Execution date set for Indiana death row inmate convicted of brutal rape and murder of teen

Governor Mike Braun has followed the recommendation of the Indiana Parole Board, allowing the execution Roy Lee Ward.

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Roy Lee Ward is staying on death row. The Indiana Parole Board told Governor Mike Braun that Ward doesn't deserve clemency for the 2001 rape and murder of 15-year-old Stacy Payne- and their decision was unanimous.

What makes this case particularly unusual? Ward wouldn't even talk to them.

Governor Mike Braun had the final say in the request and announced his decision Monday with a short statement that read:

“After carefully reviewing the unanimous recommendation from the State Parole Board, I have decided to allow the execution of Roy Lee Ward to proceed as planned for October 10."

An unusual parole hearing

The board had everything set up. They were going to meet with Ward at Indiana State Prison on September 19 to hear his side of the story, like they typically do in these cases. But just days before, Ward sent them an email saying thanks, but no thanks- he'd skip the interview but still wanted clemency.

The board went ahead with public hearings, listening to Ward's lawyers and state prosecutors duke it out. They reviewed stacks of paperwork- trial transcripts, appeals, psychological reports, letters of support. The whole nine yards.

But here's the thing: they never got to ask Ward the questions they really wanted answered.

Board Chair Gwendolyn M. Horth laid it out pretty clearly in her letter to the governor. They look at four main things when someone asks for clemency: what happened, the person's criminal past, how they've behaved in prison, and what's best for everyone else.

On all counts, Ward didn't make a compelling case.

Why they said no

What happened to Stacy Payne was horrific. The board didn't go into details in their letter- they didn't need to. But they did mention something that clearly stuck with them: Stacy was conscious the whole time during the attack. She knew what was happening to her. "This Board reviews thousands of cases a year, many with gruesome facts," they wrote, "but the victimization of Stacy Payne stood out to us."

Ward's rap sheet goes way back. We're talking juvenile arrests for public indecency and harassment, followed by an adult record spanning Indiana, Kentucky, and Missouri- battery, theft, burglary, and drugs. And a lot- and the board emphasized a lot- of indecent exposure charges. He'd been given chances at probation and community supervision. He blew them.

The board also noted something disturbing: Ward had relationships with children when he was a teenager and young adult, though he was never charged for those.

Prison didn't reform him. Ward racked up 14 conduct reports while locked up-sexual misconduct, drug use, and assaulting other inmates. The board saw it as more of the same behavior that got him there in the first place. Without being able to sit down with Ward, they said, all they could go on was the paperwork. And the paperwork told a pretty clear story.

What happened to Stacy Payne

15-year-old Stacy Payne was home with her younger sister in Dale, Indiana, when police say Ward broke into the house and attacked the teen with a knife. Her younger sister, who was napping at the time, woke when she heard Stacy's screams. She told police she saw him on top of Stacy and called 911.

When police got to the scene, they reported Ward was still there, covered in blood, holding a knife.

The attack was so gruesome, Stacy's torso was nearly cut in half, he throat was slashed, and her wrists had been cut to the bone. Police said she was conscious through the attack and lived until just minutes after first responders arrived.

What happens next

Ward's execution is set for Friday October 10th. Indiana uses lethal injection as its primary execution method.

The most recent execution in Indiana was December 2024, when Joseph Corcoran was executed in connection to a 1997 quadruple homicide.

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