Alright, we’ve got Benjamin Ritchie, a 45-year-old dude from Indiana, about to get a lethal injection for offing a police officer way back in 2000. This isn’t your average bedtime story, folks. Ritchie has been chilling on death row for over two decades after being found guilty of shooting Beech Grove Police Officer Bill Toney during a little foot chase. The guy’s scheduled to meet his maker “before the hour of sunrise” at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City. The anti-death penalty crew showed up on Monday night, but the U.S. Supreme Court decided to give Ritchie the green light for the ultimate snooze fest.
The whole execution gig in Indiana hasn’t been all that common lately. They took a little break because they couldn’t get their hands on the good stuff for lethal injections. But now they’re back in business. They even showed off some pics of the execution chamber before Joseph Corcoran got the boot. It looks like a funky operating room with a gurney, some bright lights, a floor drain, and a room for the audience. They’re keeping things mysterious though, not giving out the deets on when exactly the executions are going down. It’s like a really morbid surprise party.
Ritchie’s not the only one on the chopping block this year. There are 12 executions lined up across eight states, with Ritchie and a couple of other dudes from Texas and Tennessee getting the axe this week. Back in 2000, Ritchie was just a young buck at 20 years old when he and his crew stole a van and decided to play cops and robbers with Officer Toney. The poor officer didn’t make it out alive, and the community had to say goodbye to a real hero. Toney was the first officer from that small town to get shot down while on duty. It was a real tearjerker.
Alright, so Ritchie’s been playing the legal game, trying to dodge the death sentence. His lawyers are saying his original legal team didn’t do him any favors because they didn’t really dig deep into his past issues with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and lead exposure as a kid. Plus, they found out he’s got some severe brain damage from all the stuff his mom got up to during pregnancy. The guy’s been dealing with bipolar disorder since 2005. His lawyers are making a plea for his life, saying he’s a changed man now. But the governor shut that down real quick, saying Ritchie’s got to face the music. The Indiana Supreme Court and a federal judge agreed, so it looks like it’s game over for Ritchie.
As the sun was setting on Monday, a priest was out there praying with a small group of folks, asking for some mercy. But it looks like Ritchie’s time is up. The priest made a good point, though. Taking one life for another doesn’t really solve anything. After the prayer sesh, people got to ring a big ol’ bell to show their opposition to the death penalty. It’s like a sad, twisted dinner bell, calling everyone to witness the end of a life.
Ritchie’s been feeling all kinds of things as his time is running out. He’s been seeing friends and family, trying to make peace with what’s coming. He told the parole board he’s sorry for everything he’s done, especially for how he acted when Toney’s widow was speaking her piece. The guy’s got five guests lined up to watch his final curtain call. He’s been reflecting on his life choices, wishing he could turn back time. But hey, we all know that’s not how life works.
