Michigan City, Indiana — In a solemn event, Benjamin Ritchie was executed early Tuesday morning, marking Indiana’s second execution in over a decade. The 45-year-old had spent more than 20 years on death row for the 2000 murder of Beech Grove Police Officer Bill Toney during a foot pursuit.
Correctional officials reported Ritchie’s execution at the Indiana State Prison began shortly after midnight, with him pronounced dead at 12:46 a.m. Indiana had resumed executions in December after a 15-year pause caused by a nationwide shortage of lethal injection drugs. This execution was conducted under strict state regulations mandating that death row inmates be put to death before sunrise.
Ritchie was convicted for his role in the fatal incident, in which he fired upon Toney during a chase, resulting in the officer’s death. At the time of the shooting, Ritchie was on probation for a prior burglary conviction. Toney, 31, had served two years on the Beech Grove police force and was the department’s first officer to be killed in the line of duty.
The decision to carry out the execution followed a clemency hearing held last week, where Toney’s family urged officials to proceed. “It’s time. We’re all tired,” said Toney’s widow, Dee Dee Horen. She expressed the need for the community to shift its focus from the tragedy to the life of her husband.
Throughout his incarceration, Ritchie’s legal team raised questions regarding his mental health, claiming he endured significant brain damage attributable to his mother’s abuse of alcohol during pregnancy. Defense attorneys argued that his trial counsel failed to present key evidence of these issues, which could have impacted the jury’s understanding of Ritchie’s behavior at the time of the crime.
Despite Ritchie’s change during his decades in prison, where he claimed to have developed coping skills and showed remorse, Governor Mike Braun rejected a clemency appeal based on the parole board’s recommendation. The board cited Ritchie’s extensive record of misconduct while incarcerated, including violent threats against other inmates.
The Indiana Supreme Court turned down an appeal to halt the execution, although dissenting justices noted that jurors may not have received accurate information concerning Ritchie’s mental health. Advocacy organizations have argued that individuals with disabilities like Ritchie’s brain damage should not be subjected to capital punishment due to their impaired judgment capabilities.
As Ritchie faced the end of his life, he reflected on the impact of his actions, expressing regret over his behavior and the pain he caused Toney’s family. “I wish I could go back to the day in court… that was her right,” he stated. In his final hours, Ritchie welcomed visits from friends and family, with state regulations allowing up to five witnesses at his execution.
This execution forms part of a larger trend, with numerous states planning additional lethal injections this year as the national debate over capital punishment continues.