Indiana disability rights advocates urge clemency for death row inmate Benjamin Ritchie

Disability rights advocates said Indiana death row inmate Benjamin Ritchie's "profound brain damage" should spare him from execution.

Ritchie's legal team appealed to the Indiana Parole Board for clemency Monday for the 2000 killing of Beech Grove police officer William Toney.

Forensic psychologist Dr. Megan Carter said Ritchie has Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, which she is under-recognized, especially when Ritchie was younger.

She said the disorder resulted in him being psychologically and socially more like a child when he committed the crime at age 20.

"Individuals like Mr. Ritchie are working with brain damage and not just poor decision-making," Carter said.

READ MORE: Indiana death row inmate seeks SCOTUS intervention weeks before scheduled execution
 

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Tom Crishon, with the Arc of Indiana, said Ritchie isn't trying to excuse any responsibility for his crime by asking for life in prison instead of execution.

"True justice considers not just what someone did but who they are and what they are capable of understanding," Crishon said. "Justice demands accountability, but justice also demands mercy."

Those who opposed clemency before the parole board included Toney's friends and colleagues. They called Ritchie a monster who has shown no genuine remorse and said he is only trying to avoid the consequences of his actions.

The governor will decide whether to grant clemency.

Brandon is our Statehouse bureau chief. Contact him at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.