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A convict on death row in Indiana was put to death by lethal injection in the early hours of Tuesday morning in only the state’s second execution in 15 years.
Benjamin Ritchie, 45, has been awaiting the death penalty for more than 20 years after being convicted of fatally shooting Beech Grove Police Officer Bill Toney on September 29 2000.
The prisoner’s final meal was a takeaway from the family restaurant Olive Garden and his final words were an expression of love, support and peace for his friends and family, according to a statement from the Indiana Department of Correction (IDOC).
“I’ve ruined my life and other people’s lives, and I’m so sorry for that night,” Ritchie had told a parole board hearing earlier this month. “You can’t take back what you did.”
He was finally executed at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City shortly after midnight, according to officials, who said that Ritchie was pronounced dead at 12.46 a. m.
Under state law, the condemned man was allowed five witnesses in attendance at his execution, which included his attorney Steve Schutte. The lawyer said the execution was “a foolish, senseless, agonizing waste of time and money” adding that the deceased was no longer “the same person who committed that crime.”
According to court records, Ritchie, who was on probation from a 1998 burglary conviction at the time, had stolen a van and was pursued by police officers. After exiting the vehicle and running away, Ritchie turned and shot the chasing officer four times, killing him.
The killer’s attorneys had fought against his death sentence, arguing that key issues had not been taken into account.
Ritchie had fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and childhood lead exposure which left him with severe brain damage that impeded his decision-making, his current defense attorneys said. They claim this was not fully investigated at the time.
Ritchie was also diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2005. Disability rights advocates have argued that his brain damage should have excluded him from the death penalty.
But after the state’s Republican Governor Mike Braun rejected Ritchie’s clemency bid last week without explanation, the Indiana Supreme Court, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and finally the U.S. Supreme Court all declined to intervene, ending his last hope of securing a reprieve.
Dozens of people gathered in the parking lot outside of Indiana State Prison last night to observe the moment, with anti-death penalty campaigners and friends of Toney, a married father of two, showing up to make their presence felt.
Richard Holy, a Catholic priest, was among the crowd and told reporters: “We don’t have to keep taking one life to exact justice for taking another.”
Indiana resumed executions in December after a years-long hiatus due to scarcity of lethal injection drugs nationwide.
Additional reporting by agencies.
English (US) ·