Overview

• Ward withdrew his remaining federal lawsuits in an Oct. 2 joint filing, clearing the last routine legal obstacles to his lethal injection at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City.
• The Department of Correction says it has enough pentobarbital to carry out the protocol and confirms the drug is manufacturer-produced rather than compounded.
• Court disclosures detail transport by DOC staff, sealed manufacturer-labeled vials with certificates of analysis, storage at 20–25°C, a locked safe with limited access, and daily temperature logs.
• An updated declaration states all three pentobarbital sets on hand expire at the end of October, correcting earlier testimony that suggested a later date for one batch.
• Defense teams cited reported irregularities in May’s execution of Ben Ritchie and sought chamber and witness-access changes that prison officials declined, as Indiana continues to restrict media access unless invited by the condemned.