Indianapolis First Friends (a Quaker Meeting) strongly opposes the upcoming May 20 execution of Benjamin Ritchie, citing his mental disability and the lack of transparency surrounding the lethal drug Pentobarbital. They condemn Indiana's continued use of the death penalty and criticize state agencies for evading public records requests. The group urges faith communities to stand against capital punishment, calling the practice morally wrong and lacking in justice or accountability.
INDIANAPOLIS, May 20, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Indianapolis First Friends, A Quaker Meeting, not only expresses its deep and collective sadness over the upcoming execution of Benjamin Ritchie on May 20, but also its serious consternation over the veil of secrecy shrouding legitimate public information about the Pentobarbital to be used to take a human life that day.
"As Christians located in one of the shrinking number of states still implementing this barbaric practice, we are forced—unwillingly and without consultation or transparency—to witness and effectively participate in this abhorrent process," said Carolyn Tinsley, the Clerk of the Meeting.
The testimony of Dr. Megan Carter, a forensic psychologist with expertise in fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), explained to Ritchie's clemency board on May 12 that she diagnosed Ritchie with partial FAS, highlighting that he has 15 of the 23 deficits of the disorder and struggles with emotional regulation, academics, social skills, and even speech.
"For the last 400 years, Friends have eschewed violence and advocated for peace. We abhor the violent murder of Officer Toney 25 years ago," said Bob Henry, Pastor at First Friends. "But returning that act of violence with more violence should not be done in our name, nor in the name of God our creator. This is about two wrongs making a larger wrong, and prioritizing killing over mercy and savagery over the rule of law will lead us neither to justice nor peace."
Since last October, First Friends has engaged various State agencies—including the former and current Governor's office and the Indiana Department of Correction—to obtain further information about the Pentobarbital used in Joseph Corocoran's execution on December 18, 2024. The Meeting resumed those requests when it became apparent that the State was likely to continue to obfuscate such details as contained in its most recent public records request under APRA on April 19, 2025 specifically:
[F]or any and all public records pertaining to: (1) whether the pentobarbital and/or other lethal injection substances used in December 2024—and/or intended for use in any upcoming executions—were compounded or manufactured; (2) the nation(s) in which such substances were compounded or manufactured; (3) the expiration dates of such substances; (4) the methods of storage of such substances; (5) any training on the use and administration of such substances; (6) the dosages of such substances used or intended for use in executions; (7) whether such substances were created, delivered, and/or regulated with intent for veterinary and/or human use; (8) the results of any testing on the purity, potency, and/or sterility of such substances; (9) the amount of such substances used by the State in December 2024; (10) the amount of such substances intended for use by the State in the next execution; (11) the percentages that the requests in (9) and (10) above represented (or are reasonably expected to represent) of the State's total supply on the following dates: December 1, 2024, December 31, 2024, May 1, 2025, and May 31, 2025; and (12) any inter- and intra-agency emails or other public records regarding how to handle public records requests pertaining to the use of such substances.
"We are aware that other organizations have made similar requests to our public agencies under our sunshine laws and have been similarly frustrated in their purposes," said Tinsley. "We are disappointed, but not terribly surprised, to have received silence so far from the Indiana Department of Correction and a functional non-response from the Governor's Office on May 6, which claimed in its entirety:
After reviewing your request, the Governor's Office has determined that we cannot move forward with your request as it is currently written. Please see below for an explanation and any suggested next steps. This agency does not maintain the records you have requested. Accordingly, we have completed our response and are closing our file at this time. Please reference the notes below to help locate the records responsive to your request. Please direct this request to the Department of Correction.
"These responses are not even on official letterhead under our new administration," noted Tinsley, "nor do we believe such cross finger-pointing gamesmanship satisfies either the spirit or intent of our state's open records laws. Nevertheless, we remain undeterred in our mission to understand how any aspects of our state's procurement of Pentobarbital to kill inmates is legitimate."
In a strongly worded letter from the European Union's Ambassador to the United States on December 13, 2024, Jovita Neliupšienė reminded former Governor Holcomb: "Although the European Union opposes the death penalty in all circumstances, we find it especially cruel to execute someone with severe mental illness. Moreover, it is a violation of international death penalty safeguards to carry out capital punishment on individuals with a psychosocial disability. If this execution is carried out, Indiana will join a small group of outlier states that rely on this inhumane and degrading punishment. The EU strongly opposes the death penalty at all times and in all circumstances. It is a violation of the right to life and fails to act as a deterrent to crime. It represents the ultimate punishment that makes miscarriages of justice irreversible."
According to Pastor Henry, "here we stand again today, not five months later, facing a state-sponsored killing machine that we are not permitted—either as taxpayers or people of faith—to ask questions about let alone understand. We call upon our friends across other Christian and non-Christian communities alike to stand against this and future executions. In particular, we thank our Catholic Friends, as well as our midwestern Pope, for taking commitments to the life of prisoners seriously. Perhaps the Statehouse could learn a lesson about consistency from the Vatican, as this is a dark day indeed for transparency and good governance in Indiana."
Media Contact
Indianapolis First Friends, Indianapolis First Friends, 1 3172552485, [email protected], www.indyfriends.org
SOURCE Indianapolis First Friends
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