit was executed on Nov. 5 for the 2010 murders of two children.
Indiana proceeds with execution despite concerns over drug supplier under state probe
Indiana carried out the execution of Jeffrey Weisheit on 5 November, even as his attorneys raised serious concerns about the source of the lethal injection drug used — a pharmacy that the state is simultaneously investigating for drug contamination and unsafe practices, indystar.com reports.
Weisheit was convicted and sentenced to death for the 2010 murders of two children in Evansville: Alyssa Lynch, aged 8, and her five-year-old brother Caleb. The pair were burned alive in their home. First responders found Alyssa's body in a closet, where she had likely hidden after the fire was set. Caleb was found in his bed with his hands bound with duct tape and his mouth stuffed with cloth.
Drug purchased from pharmacy facing possible licence suspension
The state purchased pentobarbital from Pharmaneek Pharmacy Services in Indianapolis, according to Weisheit's attorneys and records included in their clemency petition to Governor Mike Braun. This marks the first public confirmation of Indiana's execution drug supplier. State law prohibits the release of identifying information about lethal injection drug procurement, but attorneys identified the pharmacy through an address visible on an improperly redacted invoice. IndyStar confirmed that Pharmaneek's address at 7345 Woodland Dr, Suite A, appears on that document.
The Indiana Department of Correction said it received the drug on 29 October. Spokesperson Noelle Russell confirmed the state purchased six vials — 50 millilitres each — of pentobarbital on 25 September for $275,000.
The state's Board of Pharmacy is reportedly moving to suspend Pharmaneek's licence this month over issues related to contaminated drugs. The pharmacy has also failed multiple state and federal inspections, the petition stated.
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita's office filed a complaint against the pharmacy last November, resulting in a settlement and placing the pharmacy on probation. The complaint to the state pharmacy board cited "numerous shoddy procedures," including unlabeled pill bottles, expired drugs on active shelves, a storage room maintained at 84 degrees Fahrenheit, and an absence of consistent temperature logs.
"It is alarming that the state purchased these drugs from a pharmacy it is trying to shut down due to major safety issues in the storage and management of drugs," said Joe Perkovich, one of Weisheit's attorneys, in a statement.
Braun denies clemency, execution proceeds as scheduled
Hours after attorneys publicly raised concerns about the drug supplier, Governor Braun announced he was denying Weisheit's clemency request and said the state would continue preparations for the 5 November execution. The Indiana Parole Board had unanimously recommended denying clemency the previous week.
Both the Indiana Department of Correction and the Office of the Attorney General said in statements that they were confident the execution would be carried out in compliance with state law. Neither addressed questions from IndyStar regarding the supplier's past infractions or whether confidential information about the supplier had been improperly disclosed.
"We remain confident in our process and our ability to humanely carry out the lawfully imposed sentence for the murders of two innocent children," the Department of Correction's statement read.
The governor's office did not respond to IndyStar's questions, including whether any pause to the execution was being considered.
Attorneys cite parallels to botched executions in Tennessee
Weisheit's attorneys argued that Indiana's procurement process mirrors the one used in Tennessee, which resulted in the botched executions of Tony Carruthers and Christa Pike and triggered nationwide scrutiny over execution protocols, transparency, and whether such procedures are humane.
Among additional concerns raised in the petition: the state permits prison guards rather than medical professionals to insert IVs — a practice the attorneys described as "reckless." IV placement issues are the suspected cause of Tennessee's failed executions.
Pharmaneek did not respond to a request for comment. The state Board of Pharmacy also did not respond to a request to confirm its investigation of the pharmacy.
Indiana among least transparent states on executions
Indiana resumed executions in December 2024 after a 15-year pause, and has since used lethal injection to execute three men in under a year. The state has drawn repeated criticism as one of the least transparent jurisdictions when it comes to capital punishment. It is the only state actively carrying out executions that bars journalists from witnessing them, and has withheld information — at times unlawfully, according to legal challenges — about how it obtains pentobarbital and what it costs taxpayers.
The Board of Pharmacy, Pharmaneek, and the governor's office had not replied to IndyStar's outstanding questions at the time of publication.
Source: Google News MT