Indiana executes man convicted of 2001 rape and murder
An Indiana man, Roy Lee Ward, 53, was executed by lethal injection early Friday for the 2001 rape and murder of a teenage girl.
The execution took place at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City, with the Department of Correction reporting that the process began shortly after midnight and Ward was pronounced dead at 12:33 am, News.Az reports, citing CBS News.
This marks Indiana’s third execution since the state resumed capital punishment last year.
Ward's last meal was from Texas Corral and included a hamburger. His last words, as reported by the Indiana Department of Correction were "Brian is going to read them," but it was unclear exactly when he made the statement.
He was convicted in the rape and murder of 15-year-old Stacy Payne. Authorities said Ward attacked the girl with a knife and dumbbell in her family's home near Dale, about 30 miles east of Evansville. The crime rocked the small community of roughly 1,500 people.
Payne was stabbed repeatedly and died of her injuries several hours after the attack, French news agency AFP notes, adding that he was arrested at the scene while still holding a knife.
Ward had exhausted his legal options after more than two decades. His attorney, Joanna Green, said days before the execution that Ward was "very remorseful" about the crime.
Ward's execution came amid questions about Indiana's handling of the powerful sedative pentobarbital. Last year, state officials ended a 15-year pause on executions, saying they'd been able to obtain drugs used in lethal injections that had been unavailable for years.
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.
Similar news
