MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. (WISH) — Death row inmate Benjamin Ritchie, convicted of killing a Beech Grove police officer nearly 25 years ago, had one hour to make his case that the state should spare his life during a Monday clemency hearing.

On Sept. 29, 2000, Ritchie and two others stole a van. It led to a police chase that ultimately ended with Ritchie shooting Officer William Toney in the neck, killing him. 

“I ruined my life and other people’s lives, and I’m so sorry for that night,” Ritchie told the Indiana Parole Board during Monday’s hearing inside Indiana State Prison in Michigan City. 

The board listened to Ritchie and asked him questions about why he believes the state shouldn’t carry out its plan to execute him by lethal injection on May 20. 

The board described it as a “fact-finding” hearing that will help them make a recommendation to Gov. Mike Braun on whether to grant clemency. The board’s recommendation is non-binding; Braun will make the ultimate call.

“I was just a kid,” Ritchie said. “Just bent on blowing his own life up and everybody else’s life around me.”

Toney left behind a wife and two daughters — 4 years old and 18 months old.

Toney’s widow declined to talk about the hearing when contacted by News 8. 

A week before Christmas 2024, Indiana executed its first inmate in 15 year: Joseph Corcoran.

The state filed the request to set Ritchie’s execution date the same week as the 24th anniversary of Toney’s death.

In recent attempts to stop his execution, Ritchie’s defense argued he has extensive brain damage from partial fetal alcohol syndrome, which affected his impulse control, especially as a 20 years old when the crime happened.

A spokesperson for Attorney General Todd Rokita told News 8 in an email, “As is our duty, we will continue to defend this lawful conviction and sentence through every step of the process.” 

Ritchie, now age 44, didn’t mention legal defenses to sway the board to stay his execution; instead focused on his remorse, efforts to rehabilitate, and hopes to help others in prison. 

“I try to do positive things now,” Ritchie said.” I was so bent on destroying other people’s lives, the only thing I can do is try to give back now.”

When asked what he would tell Toney’s family if he’s allowed to live, Ritchie said any good he does will be in Toney’s name. “It’s horrible that he lost his life. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t wish I could take it back. Me helping other screwups not re-offend, not come back to Indiana’s prisons, I think his life could best be served that way.”

Another clemency hearing will be next Monday in Indianapolis.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — We are looking to embark on a longer form stretch of nice spring weather after dealing with this past weekend’s upper low and the dreary conditions from it.

Monday night: Spotty showers, especially north and east of Indianapolis. Areas of patchy fog could develop in the early morning hours, mainly south and west of Indy. Low temperatures in the upper 40s.

Tuesday: Any patchy fog exits after daybreak. Mostly cloudy skies to start turning partly cloudy. More spotty showers cannot be ruled out waking up north and east of Indy. High temperatures near 70 degrees.

Wednesday: Partly to mostly cloudy skies. High temperatures in the mid-70s.

7-Day Forecast: Central Indiana will likely be dry late week into the weekend. Multiple days get into the 70s before the potential for 80s next week.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — George Washington Carver Montessori School 87 is under a new lawsuit for abuse of a first-grade special needs student from 2023-2024.

Indianapolis Public Schools, former Principal Mary Kapcoe, former Vice-Principal Finae Rent, and former teacher Julious Johnican – who is charged with a felony for neglect for a separate incident of allowing the physical abuse of a special needs student – “allowed a pattern of physical abuse and bullying to continue for months, despite the family’s repeated efforts to seek protection for the child,” the family’s lawyers wrote in a statement.

The 6-year-old student suffered “bruises, soft tissue damage, and a traumatic injury that required surgery” in front of IPS staff. Lawyers say that the school’s staff didn’t call for medical help, didn’t tell the child’s family of the full injury, and didn’t investigate the incident.

The most severe injury, lawyers say, is when the student was pushed off the monkey bars by another child and then suffered injuries that required surgery for vaginal tears.

“The harm suffered was not random — it is the foreseeable consequence when there is a school
culture that ignores repeated warnings, dismisses concerns raised by families, and allows a
dangerous environment to persist without intervention,” the family’s attorney Catherine Michael said.

The family’s says that safety concerns were never addressed even after the teacher, Johnican, was removed for filming and encouraging a student fight.

After girl named in the lawsuit was stabbed in the hand with a pencil in February 2024, the family removed her from the school.

“A six-year-old child reported serious harm over and over again. Her family pleaded for help. And IPS did nothing. When a school fails to act in the face of such serious and ongoing danger, it forfeits the public’s trust and fails the community it serves,” attorney Tammy Meyer said.

The family is seeking compensatory and punitive damages.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus on Monday visited James Whitcomb Riley School in Indianapolis and provided students with a chance to explore music and video production.

The visit included access to a mobile recording studio and a $10,000 grant to support Indianapolis Public Schools’ only visual and performing arts elementary school music program and enhance the creative experience for its students.

Bryce Quig-Hartman, senior producer of the bus, said, “Arts programs are being cut all across the nation, and the bus is really here to supplement what’s inevitably going to be cut.”

Indianapolis was the third stop on the educational bus tour.

IPS says James Whitcomb Riley School No. 43 has also benefited from a $5.5 million investment for new arts facilities, including a dance studio, an orchestra room, and a stage.

This story was created from a script aired on WISH-TV.

WASHINGTON (WISH) — Two members of Congress from Indiana on Monday asked the Trump administration to prioritize the northwest part of the state as a regional hydrogen hub.

In a letter sent Monday to Energy Secretary Chris Wright, Sen. Jim Banks, a Republican, and Rep. Frank Mrvan, a Democrat, emphasized the region’s manufacturing capabilities and existing energy infrastructure as ideal for blue hydrogen production using natural gas and carbon capture.

Blue hydrogen, or decarbonised hydrogen, is manufactured by natural gas reforming coupled with carbon capture and storage. It’s touted as a low-carbon energy source for industrial processes, electricity generation, and potentially transportation.

The letter says, in part, “Prioritizing a Hydrogen Hub in Northwest Indiana is a bold, pro-America decision that plays to our state’s strengths.”

Northwest Indiana’s industrial corridor includes the largest inland oil refinery and significant steel production facilities, the letter notes. The Whiting Refinery, capable of processing up to 440,000 barrels of crude oil daily, was identified as an ideal site for blue hydrogen production.

The lawmakers argued that investing in the project would support President Donald Trump’s goal of American energy dominance, create jobs, and strengthen the U.S. industrial base.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Overnight lane and ramp closures on I-65 in Indianapolis are scheduled this week due to shoulder strengthening work near the I-465 interchange and Keystone Avenue on the south side of Indianapolis, the Indiana Department of Transportation said in a news release issued Monday.

The closures will occur from 9 p.m.-5 a.m. Monday through Thursday. The work involves milling and repaving the outside shoulders to maintain traffic flow during construction.

On Monday and Tuesday, the right lane of northbound I-65 at the I-465 interchange will be closed overnight.

On Tuesday, the ramp from Keystone Avenue to southbound I-65 will also be closed.

Further closures include the right lane of southbound I-65 approaching Keystone Avenue and the ramp from southbound I-65 to Keystone Avenue (Exit 107) on Wednesday and Thursday.

Additionally, on Thursday, the ramp from Keystone Avenue to northbound I-65, and the right lane of northbound I-65 from Keystone to Troy Avenue will be closed.

The planned closings are weather-dependent, and drivers are encouraged to plan ahead and use alternate routes when possible.

Crews will use part of the outside shoulder to maintain two travel lanes while building new lanes using the inside shoulder this year. The work will shift to widening the outside lanes in 2026.

JERUSALEM (CNN) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the population of Gaza will be displaced to the south after his security cabinet approved an expanded military operation in the enclave that a minister described as a plan to “conquer” the territory.

The vote on Sunday came hours after the military said it would mobilize tens of thousands of reservists, strengthening its capacity to operate in the besieged Palestinian territory.

“One thing will be clear: there will be no in-and-out,” Netanyahu said in a Monday video message posted on X. “We’ll call up reserves to come, hold territory — we’re not going to enter and then exit the area, only to carry out raids afterward. That’s not the plan. The intention is the opposite.”

“There will be a movement of the population to protect them,” Netanyahu said of the “intensified operation.”

A senior Israeli security official earlier said the operation in Gaza, called “Gideon’s Chariots,” was unanimously approved by the security cabinet with the aim of subduing Hamas and securing the release of all hostages.

The plan would be implemented after U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to the Middle East next week to “provide a window of opportunity” for a hostage deal, the official added.

“If no hostage deal is reached, Operation Gideon’s Chariots will begin with full force and will not stop until all its objectives are achieved.”

The plan then, is to displace Gaza’s entire population to the south of the enclave, following which the total the blockade of humanitarian aid may be lifted, the official said, adding that the military “will remain in every area it captures.”

“In any temporary or permanent agreement, Israel will not evacuate the security buffer zone around Gaza, which is intended to protect Israeli communities and prevent arms smuggling to Hamas,” the official said.

“We are on the eve of a major entry into Gaza based on the recommendation of the General Staff,” Netanyahu said in his video message, adding that military officials told him it was time to “start the final moves.”

‘Highest goal’

The “highest goal” of the expanding operation in Gaza, according to the military’s top spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, is returning the hostages, not defeating Hamas. His comments come just a week after Netanyahu said the war’s “supreme goal” is the defeat of Israel’s enemies, not the return of hostages.

“The top goal of the operation is the return of the hostages. After that — the collapse of Hamas rule, its defeat and subjugation — but first and foremost, the return of the hostages,” Defrin said responding to a question about his message to hostage families.

The military spokesman faced swift condemnation from Israel’s national security minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, who said Defrin was “confused into thinking that the army is above the political echelon.”

Hostage families were quick to condemn the announcement of the expansion of the war, fearing that the Israeli government is prioritizing the defeat of Hamas over securing a deal to return Israeli hostages – and endangering them through the expanded military operations.

Gaza annexation not ruled out

Meanwhile, Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Monday that “we are finally going to conquer the Gaza Strip.”

Annexing Gaza is a possibility, and once the military expands its operations in the enclave, it will not pull back – even if Hamas agrees to a new hostage deal, he said at a conference in Jerusalem, referring to the security cabinet decision on Sunday.

“Once we conquer and stay – we can talk about sovereignty (over Gaza). But I didn’t demand that it be included in the war’s objectives,” he added. “Once the maneuver begins – there will be no withdrawal from the territories we’ve captured, not even in exchange for hostages.”

Smotrich primarily handles the country’s finances, but he sits on the security cabinet and holds significant sway over Netanyahu, who relies on his support to keep the government from collapsing.

More than 2,400 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since mid-March when Israel launched a wave of deadly strikes, shattering a ceasefire, which had been in place for nearly two months. More than 52,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the war began, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

The expansion of the fighting will be gradual to give a chance for a renewed ceasefire and hostage release deal before Trump’s visit to the region in mid-May, the officials said. Trump is scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar next week, but there is currently no stop planned in Israel.

The United Nations raised concern with the latest expansion plan, saying it would lead to more civilians being killed.

“I can tell you that the Secretary General is alarmed by these reports of Israeli plans to expand ground operations and prolong its military presence in Gaza,” Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General, Farhan Haq told reporters on Monday.

An Israeli blockade of all humanitarian aid into the strip is now in its ninth week.

New aid mechanism

The cabinet also discussed allowing the resumption of aid deliveries into Gaza under a new framework which was approved, but has not yet been implemented, according to one of the sources.

Israel’s public broadcaster, Kan 11, reported that a confrontation had broken out during Sunday’s meeting over the resumption of aid deliveries with two far-right members of the cabinet, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and settlements minister Orit Strook opposed to any resumption of aid and Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir arguing Israel was obligated to facilitate them under international law.

According to one of the source who spoke to CNN, the Israeli media reports about the arguments over the aid “are not wrong.”

Israel says it cut off the entry of humanitarian aid to pressure Hamas to release hostages. But international organizations say its actions violate international law and risks creating a man-made famine, with some accusing Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war – a war crime.

United States and Israeli officials are discussing a mechanism to deliver aid to Gaza that bypasses Hamas, an Israeli source familiar with the matter and a State Department official told CNN. The official said an announcement could be made “in the coming days.”

The delivery mechanism in the works is intended to allow aid to reach the Palestinian population with safeguards to ensure it is not diverted by Hamas or Islamic Jihad, according to a State Department spokesperson.

An unnamed private foundation would manage the aid mechanism and the delivery of the humanitarian supplies into Gaza, the spokesperson said.

The U.S. expects the United Nations and international aid organizations to work with the framework of the foundation’s mechanism to ensure that supplies do not reach Hamas, the spokesperson said.

Aid agencies working in the occupied Palestinian territory rejected the new framework for aid deliveries Sunday saying the plan appeared “designed to reinforce control over life-sustaining items” and would fail to ensure aid reached Gaza’s most vulnerable residents.

“The UN Secretary-General and the Emergency Relief Coordinator have made clear that we will not participate in any scheme that does not adhere to the global humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, independence and neutrality,” the groups said in a joint statement.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s administration said Monday that it is going to pay immigrants who are in the United States illegally and return to their home country voluntarily $1,000 as it pushes forward with its mass deportation agenda.

The Department of Homeland Security said in a news release that it’s also paying for travel assistance and that those people who use an app called CBP Home to tell the government that they plan to return home will be “deprioritized” for detention and removal by immigration enforcement.

“If you are here illegally, self-deportation is the best, safest and most cost-effective way to leave the United States to avoid arrest,” Secretary Kristi Noem said. “DHS is now offering illegal aliens financial travel assistance and a stipend to return to their home country through the CBP Home App.”

The department said it had already paid for a plane ticket for one migrant to return home to Honduras from Chicago and said more tickets have been booked for this week and next.

Trump has made immigration enforcement and the mass deportation of immigrants in the U.S. illegally a centerpiece of his campaign, but that is a costly, resource-intensive endeavor.

While the Republican administration is pushing Congress for a massive increase in resources for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement department responsible for removing people from the country, it’s also pushing people in the country illegally to “self-deport.”

It has coupled this self-deportation push with television ads threatening action against people in the U.S. illegally and social media images showing immigration enforcement arrests and migrants being sent to a prison in El Salvador.

The Trump administration has often portrayed self-deportation as a way for the migrants to preserve their ability to return to the U.S. someday.

But Aaron Reichlen-Melnick, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, which advocates for immigrants, said there’s a lot for migrants to be cautious about in this latest offer from Homeland Security.

He said it’s often worse for people to leave the country and not fight their case in immigration court, especially if they’re already in removal proceedings. He said if migrants are in removal proceedings and don’t show up in court they can automatically get a deportation order and leaving the country usually counts as abandoning many applications for relief including asylum applications.

And Homeland Security is not indicating that it is closely coordinating this push to get migrants to self-deport with the immigration courts so that there are no repercussions for people in immigration court if they leave, he said.

“People’s immigration status is not as simple as this makes it out to be,” Reichlen-Melnick said.

He questioned where Homeland Security would get the money and the authorization to make these payments and suggested the payments are necessary because the administration is not able to arrest and remove as many people as it has promised so it has to encourage people to do it on their own.

“They’re not getting their numbers,” he said.

As part of it’s self-deportation effort, the Trump administration has transformed an app that had been used by the Biden administration to allow nearly 1 million migrants to schedule appointments to enter the country into a tool to help migrants return home. Under the Biden administration it was called CBP One, and now it’s dubbed CBP Home.

Homeland Security said so far “thousands” of migrants have used the app to self-deport.