Benjamin Ritchie, a 45-year-old Indiana man convicted of the 2000 killing of Beech Grove Police Officer Bill Toney, is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection on Tuesday, May 20, at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City. Unless a last-minute court intervention occurs, this will be the state's second execution since 2009.

Ritchie was 20 years old when he and others stole a van in Beech Grove, near Indianapolis. During a subsequent foot chase, Ritchie fired four shots at Officer Toney, killing him. At the time of the crime, Ritchie was on probation for a 1998 burglary conviction. Officer Toney, 31, had been with the Beech Grove Police Department for two years and was the first officer in the department's history to be killed by gunfire in the line of duty. He was a married father of two.

The Beech Grove Police Department released a statement expressing that Officer William Toney lost his life 25 years ago while serving the community. They emphasized that he took an oath to uphold the Constitution and laws of the state so that its citizens may lead a peaceful life.

Indiana resumed executions in December of last year after a years-long pause caused by a scarcity of lethal injection drugs nationwide. Joseph Corcoran was the first inmate to be executed since 2009.

Prison officials have released images of the execution chamber, which appears to be a sterile room with a gurney, fluorescent lighting, a floor drain, and an adjacent viewing room. However, details regarding the execution process, including the exact time, remain scarce.

The Indiana Supreme Court denied a request to halt Ritchie's execution. However, two justices noted that the jury was not provided with accurate information regarding Ritchie's brain damage. His attorneys are currently challenging this decision in federal court and have also filed a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court. Disability rights advocates argue that Ritchie's brain damage should exempt him from the death penalty, as his “capacity to fully appreciate the wrongfulness of his conduct” was impaired at the time of the crime, according to Dr. Megan Carter, who testified before the parole board.

Indiana is one of only two states with the death penalty that prohibits media witnesses. The other is Wyoming, which has only carried out one execution in the last half-century. The Associated Press and other media organizations have filed a federal lawsuit in Indiana seeking media access to executions.

Ritchie's execution is among 12 scheduled in eight states this year. This week, executions are also scheduled in Texas and Tennessee.