Benjamin Ritchie was executed by lethal injection on Tuesday in Indiana, nearly 23 years after he fatally shot Officer Bill Toney during a police chase. Ritchie, a death row inmate since 2002, had exhausted all legal avenues against his sentence after the Supreme Court declined to hear his case. His execution was witnessed by five individuals, including his attorney, who described a limited view of the process. Outside the prison, mixed crowds of supporters and anti-death penalty advocates awaited the outcome. Indiana had resumed executions in December due to a shortage of lethal injection drugs.
Under state law, he was allowed five witnesses at his execution, which included his attorney Steve Schutte, who told reporters he had a limited view of the process.
Dozens of people, both anti-death penalty advocates and supporters of Toney, stood outside the prison until early Tuesday.
Indiana resumed executions in December after a year-long hiatus due to a scarcity of lethal injection drugs nationwide.
Despite the execution, debates continue regarding the efficacy and morality of the death penalty in Indiana and the United States.
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