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Death Penalty Information

  • IPDC
  • Current: Death Penalty Information
In Indiana, the death penalty is never automatic — prosecutors have discretion to decide whether to seek it. It is available only for murder cases where at least one of 18 specific aggravating circumstances can be proven.
If a defendant is convicted of murder, the trial moves to a separate penalty phase where the jury must unanimously agree that the aggravating circumstances outweigh any mitigating factors. If the jury cannot reach a unanimous sentencing decision, the judge determines the sentence.
Every death sentence is automatically reviewed by the Indiana Supreme Court on direct appeal, and the defendant may also pursue additional state and federal reviews.
If carried out, executions are performed by lethal injection, though ongoing issues with drug sourcing and secrecy remain.

County Filed In

Defendant

Date Death Penalty Filed

Current Status

Marion

John Adams

2/24/2000

Pending trial. Found incompetent to stand trial on October 2000

Madison

Carl Boards II

08/17/2022

Pending trial

MarionOrlando Mitchell07/13/2023Pending trial
HendricksDalonny Rodgers07/29/24Pending trial

Sentenced

Inmate

Current Status

1993

Eric D. Holmes

Cert. from Federal Habeas denial denied.

2000

Michael Dean Overstreet

Found incompetent to be executed in 2014.  AG did not appeal.

2007

Roy Ward

AG has requested an execution date.

2013

Kevin Isom

Pending Federal Habeas Corpus Review

2013

Jeffrey Weisheit

Pending Federal Habeas Corpus Review

2013 & 2014

William Clyde Gibson III

Pending Federal Habeas Corpus Review

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