Benjamin Ritchie, a 45-year-old inmate on Indiana’s death row, is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection on Tuesday, May 20, at the Indiana State Prison. His execution will mark only the second in the state in the past 15 years.
Ritchie was convicted of fatally shooting 31-year-old Beech Grove Police Officer William “Bill” Toney in 2000. Officer Toney, who wasn’t originally scheduled to work that night, had been covering for a colleague on vacation when he was killed during a foot chase. Ritchie, who was on probation for burglary at the time, had stolen a van from a local gas station, leading to the fatal confrontation.
On Monday, the Beech Grove Police Department issued a statement honoring Toney’s service:
“Officer William Toney lost his life 25 years ago serving the community he lived in… While there is no peace in the execution, there is comfort in the realization that society has kept its promise to the men and women of law enforcement to hold those accountable for their reckless choices and damaging actions.”
Ritchie’s legal team has argued that he suffers from brain damage due to Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, citing it as a mitigating factor that should have spared him the death penalty. He has spent more than two decades on death row, during which his attorneys sought to have his sentence commuted to life without parole.
On May 14, the Indiana Parole Board unanimously denied Ritchie’s clemency request. That same day, Governor Mike Braun authorized the execution to proceed.
“After carefully reviewing the unanimous recommendation from the State Parole Board, I have decided to allow the execution of Benjamin Ritchie to proceed as planned for May 20,” Braun said in a statement.
During the clemency hearing, Officer Toney’s widow expressed her readiness for closure.
“It’s time. We’re all tired,” she said. “It’s time for this chapter of my story, our story, to be closed. It’s time for us to remember Bill’s life, and not his death.”
Ritchie himself expressed remorse during the hearing, stating:
“I’ve ruined my life and other people’s lives, and I’m so sorry for that night. You can’t take back what you did.”
As of now, Ritchie’s attorneys have submitted a final petition to the U.S. Supreme Court in an attempt to halt the execution. Without intervention, the execution is expected to take place before sunrise on Tuesday.
