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Murder of Officer William Toney

On September 29th, 2000, Benjamin Donnie Ritchie, 20, and two accomplices stole a Chevrolet Astro van from a Beech Grove, Indiana gas station at around 7 pm.

Two hours later, Officer Matt Hickey recognized the stolen van while heading to an accident call. Hickey pursued the vehicle and called for backup. Officers Robert Mercuri and William Toney joined the chase.

The vehicle chase ended when Ritchie crashed. Ritchie and his accomplice, Michael Greer, both took off on foot.
Greer was quickly apprehended.

Officer Toney pursued Ritchie, who turned and fired four shots, striking Toney in the chest. Officer Toney died at the scene while Ritchie escaped to a friend’s place, where he was arrested the next day.

He was charged with murder, unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon, auto theft, and resisting law enforcement.

Legal Proceedings

The jury convicted Ritchie on all counts and recommended the death penalty for the murder of Officer Toney.

The trial court imposed the death sentence on October 15th, 2002, along with an additional 20 years for the other charges.

Ritchie’s appeals raised claims of ineffective counsel and procedural errors, but the Indiana Supreme Court has consistently upheld his conviction and sentence.

Execution

According to IndianaCapitalChronicle, he was executed by lethal injection on May 20th, 2025. The procedure started just after midnight, and when Ritchie was given the chance to speak, he stated, “I love my family, my friends, and all the support I’ve gotten. I hope they all find peace.”

He was hit with a dose of pentobarbital and pronounced dead at 12:46 am.