The state of Indiana carried out the execution of Benjamin Donnie Ritchie at 6:01 a. m. Tuesday, May 20, 2025, ending a nearly 25-year legal battle over the murder of Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Officer William Tony.
Ritchie, 44, was pronounced dead by lethal injection at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City, becoming the second inmate executed in the state since it resumed capital punishment in December 2024 after a 15-year hiatus.
Ritchie’s final hours were marked by a flurry of last-minute legal appeals and a personal plea for mercy that ultimately failed. In a statement released through his attorneys, Ritchie apologized for the 2000 shooting that killed Officer Tony, saying he was “not the same man” who had fled a stolen van and opened fire during a foot chase. But the Indiana Parole Board denied clemency on May 14, and Governor Mike Braun declined to intervene, clearing the path for the execution.
The execution proceeded without major incident. Ritchie was allowed a final meal of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and a chocolate milkshake, according to prison officials. He spent his last hours meeting with his spiritual advisor and two close friends.
He did not speak to reporters. His final words, delivered to witnesses in the death chamber, were brief: “I am sorry for the pain I caused. I hope this brings peace.”
Officer Tony’s widow, D. D. Hin, who has attended every major hearing for nearly a quarter-century, watched from a separate room.
In a statement afterward, she said, “I’ve waited 24 years for this. I don’t feel joy. I don’t feel happiness, but justice needs to be served.
Today, it was.”
The case has reignited a fierce national debate about whether the death penalty is applied unevenly—especially when the victim is a law enforcement officer. Ritchie was convicted of killing a police officer, a crime that automatically made him eligible for capital punishment under Indiana law. Critics argue that the system treats the murder of a cop as more heinous than other killings, while supporters maintain that targeting an officer is an attack on society itself.
Ritchie’s background was a central theme in his appeals. Born into chaos in 1980, he was abandoned by his mother, a stripper with addiction issues, and later adopted by Vera and Oscar Richie. He struggled with bipolar disorder and cognitive impairments, dropping out of school by ninth grade.
His defense team argued that fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and childhood lead exposure impaired his judgment, but the courts ruled that evidence would not have changed the jury’s verdict.
The crime itself unfolded on September 29, 2000, in Beech Grove, Indiana. Ritchie and two accomplices stole a white van. When police spotted it, a high-speed chase ended with Ritchie crashing into a house and fleeing on foot.
Officer William Tony, a 31-year-old former Marine and father of two, pursued him. Ritchie turned and fired four shots, one striking Tony above his bulletproof vest. He died at the scene.
Ritchie escaped but was arrested the next day. At trial, his accomplice Michael Greer testified that Ritchie was terrified of returning to prison for a probation violation. The jury convicted him in August 2002 and sentenced him to death after just three hours of deliberation.
Ritchie reportedly laughed when the verdict was read.
For two decades, Ritchie sat on death row, one of only eight inmates left in Indiana. The state had not executed anyone since 2009 due to a shortage of lethal injection drugs. But in 2024, Indiana secured a new supply and resumed executions.
Joseph Corcoran was put to death in December 2024. Ritchie’s turn came five months later.
His legal team exhausted every appeal. They challenged the constitutionality of Indiana’s death penalty system, arguing that a judge could override a jury’s life sentence. The Indiana Supreme Court rejected that claim.
They argued ineffective counsel, citing failures to investigate Ritchie’s mental health. On April 15, 2025, the court denied post-conviction relief in a divided ruling. Chief Justice Loretta Rush dissented, saying there was enough evidence to revisit the case.
The final clemency hearing on May 12 was emotional. Ritchie personally addressed the parole board, saying, “I want to make good use of a second chance.” But Officer Tony’s family and colleagues urged the board to follow through.
Two days later, clemency was denied.
As the execution date approached, Ritchie’s attorneys filed a last-ditch motion with the U. S. Supreme Court, arguing that his cognitive impairments made him ineligible for execution under the Eighth Amendment.
The Court declined to hear the case late Monday night.
Inside the death chamber, Ritchie was strapped to a gurney. The lethal injection protocol began at 5:45 a. m.
He was pronounced dead 16 minutes later. Witnesses included media representatives and members of Officer Tony’s family.
Outside the prison, about 50 protesters gathered, some holding signs reading “No Death Penalty” and others “Justice for Officer Tony.” The scene was peaceful.
The execution of Benjamin Ritchie marks a rare moment in modern American capital punishment. Indiana now has six inmates left on death row, including two others convicted of killing police officers. Attorney General Todd Rokita said the state will continue to pursue executions in appropriate cases.
For D. D. Hin, the long wait is over.
“I can finally close this chapter,” she said. “But I know Bill is still gone. Nothing brings him back.”
Ritchie’s final hours were quiet. He slept little, prayed often, and wrote a letter to his adopted mother, Vera Richie, who died in 2018. He asked that his body be cremated and his ashes scattered at an undisclosed location.
The question of whether a cop’s life is valued more than a civilian’s remains unresolved. Ritchie’s case, like many before it, highlights the uneven application of the death penalty. But for the state of Indiana, the law was clear.
Benjamin Donnie Ritchie killed a police officer. And for that, he paid with his life.
As the sun rose over Michigan City on Tuesday morning, the execution chamber fell silent. The final countdown had reached zero.
