Indiana Schedules Execution Date for Cop Killer Ritchie on May 20

The Indiana Supreme Court has set an execution date of May 20, 2025, for Benjamin Ritchie, who was convicted in 2002 for the murder of Beech Grove Police Officer William Toney in 2000. Ritchie shot Toney multiple times during a police chase involving a stolen van, an act for which he has spent years appealing his death sentence without success. The court denied Ritchie's latest attempts to appeal based on claims of ineffective counsel and mental health issues, including fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. Attorney General Todd Rokita emphasized that Ritchie has been on death row for 22 years and that it is time for him to face justice. Toney's widow, Dee Dee Horen, expressed her long wait for justice and her belief that the execution is necessary for closure. This execution will mark the second in Indiana since the state resumed capital punishment after a 15-year hiatus.