A death sentence for an Indiana man who killed his girlfriend’s two children in a house fire should remain in place, the state parole board recommended Wednesday, just days before a Nov. 5 execution by lethal injection.
Jeffrey Weisheit has a right under Indiana law to seek clemency and ask for a life sentence for his murder and arson convictions. The final decision rests with Gov. Mike Braun.
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“We unanimously recommend that you deny Jeffrey Weisheit's request,” parole board chairperson Gwendolyn Horth wrote to Braun.
The board heard two days of testimony from Weisheit, lawyers, the children’s parents and first responders who were at an Evansville home in 2010 when the bodies of 8-year-old Alyssa Lynch and 5-year-old Caleb Lynch were recovered from the ruins of the fire.
Alyssa’s body was in a closet. Caleb’s body was on a mattress, restrained with duct tape. A railroad flare was in his underwear and another was under his body.
“There is no excuse or explanation for what I did,” Weisheit, 50, said on Oct. 16, adding that he wants to live and improve the lives of other people in prison.
The children’s mother, Lisa Lynch, was in a relationship with him when the fire was set 16 years ago while she was at work.
Before the fire, Weisheit had his eye on an engagement ring, but the relationship with Lynch was breaking down. He quit his job, withdrew money from the bank and canceled the ring order, telling the jeweler that he would soon leave the country, said lawyer Tyler Banks of the Indiana attorney general’s office.
“Clemency is meant for those who show genuine remorse and hold true value for human life,” Lynch told the board by video. “Nothing about the murder of my children showed mercy, humanity or remorse.”
Their father, Steven Lynch, said he would accept a life sentence.
Weisheit’s lawyer, Joseph Perkovich, said Wednesday that the governor is considering a request to have him transported from prison for brain scans.
Perkovich acknowledged the “unspeakable” crimes when he spoke to the parole board on Oct. 19 but said Weisheit has a history of head injuries and mental health problems that didn’t get enough attention at his 2013 trial.
“We remain grateful for the governor’s deliberative approach to the exercise of his constitutional responsibility and unfettered authority to determine whether a reprieve or commutation should be granted here,” Perkovich said.
In its recommendation against clemency, the parole board said it considered information about Weisheit's mental health but found it “does not greatly distinguish his situation from a vast majority of incarcerated individuals.”
