Who is Benjamin Ritchie? Man executed for killing of police officer in Indiana, it's second in 15 years

An Indiana man convicted in the fatal shooting of a police officer in 2000 was executed Tuesday by lethal injection in the state's second execution in 15 years.

Benjamin Ritchie, 45, had been on Indiana's death row since 2002, when he was convicted of killing Beech Grove Police Officer Bill Toney during a chase on foot.

Ritchie was executed at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City, according to Indiana Department of Correction officials. IDOC said in an online statement the execution process started shortly after midnight and he was pronounced dead at 12:46 am.

Ritchie told a parole board earlier this month that he had changed during his more than two decades behind bars. He apologized for his actions, which led to the killing of the 31-year-old married father of two children.

“I've ruined my life and other people's lives, and I'm so sorry for that night,” he said. “If I could go back and just shake that kid, because he wouldn't listen to nobody. You can't take back what you did.”

Ritchie was 20 and on probation from a 1998 burglary conviction when he and others stole a van in Beech Grove, near Indianapolis. While Toney chased him on foot, he fired four shots, killing him.

Indiana resumed executions in December after a yearslong hiatus marked by a scarcity of lethal injection drugs nationwide. Scant details were provided about the process, including the specific execution time.

Among 27 states with death penalty laws, Indiana is one of two that bar media witnesses. The other, Wyoming, has conducted just one execution in the last half-century. The Associated Press and four other media organizations have filed a federal lawsuit in Indiana seeking media access. The execution in Indiana is among 12 scheduled in eight states this year.

Ritchie's attorneys fought the death penalty sentence for years, arguing his legal counsel was ineffective and that his attorneys failed to fully investigate whether Ritchie suffered from fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and childhood lead exposure.

Ritchie had “severe brain damage” since before birth because his mother abused alcohol and drugs during pregnancy, according to court documents. As a result Ritchie had grappled with decision-making abilities. He was also diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2005.

First-term Republican Gov Mike Braun rejected Ritchie's bid for clemency as the parole board recommended. Braun did not explain his decision, but board members cited dozens of violations during Ritchie's time behind bars, including threatening others with violence. 

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