Michigan, Ind. - An Indiana man was convicted of a fatal shooting of a police officer in 2000 and was fatally shot on Tuesday in the state's second execution in 15 years.
Benjamin Ritchie, 45, has been on death row in Indiana since 2002 when he was convicted of killing Beech Grove's police officer, Bill Toney, chased on foot.
Ritchie was executed in the Indiana prison in Michigan, according to Indiana Department of Corrections officials. The process began shortly after midnight, and Ritchie was pronounced dead at 12:46 a.m., IDOC said in a statement
According to the statement, Ritchie’s last meal came from Olive Garden, and he expressed love, support and peace to his friends and family.
Under state law, he was allowed to execute five witnesses, including his attorney Steve Schutte, who told reporters that he had limited views on the process.
"I can't see his face. He was lying flat at that time." "He sat up, twitched, and lay down."
The process took place hours after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to file a lawsuit, which gave Ritchie all legal options to fight the death penalty.
Toney’s dozens, Toney’s supporters and supporters stood outside the prison until the early hours of Tuesday.
Indiana has resumed its death penalty after a year-long stagnation due to the scarcity of deadly injectable drugs nationwide. Prison officials provided photos of the execution room before Joseph Corcoran's execution, showing a look like an operating room with Gurney, fluorescent lighting and an adjacent viewing room. After that, they provide some other details.
Of the 27 states with death penalty laws, Indiana is one of two states that release media witnesses. Another in Wyoming has carried out an execution over the past half century.
The Associated Press and other media organizations filed federal lawsuits in Indiana seeking media access, but a federal judge last week denied a preliminary injunction that would allow journalists to witness Ritchie's execution and future bans. The judge found that unless the news media did not violate the First Amendment, they would not select news media for inequality treatment.
Indiana's execution volume is 12 of eight states this year. Ritchie's execution, along with two more in Texas and Tennessee, will be held this week.
Ritchie and others were only 20 when they stole a van in Beech Grove, near Indianapolis. Then, he shot Tony while he was chasing him, killing him.
At that time, Ritchie was suspended for burglary in 1998.
Toney, 31, worked for two years at the Beech Grove Police Department. The married father's father was the first official in a small department and was killed by gunfire within his responsibilities.
Relatives spoke at a leniency hearing last week in support of enforcement.
"It's time. We're all tired," said Dee Dee Horen of Tony's wife. "It's time for me to have my story, our story, closed this chapter. It's time for us to remember Bill, remember Bill's life, not his death."
Ritchie's attorneys fought the death penalty and believed his legal counsel at trial was invalid because his attorney failed to fully investigate his fetal alcohol disease and childhood lead exposure.
Current defense attorneys say Ritchie suffered “severe brain damage” as his mother abused alcohol and drugs during pregnancy and struggled with decision-making. He was also diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2005.
Disabled rights advocates believe that Ritchie’s brain damage should exclude him from the death penalty.
"It's a stupid, meaningless waste of time and money," Schutt said, adding that Ritchie is no longer "the person who commits the crime."
Attorney General Todd Rokita said the execution pays homage to Toney's "sacrifice to the community."
Republican Gov. Mike Braun rejected Ritchie's tricky bid last week, but no explanation.
The Indiana Supreme Court denies requesting a cessation of executions. Ritchie's lawyers challenged the ruling in a federal court that the judge refused. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit stood with the lower court on Sunday.
When the sun sets on Monday, Rev. Richard Holy, the Catholic priest, recited a rosary in the prison parking lot, with about 20 people.
"We don't have to continue making a living to make justice in full justice," he said.
Dozens also appear in memory of Tony's memory.
"In some cases, I support the death penalty, and that's one of them," said Indianapolis District Officer Mark Hamner.
Lawyer said Rich changed in the twenty years since jail and showed remorse.
Ritchie smiled at Horen in a young courtroom and smiled as she read the verdict.
He told the parole board that he felt very regretful about his actions, especially his legacy with Tony.
"I wish I could go back to the day in court because the man's wife should say everything she needs to say to me, and the punk boy should shut up and let her say what she needs to say."
Ritchie, who is also his father, spent his last days visiting friends and family.
"I ruined my life and other people's lives and I'm so sorry for that night," he told the parole board earlier this month. "You can't take back what you did."