Indiana Governor Denies Clemency for Jeffrey Weisheit, Execution Set for Thursday
Gov. Mike Braun rejected a clemency request for Jeffrey Weisheit, convicted of killing his girlfriend's two children in 2010. The execution proceeds Thursday.
Indiana execution to proceed after governor rejects clemency for double child murder
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun denied a clemency request Monday and confirmed that the scheduled execution of Jeffrey Weisheit will proceed Thursday, according to ABC News US.
Weisheit, 50, was convicted of murder and arson for setting a fire that killed 8-year-old Alyssa Lynch and 5-year-old Caleb Lynch at their home in the Evansville area in 2010. Alyssa's remains were found in a closet; Caleb's body was on a mattress, restrained with duct tape, with a railroad flare in his underwear and another beneath his body.
Braun, a Republican, said he would follow the Indiana Parole Board's recommendation to let the death sentence stand. "The Indiana Department of Correction will continue preparations to carry out the court-ordered sentence of execution," Braun said.
The children's mother, Lisa Lynch, was at work at the time of the fire. Investigators said her relationship with Weisheit was deteriorating.
Under Indiana law, Weisheit had the right to petition the governor for a reduction of his sentence to life imprisonment. At a public hearing on October 16, Weisheit acknowledged his crimes but said he wanted to live and contribute to the lives of other inmates.
His lawyers argue that a history of head injuries and mental health problems was not adequately considered at his 2013 trial. His legal team also asked the governor to delay the execution pending a review of how the state obtains drugs for lethal injections.
The attorneys said Indiana had purchased pentobarbital from a pharmacy currently under scrutiny by the state attorney general. They also pointed to the recent failed execution of Christa Pike in Tennessee and Gov. Bill Lee's subsequent decision there to review the botched lethal injection attempt.
Braun spokesperson Griffin Reid indicated those arguments would not change the outcome. The Indiana Department of Correction said it remains "confident in our process and our ability to humanely carry out the lawfully imposed sentence for the murders of two innocent children."
Source: ABC News US