CLEVELAND, Ohio — The parents of fallen police officer Jamieson Ritter are pleading with lawmakers in Ohio for a change they say is crucial to ensuring justice for their son.
Jamieson Ritter was born and raised in Webster, New York. The Cleveland police officer was shot and killed in the line of duty in July 2024. Ofc. Ritter was attempting to serve a warrant on 24 year-old De’Lawnte Hardy who was wanted for shooting his grandmother in the face, she later died. Investigators say Hardy was leaving his home on a bicycle when officers arrived and he opened fire on them. One of the shots hit and killed Ofc. Ritter.
Hardy was charged with murdering both his grandmother and Ofc. Ritter but was deemed incompetent to stand trial. He was sent to a mental health facility for treatment.
In a majority of cases, suspects can be brought back to competency with proper medications within 6-8 months. But, under Ohio law, suspects can’t be held for more than one year for competency restoration. Hardy is approaching that deadline.
The Ritters say Hardy has refused to take medication for months at a time and court paperwork indicates he was able to get illegal drugs through the mail while at the mental health facility.
“He is malingering, he was smart enough to barricade himself in a home, he was smart enough to try to run from the cops, he was smart enough to kill a cop, he was smart enough to try to escape from jail, that’s not a person who is incapable of understanding what he’s up against,” Karen Ritter says. “He very well knows what he’s up against and I think he’s playing the system,” she added, “100% trying to run out the clock and as far as I’m concerned he’s never going to have that opportunity.”
That’s why the Ritters are pushing the passage of a bill in Ohio that would extend the competency restoration period from one to five years and require hospitals to notify courts within 14 days if a defendant refuses medication.
“We’re not urging, we’re pleading with you at this point, pleading,” Jon Ritter said during a Senate committee hearing. Because if not… “our clock is running out, it’s running out,” he added.
Hardy’s one-year time period expires in February. If he is not returned to competency, he could face civil confinement instead of criminal confinement which eventually could afford him opportunities he wouldn’t otherwise be entitled to.
“People like him can never walk the streets again and the fact that there is an opportunity for him to, disgusts me, it absolutely disgusts me,” Karen Ritter says. “He will kill again, so, why are we setting the community up for failure?”
The Ohio Senate passed the bill this week. It’s now been sent to the House for consideration. News10NBC will keep you posted on any developments.
For more information about the Jamieson Ritter Foundation: Click Here
For more information about Senate Bill 295: Click Here
Parents of fallen officer Jamieson Ritter ‘disgusted’ by possibility of accused killer avoiding trial due to Ohio’s competency restoration law WHEC.com.
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