Alan Matheney
Encyclopedia
Alan Lehman Matheney was a convicted murder
er executed in the U.S. state
of Indiana
. He was convicted of beating to death his ex-wife, Lisa Bianco, with a .410 bore
shotgun
, while on an eight-hour release from prison on 4 March 1989. At the time he was serving a sentence at Pendleton Correctional Facility
for battery
and confinement
of Bianco. He was executed by lethal injection
on 28 September 2005 at Indiana State Prison
at Michigan City
. Time of death was announced as 12:27 AM.
The eight-hour release pass authorized Matheney to travel to Indianapolis
, instead he travelled to St. Joseph County
. He changed clothes and took a shotgun from a friend's house. He then travelled to Mishawaka
and parked his car two houses down from Bianco's home. He broke into her house through the back door and then chased her down the street. He caught and beat her with the shotgun while his two daughters and numerous neighbors looked on. Even so, this case was held up on appeals for 16 years. The case caused a law change in the state, which required victims to be notified if an inmate was released. The State also agreed to pay the estate of Bianco US$900,000 in compensation.
At his trial he argued that he was legally insane. One mental health professional diagnosed him as having schizophreniform disorder
and another said he had paranoid personality disorder
. None said he was legally insane at the time of the crime. Matheney stated that he believed Bianco was in a conspiracy
against him.
He refused to appear before a hearing of the Indiana Parole Board on 19 September. Then on 24 September 2005 the Indiana Supreme Court
ruled 5-0 to reject a request for a new trial. Finally, Governor Mitch Daniels
denied clemency on 27 September.
His lawyer released a final statement that read:
This was the fifth execution in the state in 2005. This is the most executions in a calendar year in Indiana
since executions were resumed in 1977.
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
er executed in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
. He was convicted of beating to death his ex-wife, Lisa Bianco, with a .410 bore
.410 bore
.410 bore, commonly misnamed the .410 gauge, is the smallest gauge of shotgun shell commonly available. It has similar base dimensions to the .45 Colt revolver cartridge, though the .410 is significantly longer, up to , allowing many single-shot firearms and some revolvers chambered in that...
shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
, while on an eight-hour release from prison on 4 March 1989. At the time he was serving a sentence at Pendleton Correctional Facility
Pendleton Correctional Facility
The Pendleton Correctional Facility, formerly known as the Indiana Reformatory, is a state prison located in Fall Creek Township, Madison County, near Pendleton and about northeast of Indianapolis. Established in 1923, it was built to replace the Indiana State Reformatory located in Jeffersonville...
for battery
Battery (crime)
Battery is a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact, distinct from assault which is the fear of such contact.In the United States, criminal battery, or simply battery, is the use of force against another, resulting in harmful or offensive contact...
and confinement
False imprisonment
False imprisonment is a restraint of a person in a bounded area without justification or consent. False imprisonment is a common-law felony and a tort. It applies to private as well as governmental detention...
of Bianco. He was executed by lethal injection
Lethal injection
Lethal injection is the practice of injecting a person with a fatal dose of drugs for the express purpose of causing the immediate death of the subject. The main application for this procedure is capital punishment, but the term may also be applied in a broad sense to euthanasia and suicide...
on 28 September 2005 at Indiana State Prison
Indiana State Prison
The Indiana State Prison is a maximum security Indiana Department of Corrections prison for adult males; however, minimum security housing also exists on the confines. It is located in Michigan City, Indiana, about east of Chicago. The average daily inmate population in November 2006 was 2,200. ...
at Michigan City
Michigan City, Indiana
Michigan City's origins date to 1830, when the land for the city was first purchased by Isaac C. Elston. Elston Middle School, formerly Elston High School, located at 317 Detroit St., is named after the founder....
. Time of death was announced as 12:27 AM.
The eight-hour release pass authorized Matheney to travel to Indianapolis
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, instead he travelled to St. Joseph County
St. Joseph County, Indiana
As of the census of 2000, there were 265,559 people, 100,743 households, and 66,792 families residing in the county. The population density was 581 people per square mile . There were 107,013 housing units at an average density of 234 per square mile...
. He changed clothes and took a shotgun from a friend's house. He then travelled to Mishawaka
Mishawaka, Indiana
Mishawaka is a city on the St. Joseph River and a Twin city of South Bend in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States. The population was 48,252 as of the 2010 Census...
and parked his car two houses down from Bianco's home. He broke into her house through the back door and then chased her down the street. He caught and beat her with the shotgun while his two daughters and numerous neighbors looked on. Even so, this case was held up on appeals for 16 years. The case caused a law change in the state, which required victims to be notified if an inmate was released. The State also agreed to pay the estate of Bianco US$900,000 in compensation.
At his trial he argued that he was legally insane. One mental health professional diagnosed him as having schizophreniform disorder
Schizophreniform disorder
Schizophreniform disorder is a mental disorder diagnosed when symptoms of schizophrenia are present for a significant portion of the time within a one-month period, but signs of disruption are not present for the full six months required for the diagnosis of schizophrenia.The symptoms of both...
and another said he had paranoid personality disorder
Paranoid personality disorder
Paranoid personality disorder is a psychiatric diagnosis characterized by paranoia and a pervasive, long-standing suspiciousness and generalized mistrust of others....
. None said he was legally insane at the time of the crime. Matheney stated that he believed Bianco was in a conspiracy
Conspiracy theory
A conspiracy theory explains an event as being the result of an alleged plot by a covert group or organization or, more broadly, the idea that important political, social or economic events are the products of secret plots that are largely unknown to the general public.-Usage:The term "conspiracy...
against him.
He refused to appear before a hearing of the Indiana Parole Board on 19 September. Then on 24 September 2005 the Indiana Supreme Court
Supreme Court of Indiana
The Supreme Court of Indiana is the state supreme court of Indiana. The court was established by Article Seven of the Indiana Constitution and is the highest judicial authority within Indiana...
ruled 5-0 to reject a request for a new trial. Finally, Governor Mitch Daniels
Mitch Daniels
Mitchell Elias "Mitch" Daniels, Jr. is the 49th and current Governor of the U.S. state of Indiana. A Republican, he began his first four-year term as governor on January 10, 2005, and was elected to his second term by an 18-point margin on November 4, 2008. Previously, he was the Director of the...
denied clemency on 27 September.
His lawyer released a final statement that read:
- "I love my family and my children. I'm sorry for the pain I've caused them. I thank my friends who stood by me … I'm sure my grandchildren will grow up happy and healthy in the care of their wonderful parents".
This was the fifth execution in the state in 2005. This is the most executions in a calendar year in Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
since executions were resumed in 1977.
See also
- List of individuals executed in Indiana
- Capital punishment in the United StatesCapital punishment in the United StatesCapital punishment in the United States, in practice, applies only for aggravated murder and more rarely for felony murder. Capital punishment was a penalty at common law, for many felonies, and was enforced in all of the American colonies prior to the Declaration of Independence...