Indiana Parole Board to hold clemency hearing for man facing death penalty

INDIANAPOLIS - The Indiana State Parole Board will hold a clemency hearing on Monday for a man convicted of killing a Beech Grove police officer in 2000.




The State of Indiana set an an execution date for Benjamin Ritchie on April 15. He's currently due to be executed at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City on May 20.

Ritchie's legal team has filed post-conviction relief appeals and sought a federal habeas proceeding in the years since he was convicted. Thus far, none of Ritchie's efforts have halted his pending execution.




Ritchie will exhaust one of his last options to avoid the death penalty on Monday. Public records indicate the Indiana Parole Board will hear his case for clemency at 10 a.m. at the Indiana State Prison.




In Indiana, the state parole board serves as a "Clemency Commission," according to Rigney Law LLC. The board reviews petitions for clemency, and then sends its recommendations to the governor's office.




No matter what happens during Ritchie's clemency hearing, Governor Mike Braun will ultimately be the person who decides to grant or deny Ritchie's petition.




Should Ritchie's petition for clemency be denied, he will become the second prisoner the State of Indiana has executed in the last six months. State officials executed Jospeh Corcoran - a man convicted of killing four people in Allen County in 1997 - in December.




Prior to Corcoran's execution, the State of Indiana had not executed one of its prisoners since 2009, when a man convicted of killing three people in 1994 - Matthew Eric Wrinkles - was put to death.




Despite the State's pause on executions, capital punishment was still exercised numerous times in Indiana over the years because the federal government continued to execute its prisoners at its facility in Terre Haute. In the last five years, at least 13 executions have been carried out at the federal prison in Terre Haute.








Ritchie was convicted more than 20 years ago. A jury later unanimously recommended the death penalty for Ritchie. A trial court imposed his sentence on Oct. 15, 2022.




Previous reporting on the shooting Ritchie was convicted for indicates he shot BGPD officer William Toney on Sept. 29, 2000.




Toney attempted to stop the driver of a van that had previously been reported stolen before the shooting.




A chase began after Toney tried to pull the driver of the van over. During the chase, Ritchie ultimately got out of the van and fled on foot.




Toney engaged in a foot pursuit with Ritchie. During the foot chase, Ritchie fired four shots at Toney.




As of this article's publication, Braun had not issued a public statement on Ritchie's petition for clemency.




Should Braun deny Ritchie's petition, he will become the 94th prisoner the State of Indiana has executed since 1894.





via: https://fox59.com/news/indiana-parole-board-to-hold-clemency-hearing-for-man-facing-death-penalty/