‘Violent’ Moment During Indiana Execution Draws Scrutiny; DOC Officials Deny ‘Botched’ Process

“Violent” Movements During Indiana Execution Raise Unanswered Questions | Death Penalty Information Center

Benjamin Ritchie’s exe­cu­tion in Indiana on May 20, 2025, has raised new con­cerns about the use of pen­to­bar­bi­tal after defense coun­sel report­ed their client dis­played an unusu­al phys­i­cal reac­tion after being inject­ed with the drug. But because Indiana offi­cials bar media wit­ness­es from observ­ing exe­cu­tions, the pub­lic has no inde­pen­dent wit­ness reports on what transpired. Steve Schutte, an attor­ney for Mr. Ritchie, told …

‘Violent’ moment during Indiana execution draws scrutiny; DOC officials deny ‘botched’ process

Questions remain about Benjamin Ritchie’s early Tuesday execution after his attorneys reported seeing sudden, unexpected movement during the lethal injection process.

Indiana's Execution Of Its Mentally Ill Inmate Spark Outrage—His Last Meal and Last Word Revealed

Benjamin Ritchie’s execution is Indiana’s second in 15 years. It has sparked controversy over mental illness, justice, and the future of capital punishment.

Indiana executes Benjamin Ritchie, inmate with “severe brain damage,” and denies media access

Ritchie, 45, was the second person put to death in Indiana since 2009, following a 15-year hiatus due to the state’s inability to obtain the drugs to carry out lethal injections.

DOC Says Execution Was Not “Botched”

The Indiana Department of Corrections is denying allegations that this week’s execution of death row inmate Benjamin Ritchie was botched. Defense attorney Steve Schutte and others who witnessed the execution say Ritchie’s head and shoulders lifted violently from the gurney after the execution drug was administered. Emeritus Clinical Professor of Surgery at Ohio State University’s College of Medicine, Dr. Jonathan Groner, says people shouldn’t mo…