A man from Indiana, who was found guilty of raping and murdering a teenage girl in 2001, was executed by lethal injection early on Friday. This marks Indiana’s third use of capital punishment since it resumed executions last year.
Roy Lee Ward, aged 53, was executed at the Indiana State Prison located in Michigan City. According to a statement from the Indiana Department of Correction, the execution process began shortly after midnight, and Ward was declared dead at 12:33 a.m.
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Ward’s final meal, sourced from Texas Corral, included a hamburger. His last known statement, as reported by the Indiana Department of Correction, was “Brian is going to read them,” though the timing of when he said this was not specified.
Ward was found guilty of attacking and killing 15-year-old Stacy Payne. Authorities stated that he assaulted the girl with a knife and dumbbell within her family’s residence near Dale, roughly 30 miles (48 kilometers) east of Evansville. This crime deeply impacted the small town of about 1,500 residents.
After more than 20 years, Ward had no remaining legal avenues. His lawyer, Joanna Green, mentioned a few days before his execution that Ward felt “very remorseful” about his actions.
The execution brought up concerns regarding Indiana’s use of the potent sedative pentobarbital. The state resumed executions last year after a 15-year break, following their ability to secure drugs for lethal injections, which had been scarce for a long time.
The Indiana Department of Correction said it had obtained “enough pentobarbital to follow the required protocol” for Ward’s execution. Ward’s attorneys had raised concerns about the use of the drug and how the state stored it, including temperature issues.
Among 27 states with death penalty laws, Indiana is one of two that bar media witnesses to executions. Ward’s witness list included attorneys and spiritual advisers.
His case trailed through the courts for more than 20 years.
Ward was convicted of the crimes in 2002 and sentenced to death. But after the Indiana Supreme Court overturned the conviction and ordered a new trial, he pleaded guilty in 2007. A decade later, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case. In 2019, he sued Indiana seeking to stop all pending executions.
Last month, the Indiana Supreme Court declined to stay the execution and Gov. Mike Braun rejected Ward’s clemency bid.
The victim’s family members said they were ready for justice to be carried out, remembering Payne as an honor student and cheerleader with an influence beyond her short life.
“Now our family gatherings are no longer whole, holidays still empty. Birthdays are sad reminders of what we lost,” her mother Julie Wininger told the parole board last month. “Our family has endured emotional devastation.”
Ward skipped the parole board interview for his clemency bid, saying he didn’t want to force the victim’s family to travel to the prison and that he couldn’t always say what he meant. Attorneys say Ward was recently diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, which affected his ability to communicate.
One of his spiritual advisers, Deacon Brian Nosbusch, said ahead of the execution that Ward thought deeply about his actions.
“He knows he did it,” Nosbusch said. “He knows it was horrendous.”
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Golden reported from Seattle.
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