Lawyers ask Gov. Mike Braun to halt Indiana execution of Jeffrey Weisheit

Indiana paid $275,000 for six vials of the lethal injection drug pentobarbital — roughly 17 times the typical price of $15,120 to $16,250 for commercially made injectable pentobarbital, NBC News reported. That invoice, heavily redacted but included in a legal filing, points to a supplier the state is simultaneously trying to shut down: Pharmaneek, an Indianapolis pharmacy currently on probation after failing multiple state and federal inspections.

Hours before Indiana was poised to carry out its first execution of the year — set for Thursday before sunrise — lawyers for the condemned man, Jeffrey Weisheit, called on Gov. Mike Braun to halt the lethal injection and order an independent review of how the state obtained its chemicals.

Indiana Governor Won't Stop Nov. 5th Execution Of Jeffrey Weisheit

Pharmaneek Faces Suspension Days After the Execution

The pharmacy at the center of the dispute is scheduled to appear before the Indiana Board of Pharmacy on Monday — four days after Weisheit’s scheduled execution — over allegations that it violated its probation following failed inspections. According to an FDA inspection report from March 2026 cited by NBC News, the “facility is not maintained in a good state of repair, creating unsanitary conditions whereby drug products may be contaminated with filth.” State inspectors had previously found unlabeled bottles, expired drugs on active shelves, and inconsistent temperature logs, USA Today reported.

Weisheit’s attorneys argue the state is relying on a supplier with a history of “rampant mishandling of drugs.” An updated inventory log provided to NBC News shows the Department of Correction added the six vials to the prison supply on Oct. 29. While Indiana law shields the identities of drug suppliers, a September 2025 invoice for the same $275,000 amount accidentally revealed an address corresponding to Pharmaneek, according to exhibits in the reprieve application.

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A Protocol Compared to Tennessee’s Failed Execution

Attorneys for Weisheit, 50, are citing Tennessee’s failed lethal injection execution of Christa Pike on Sept. 30, which left Pike in a coma, arguing Indiana’s protocol is “more susceptible to catastrophic failures.” They note that Indiana’s process allows prison guards rather than medical professionals to insert IVs, which they call reckless, USA Today reported.

Major drug manufacturers have long prohibited the use of their products in executions. Sagent Pharmaceuticals and Hikma, the two U.S. makers of pentobarbital, both told NBC News they do not supply Pharmaneek for this purpose, with Hikma stating it has “strict prohibitions and controls intended to prevent the use of our medicines in capital punishment.”

UPDATE: Indiana Governor Mike Braun has denied clemency to Jeffrey Weisheit, who is scheduled to be executed THURSDAY for the brutal murders of two children. On April 10, 2010, Weisheit murdered 8-year-old Alyssa Lynch and her 5-year-old brother, Caleb, inside their Evansville,… pic.twitter.com/PZI2qDsWJg

— https://x.com/TheLinzerShow/status/2117596763225817517

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita’s office told NBC News it is “confident in the ability to safely and lawfully carry out the scheduled execution,” while declining to address the supplier allegations directly. The governor’s office declined to comment on the procurement concerns but announced Monday that Braun had denied Weisheit’s clemency request, following the parole board’s unanimous recommendation against it.

Two Families, Two Views on Mercy

Weisheit was convicted in the 2010 murders of Alyssa Lynch, 8, and her brother Caleb, 5, the children of his then-girlfriend. Prosecutors said he bound and gagged Caleb, placed railroad flares in his clothing, and set fire to their Evansville home; both children died of smoke inhalation. He has been on death row for 13 years.

Indiana execution moves forward despite lethal drug claims

At last month’s clemency hearing, Weisheit offered no explanation for the killings. “There is no excuse or explanation for what I did,” he said. The children’s mother, Lisa Lynch, asked the board to uphold the death sentence, telling them that “every birthday, every holiday, every landmark moment is marked by their agonizing absence.” Their father, Steven Lynch, told the board he supported clemency and forgave Weisheit, adding that “mercy is extended to even the least of us” and that “no parent should have to outlive their child.”

Governor Denies Delay Requests

Weisheit’s execution is scheduled for Thursday before sunrise. The Indiana Board of Pharmacy’s hearing on Pharmaneek’s license is set for Monday, Nov. 9 — after the execution date. Weisheit’s attorneys have asked Braun to push back the Nov. 5 execution and conduct an independent review, but as of Wednesday, the governor’s office had not responded to the allegations about the drug supplier.