Jeffrey Weisheit Executed at Indiana State Prison for Vanderburgh County Killings

Indiana executed Jeffrey Weisheit by lethal injection at 12:45 a.m. Thursday, November 5, at the Indiana State Prison. The time marks the conclusion of a legal process that began with the 2010 deaths of two young children in Vanderburgh County.

Weisheit was convicted of the 2010 murders of Alyssa Lynch, who was 8, and Caleb Lynch, who was 5. Investigators stated that Weisheit duct-taped Caleb, placed a rag in his mouth, and ignited road flares in the boy’s clothing. The fire killed both children, who were the offspring of Weisheit’s girlfriend, Lisa Lynch. She was at work at the time of the incident.

This execution is the fourth in Indiana over the past two years. It is the first state execution since the failed execution of Christa Pike in Tennessee. Noelle Russell, communications director for the Indiana Department of Correction, stated that the procedure occurred without incident. She reported that Weisheit did not move at all during the injection.

Defense attorney Joe Perkovich, who witnessed the execution, described Weisheit as unresponsive. Perkovich noted that the procedure was largely obscured and that no official time of death was declared. He said there was no way to tell if complications occurred. “I don’t know what I saw,” Perkovich said.

Republican Attorney General Todd Rokita issued a statement regarding the execution. “Those who commit the most heinous crimes against the most vulnerable will be held fully accountable under Indiana law,” Rokita said. He added that his thoughts and prayers remained with the families of Alyssa and Caleb. He noted that while the loss is permanent, the justice carried out may allow the family to find some measure of peace.

The execution proceeded after Republican Governor Mike Braun followed the recommendation of the Indiana Parole Board to deny clemency. During an October 19 clemency hearing, Lisa Lynch tearfully asked the board to carry out the death sentence. “Nothing about an abuser’s twisted narrative changes the horror of what was done,” Lynch said. The children’s father signed an affidavit in support of clemency, writing, “Jeffrey, I forgive you.”

Weisheit’s legal team argued that severe mental illness and brain trauma contributed to the crimes. They filed an emergency motion to delay the execution on Wednesday, citing a state investigation into the pharmacy that supplied the lethal injection drugs. The Indiana Supreme Court denied the motion in a 3-2 decision. Governor Braun did not provide a formal response to the reprieve application submitted by the defense.

Prayer circles and vigils formed outside the prison in the final hours before the execution. Participants included members of the Catholic Diocese of Gary, the Indiana Abolition Coalition, and the Notre Dame Exoneration Justice Clinic. The Indiana Department of Correction stated that Weisheit’s last meal consisted of barbecue ribs and Mountain Dew from Texas Corral.