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This article reconstructs the final 24 hours of Benjamin Ritchie, who was executed in the state of Indiana on May 20, 2025. The content is researched from court records, news reports, and official sources for educational purposes regarding the criminal justice system and capital punishment. No speculation. No sensationalism. We condemn all acts of violence. This article does not glorify or advocate for crime.
The Final Hours of Benjamin Ritchie: Last Meal, Last Words, and Death at Midnight
In the early morning hours of May 20, 2025, the state of Indiana carried out the death sentence of Benjamin Donnie Ritchie, 45, at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City . Ritchie had been on death row for more than 22 years since 2002, after being convicted of murdering Beech Grove Police Officer William “Bill” Toney on September 29, 2000 . This was Indiana’s second execution after a 15-year hiatus, marking a turning point in the state’s capital punishment history .
1. The Final 24 Hours: Last Meal and Last-Minute Appeals
Man executed for the 2000 killing of a police officer in Indiana’s second execution in 15 years
On his final day, Ritchie was allowed to choose his last meal. He selected the “Tour of Italy” from Olive Garden – a meal consisting of fettuccine alfredo, lasagna, and chicken parmigiana . It was an ordinary, simple meal, nothing extraordinary.
Behind this apparent calm, however, a frantic legal battle was unfolding. Ritchie’s legal team filed a series of last-minute appeals hoping to stop the execution. They argued that Ritchie suffered from severe brain damage due to his mother’s alcohol consumption during pregnancy (fetal alcohol spectrum disorder), as well as childhood lead exposure – factors they claimed were not adequately considered during his 2002 trial .
Half of the Indiana Supreme Court justices expressed the view that Ritchie’s execution was “inappropriate” . Nevertheless, on the evening of May 19, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene, rejecting the last-minute request for a stay of execution . All doors had closed.
2. Entering the Death Chamber
Shortly after midnight on May 20, Ritchie was led into the execution chamber – a room described as resembling an operating theater, with a gurney, fluorescent lighting, and a floor drain . Witnesses included his attorney, Steven Shutte, and several prison officials.
According to attorney Shutte’s account, Ritchie looked toward the witnesses, smiled and waved before lying down . It was a strange moment for a man about to die – not fear or despair, but a form of acceptance.
Ritchie then delivered his final words. He said:
“I love my family, my friends, and all the support I’ve gotten. I hope they all find peace.”
There was no apology to the victim’s family, no last-minute confession. Only love for his own loved ones.
3. The Lethal Injection Process
The execution began shortly after 12:01 a.m. . Ritchie was administered a single dose of pentobarbital, a high-dose barbiturate that causes respiratory and circulatory arrest .
Attorney Shutte described in detail what he witnessed:
“He looked at us, smiled and waved, and then he laid back down. A few seconds later his left fist was clenching, and his feet were moving for about 10 seconds. Then he sat up and violently twitched for about three seconds and laid back down. And then about two or three minutes later, they close the blinds.”
These convulsions are a common physical response after a lethal dose – the central nervous system shuts down, but muscles may still twitch sporadically.
At 12:46 a.m., Benjamin Ritchie was pronounced dead .
4. Reactions: Justice or Injustice?
Immediately after the execution was announced, opposing viewpoints emerged.
The victim’s family and Indiana state officials viewed this as a victory for justice. Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita stated: “Justice was done to honor officer Toney’s sacrifice for his community” . Dozens of retired police officers gathered outside the prison, raising blue glow sticks in memory .
The defense team and death penalty opponents called it a tragedy. Attorney Steven Shutte, who witnessed his client’s death, described the execution as “a foolish, senseless, agonizing waste of time and money” . He emphasized that the Ritchie of 25 years ago was no longer the person executed that night. Mark Koselke, Deputy State Public Defender, also criticized: “Indiana executed a man with profound brain damage and developmental disabilities” .
5. The Crime 25 Years Ago: The Death of Officer Toney
Indiana set to execute man who killed officer; family ‘needs closure,’ but lawyers say it’s unjust • Indiana Capital Chronicle
To understand why Ritchie faced execution, we must look back at the 2000 crime. On September 29, 2000, Ritchie, then 20 years old, along with accomplices, stole a van in Beech Grove, near Indianapolis . When police discovered and pursued them, Ritchie fled on foot and shot at the pursuing officer – William “Bill” Toney, 31, a father of two young children .
Ritchie fired four shots. One bullet struck the officer in the neck. Toney died one day before his 33rd birthday . At the time, Ritchie was on probation from a 1998 burglary conviction .
During a May 2025 clemency hearing, Ritchie admitted: “I’ve ruined my life and other people’s lives, and I’m so sorry for that night. You can’t take back what you did” . He also said that the person he was at the time “needed to be put down” .
Yet these apologies could not bring Bill Toney back.
A Sobering End
Benjamin Ritchie was one of 12 people scheduled for execution in the United States in 2025 . His story – from a 20-year-old cop-killer, through 25 years in prison, to his death on a gurney at midnight – is a cold reminder that capital punishment is not distant history. It is still happening, in closed rooms, under fluorescent lights, with lethal drugs flowing into veins.
Was Ritchie’s remorse real? Should brain damage be considered a mitigating factor for a death sentence? Was justice truly served when a man who had changed over 25 years was still executed? These are questions with no easy answers. But one thing is certain: at 12:46 a.m. on May 20, 2025, Benjamin Ritchie paid for his crime with his own life.
Primary sources:
IndyStar – “Last meal, final words before execution of Benjamin Ritchie”
WISH-TV – “State executes Benjamin Ritchie”
WRTV – “Indiana executes Benjamin Ritchie”
The Independent – “The last words and final meal of man executed”
New York Post / AP – “Indiana man put to death for 2000 police killing”
CBS News – “Indiana man is put to death in state’s second execution in 15 years”
Wikipedia – “Benjamin Ritchie”