Latest news with #BenjaminRitchie
Free Malaysia Today
21-05-2025
- Free Malaysia Today
Texas man who set store clerk on fire executed by lethal injection
Of the 18 executions in the US this year, 14 have been by lethal injection, two by firing squad and two used nitrogen gas. (AP pic) WASHINGTON : A man who pleaded guilty to killing a convenience store worker by setting her on fire was put to death in Texas yesterday in the second of three executions to be carried out in the US this week. Matthew Johnson, 49, was executed by lethal injection at the Texas state penitentiary in Huntsville and pronounced dead at 6.53pm local time. Johnson was sentenced to death for the 2012 murder of Nancy Harris, a 76-year-old grandmother. He admitted at trial to pouring lighter fluid on Harris and setting her alight during an early morning robbery of a store in Garland, Texas. Harris suffered severe burns and was taken off life support five days later. In his final statement, Johnson thanked God and asked for forgiveness from the victim's family, saying 'I never meant to hurt her'. He also apologized to his wife and asked for her forgiveness, along with the forgiveness of their three daughters. 'Just know that it's nothing that y'all did,' he said to his family. 'I made wrong choices, I've made wrong decisions, and now I pay the consequences.' Johnson's execution was scheduled to take place just hours after the midwestern state of Indiana carried out its second execution since 2009. Benjamin Ritchie, 45, was put to death by lethal injection overnight at the Indiana state prison in Michigan City for the 2000 murder of officer Bill Toney, the Indiana department of correction said in a statement. Toney, a father of two, was shot to death after pursuing a van that had been stolen by Ritchie and another man from a gas station in the town of Beech Grove. The other execution scheduled this week is in the southern state of Tennessee. Oscar Smith, 75, is to be put to death by lethal injection tomorrow for the 1989 shooting and stabbing murders of his estranged wife, Judy Smith, and her two sons, Chad and Jason Burnett. There have been 18 executions in the US this year: 14 by lethal injection, two by firing squad and two using nitrogen gas. The death penalty has been abolished in 23 of the 50 US states, while three others – California, Oregon and Pennsylvania – have moratoriums in place. President Donald Trump is a proponent of capital punishment and called on his first day in office for an expansion of its use 'for the vilest crimes.'
Malay Mail
21-05-2025
- Malay Mail
US continues spate of executions as Texas lethally injects man behind 2012 burning death of store clerk
WASHINGTON, May 21 — A man who pleaded guilty to killing a convenience store worker by setting her on fire was put to death in Texas on Tuesday in the second of three executions to be carried out in the United States this week. Matthew Johnson, 49, was executed by lethal injection at the Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville and pronounced dead at 6:53 pm local time (2353 GMT). Johnson was sentenced to death for the 2012 murder of Nancy Harris, a 76-year-old grandmother. He admitted at trial to pouring lighter fluid on Harris and setting her alight during an early morning robbery of a store in Garland, Texas. Harris suffered severe burns and was taken off life support five days later. In his final statement, Johnson thanked God and asked for forgiveness from the victim's family, saying 'I never meant to hurt her.' He also apologized to his wife and asked for her forgiveness, along with the forgiveness of their three daughters. 'Just know that it's nothing that y'all did,' he said to his family. 'I made wrong choices, I've may wrong decisions, and now I pay the consequences.' Johnson's execution was scheduled to take place just hours after the midwestern state of Indiana carried out its second execution since 2009. Benjamin Ritchie, 45, was put to death by lethal injection overnight at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City for the 2000 murder of officer Bill Toney, the Indiana Department of Correction said in a statement. Toney, a father of two, was shot to death after pursuing a van that had been stolen by Ritchie and another man from a gas station in the town of Beech Grove. The other execution scheduled this week is in the southern state of Tennessee. Oscar Smith, 75, is to be put to death by lethal injection on Thursday for the 1989 shooting and stabbing murders of his estranged wife, Judy Smith, and her two sons, Chad and Jason Burnett. There have been 18 executions in the United States this year: 14 by lethal injection, two by firing squad and two using nitrogen gas. The death penalty has been abolished in 23 of the 50 US states, while three others – California, Oregon and Pennsylvania – have moratoriums in place. President Donald Trump is a proponent of capital punishment and called on his first day in office for an expansion of its use 'for the vilest crimes.' — AFP
Al Arabiya
21-05-2025
- Al Arabiya
Texas man who set store clerk on fire executed by lethal injection
A man who pleaded guilty to killing a convenience store worker by setting her on fire was put to death in Texas on Tuesday in the second of three executions to be carried out in the United States this week. Matthew Johnson, 49, was executed by lethal injection at the Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville and pronounced dead at 6:53 p.m. local time (11:53 p.m. GMT). Johnson was sentenced to death for the 2012 murder of Nancy Harris, a 76-year-old grandmother. He admitted at trial to pouring lighter fluid on Harris and setting her alight during an early morning robbery of a store in Garland, Texas. Harris suffered severe burns and was taken off life support five days later. In his final statement, Johnson thanked God and asked for forgiveness from the victim's family, saying, 'I never meant to hurt her.' He also apologized to his wife and asked for her forgiveness, along with the forgiveness of their three daughters. 'Just know that it's nothing that y'all did,' he said to his family. 'I made wrong choices, I've made wrong decisions, and now I pay the consequences.' Johnson's execution was scheduled to take place just hours after the midwestern state of Indiana carried out its second execution since 2009. Benjamin Ritchie, 45, was put to death by lethal injection overnight at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City for the 2000 murder of officer Bill Toney, the Indiana Department of Correction said in a statement. Toney, a father of two, was shot to death after pursuing a van that had been stolen by Ritchie and another man from a gas station in the town of Beech Grove. The other execution scheduled this week is in the southern state of Tennessee. Oscar Smith, 75, is to be put to death by lethal injection on Thursday for the 1989 shooting and stabbing murders of his estranged wife, Judy Smith, and her two sons, Chad and Jason Burnett. There have been 18 executions in the United States this year: 14 by lethal injection, two by firing squad and two using nitrogen gas. The death penalty has been abolished in 23 of the 50 US states, while three others — California, Oregon and Pennsylvania — have moratoriums in place. President Donald Trump is a proponent of capital punishment and called on his first day in office for an expansion of its use 'for the vilest crimes.'
New York Post
20-05-2025
- New York Post
Indiana man executed for the 2000 killing of a police officer is the state's second execution in 15 years
An Indiana man convicted in the fatal shooting of a police officer in 2000 was executed Tuesday by lethal injection in the state's second execution in 15 years. Benjamin Ritchie, 45, had been on Indiana's death row since 2002, when he was convicted of killing Beech Grove Police Officer Bill Toney during a chase on foot. Ritchie was executed at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City, according to Indiana Department of Corrections officials. IDOC said in a statement that the process started shortly after midnight, and Ritchie was pronounced dead at 12:46 a.m. 6 Benjamin Ritchie, an Indiana man convicted in the fatal shooting of a police officer in 2000, was executed by lethal injection in the state's second execution in 15 years. AP Ritchie's last meal was from the Olive Garden, and he expressed love, support, and peace for his friends and family, according to the statement. 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. 'I couldn't see his face. He was lying flat by that time,' Schutte said. 'He sat up, twitched, laid back down.' The process was carried out hours after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to take the case, exhausting all of Ritchie's legal options to fight the death sentence. 6 The Rev. Richard Holy leads a prayer vigil on May 19, before Ritchie's scheduled execution at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City, Ind. AP 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. Prison officials provided photos of the execution chamber before Joseph Corcoran's execution, showing a space that looks like an operating room with a gurney, fluorescent lighting, and an adjacent viewing room. They've since offered few other details. Among 27 states with death penalty laws, Indiana is one of two that bars media witnesses. The other, Wyoming, has conducted one execution in the last half-century. 6 Ritchie had been on Indiana's death row since 2002, when he was convicted of killing Beech Grove Police Officer Bill Toney (pictured) during a chase on foot. MATT DETRICH / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images The Associated Press and other media organizations filed a federal lawsuit in Indiana seeking media access, but a federal judge denied a preliminary injunction last week that would have allowed journalists to witness Ritchie's execution and future ones. The judge found that barring the news media doesn't violate the First Amendment, nor does it single out the news media for unequal treatment. The execution in Indiana is among 12 scheduled in eight states this year. Ritchie's execution and two others in Texas and Tennessee will be carried out this week. The 2000 fatal shooting of a police officer Ritchie was 20 when he and others stole a van in Beech Grove, near Indianapolis. He then fired at Toney during a foot chase, killing him. 6 The casket of slain Beech Grove police officer William Toney was carried to the service site by fellow Beech Grove officers before burial services were held at the Washington East Cemetery. MATT DETRICH / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images At the time, Ritchie was on probation from a 1998 burglary conviction. Toney, 31, had worked at the Beech Grove Police Department for two years. The married father of two was the first officer of the small department to be killed by gunfire in the line of duty. Relatives spoke at a clemency hearing last week in support of the execution. 'It's time. We're all tired,' said Dee Dee Horen, who was Toney's wife. 'It is time for this chapter of my story, our story, to be closed. It's time for us to remember Bill, to remember Bill's life, and not his death.' Appealing a death sentence Ritchie's attorneys have fought the death sentence, arguing his legal counsel at trial was ineffective because his lawyers failed to fully investigate and present evidence on his fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and childhood lead exposure. Current defense attorneys say Ritchie suffered 'severe brain damage' because his mother abused alcohol and drugs during pregnancy, and he's struggled with decision-making. He was also diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2005. Disability rights advocates argued that Ritchie's brain damage should have excluded him from the death penalty. 'This is a foolish, senseless, agonizing waste of time and money,' said Schutte, who added that Ritchie was no longer 'the same person who committed that crime.' Attorney General Todd Rokita said the execution honored Toney's 'sacrifice to the community.' Republican Gov. Mike Braun rejected Ritchie's clemency bid last week without explanation. The Indiana Supreme Court denied a request to stop the execution. Ritchie's attorneys challenged that decision in federal court, which a judge rejected. The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the lower court on Sunday. As the sun set on Monday, the Rev. Richard Holy, a Catholic priest, recited the rosary with about 20 people in the prison parking lot. 6 Ritchie's attorneys have fought the death sentence, arguing his legal counsel at trial was ineffective because his lawyers failed to fully investigate and present evidence on his fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and childhood lead exposure. AP 'We don't have to keep taking one life to exact justice for taking another,' he said. Dozens also showed up to honor Toney's memory. 'I support the death penalty in certain cases, and this is one of them,' said Mark Hamner, an Indianapolis-area officer. Expressing regret and awaiting execution Attorneys said Ritchie changed during his more than two decades behind bars and had shown remorse. In court as a young man, Ritchie smiled at Horen and laughed as the verdict was read. 6 Ritchie's execution and two others in Texas and Tennessee will be carried out this week. AP He told a parole board he deeply regretted his actions, especially how he acted with Toney's widow. 'I wish I could go back to the day in court, because that man's wife deserved to say everything she needed to say to me, and that punk kid should have just kept his mouth shut and let her say whatever she needed to say,' Ritchie said. Ritchie, who was also a father, spent his last days getting visits from friends and family. 'I've ruined my life and other people's lives, and I'm so sorry for that night,' he told the parole board earlier this month. 'You can't take back what you did.'
Hindustan Times
20-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
Who is Benjamin Ritchie? Man executed for killing of police officer in Indiana, it's second in 15 years
An Indiana man convicted in the fatal shooting of a police officer in 2000 was executed Tuesday by lethal injection in the state's second execution in 15 years. Benjamin Ritchie, 45, had been on Indiana's death row since 2002, when he was convicted of killing Beech Grove Police Officer Bill Toney during a chase on foot. Ritchie was executed at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City, according to Indiana Department of Correction officials. IDOC said in an online statement the execution process started shortly after midnight and he was pronounced dead at 12:46 am. Ritchie told a parole board earlier this month that he had changed during his more than two decades behind bars. He apologized for his actions, which led to the killing of the 31-year-old married father of two children. 'I've ruined my life and other people's lives, and I'm so sorry for that night,' he said. 'If I could go back and just shake that kid, because he wouldn't listen to nobody. You can't take back what you did.' Ritchie was 20 and on probation from a 1998 burglary conviction when he and others stole a van in Beech Grove, near Indianapolis. While Toney chased him on foot, he fired four shots, killing him. Indiana resumed executions in December after a yearslong hiatus marked by a scarcity of lethal injection drugs nationwide. Scant details were provided about the process, including the specific execution time. Among 27 states with death penalty laws, Indiana is one of two that bar media witnesses. The other, Wyoming, has conducted just one execution in the last half-century. The Associated Press and four other media organizations have filed a federal lawsuit in Indiana seeking media access. The execution in Indiana is among 12 scheduled in eight states this year. Ritchie's attorneys fought the death penalty sentence for years, arguing his legal counsel was ineffective and that his attorneys failed to fully investigate whether Ritchie suffered from fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and childhood lead exposure. Ritchie had 'severe brain damage' since before birth because his mother abused alcohol and drugs during pregnancy, according to court documents. As a result Ritchie had grappled with decision-making abilities. He was also diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2005. First-term Republican Gov Mike Braun rejected Ritchie's bid for clemency as the parole board recommended. Braun did not explain his decision, but board members cited dozens of violations during Ritchie's time behind bars, including threatening others with violence.
