Indiana executed Jeffrey Weisheit early Thursday by lethal injection, the first of three executions scheduled across the United States for that day. Weisheit, 50, had been convicted of setting a fire in 2010 that killed his girlfriend's two children, ages 8 and 5, in the Evansville area. The murders were reportedly linked to the couple's strained relationship.
He was pronounced dead at 12:45 a.m. at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City, according to Noelle Russell, communications chief for the Indiana Department of Correction. Weisheit did not have last words, and his final meal consisted of barbecue ribs. Indiana does not permit media witnesses to executions.
Florida and Alabama were also scheduled to carry out executions on the same day, marking the second time this year that three individuals would be put to death on a single day. The death penalty has faced increased scrutiny following a botched execution in Tennessee, though subsequent court challenges to halt other executions have been rejected.
Florida's execution of Jesse Guardado, scheduled for later on Thursday, would be its 19th this year, tying a record set in 2025. Guardado confessed to fatally stabbing a 75-year-old woman in 2004 in Walton County, Florida, and stealing from her home to support a drug habit. A federal appeals court had previously affirmed that Guardado received a fair hearing during the death penalty phase of his trial.
In Alabama, Michael Taylor, 54, was set to be executed for the killings of an elderly couple. Taylor, then 19, beat the couple with a metal bar during a robbery in their Gadsden home 35 years ago. His attorneys objected to a last-minute switch in execution method from nitrogen gas to lethal injection, but a judge ruled against Taylor.
Lawyers for Weisheit had sought a commutation to life in prison, citing his history of head injuries and mental health issues, and requested brain scans. Governor Mike Braun denied these requests. Weisheit's execution also raised concerns about the state's planned use of lethal drugs sourced from a pharmacy facing a disciplinary hearing.