MICHIGAN CITY – Jeffrey Weisheit is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection on Nov. 5, 2026, before sunrise. He faces punishment for the tragic events of April 2010, when he murdered Alyssa Lynch, age 8, and Caleb Lynch, age 5.
Weisheit applied for executive clemency, which was considered and rejected by the Indiana Parole Board. Regardless of the Parole Board’s recommendation, the governor has the final say in whether he is to be executed.
Weisheit recently received the sacraments of initiation into the Catholic Church: baptism and confirmation. His life of faith is only just beginning. Catholics are encouraged to write to the governor and ask him to grant clemency, in addition to praying for the victims' family, Weisheit and Governor Braun. Individuals may send a message to the governor through the Indiana Catholic Conference website. (https://www.indianacc.org/action-alerts?vvsrc=%2fCampaigns%2f140223%2fRespond)
Led by Bishop Robert J. McClory and facilitated through the Diocese of Gary Office of Pro-Life Activities, there will be a Prayer Vigil on the evening of Wednesday, Nov. 4, at 8 p.m. in the Chicago Street parking lot outside the Michigan City state prison in anticipation of the state of Indiana’s scheduled execution.
The service will be a peaceful gathering to pray, not a rally.
Bishop McClory encourages the community to attend and give public witness to seek an end to the death penalty in Indiana and worldwide. The bishop noted that doing so is a “witness to the value of all human life…to stand for the dignity of all human life, including those who have been the victims of violence and those themselves who await time on death row.”
The bishop emphasized that, “We are filled with sincere and profound sorrow for those who lost their lives, and for the pain their families experienced. Their lives cannot be forgotten or minimized.”
Despite these grievous crimes, Bishop McClory noted that a life sentence in prison is “an alternative that can strengthen Indiana’s witness in protecting human life at all stages, whether innocent or guilty of a terrible crime.”
Father Richard Holy, director of pro-life activities for the Diocese of Gary and pastor of St. Edward in Lowell, asserted that justice is not served by using the cruel and unnecessary punishment of the death penalty.
“We grieve with every family whose loved one has been murdered,” Father Holy said. “Such a crime is heinous and horrific. We remain deeply anguished as we remember the victims, Alyssa Lynch, 8, and Caleb Lynch, 5, who died in April 2010. Yet taking another human life does not serve justice. We join with the father of Alyssa and Caleb Lynch, who has called for the commutation of Mr. Weisheit’s sentence. Executing Jeffrey Weisheit will not bring Alyssa or Caleb back.”
Earlier this month, Pope Leo XIV reminded the faithful of the incompatibility of the death penalty with the requirements of justice, especially when considering redemption:
“The death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person,” the pope said. “The common good can be safeguarded and the requirements of justice can be met without recourse to capital punishment: effective systems of detention have been developed that protect citizens while at the same time do not completely deprive those who are guilty of the possibility of redemption.”
Caption: A member of the group taking part in the rosary/prayer service clings to his rosary while praying on the eve of the execution of Benjamin Donnie Ritchie at Indiana State Prison in May 2025. (Deacon Bob Wellinski photo)
