Indiana executed Roy Lee Ward early Friday at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City for the 2001 rape and murder of 15-year-old Stacy Payne.
Ward, 53, was pronounced dead at 12:33 am Central Time, marking Indiana’s second execution of 2025 and the third since the state resumed capital punishment after more than a decade-long hiatus.
The 2001 murder of Stacy Payne
Ward was convicted for the brutal assault on Payne in Spencer County. Payne, a high school student and honor student, was attacked in her home before her shift at Jenk’s Pizza, per the Evansville Courier and Press.
She suffered 18 blunt-force injuries and cuts to her throat and abdomen, and was still conscious when police arrived on the scene, but died shortly thereafter.
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita called the execution “accountability for the brutal rape and murder of Stacy Payne,” praising the state’s Department of Correction and appeals team.
Ward’s execution followed years of legal appeals and increased scrutiny over Indiana’s secrecy regarding lethal injection drugs.
The state has not revealed the amount of pentobarbital used, the witnesses, or the source of the drug.
Indiana spent $1.175 million on lethal injection drugs in the past year, including doses that expired unused, the Indiana Capital Chronicle reports.
Ward’s final hours and last words
Ward’s defense attorney, Laura Volk, described him as a “sad, broken man” who had shown remorse during incarceration.
Ward had recently been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, which his lawyers said affected how jurors interpreted his remorse.
Ward’s last meal included a hamburger, steak melt, French fries, baked potato, fried shrimp, sweet potato, chicken alfredo, and breadsticks.
His reported final words were: “Brian is going to read them,” the Daily Journal details. No U.S. Supreme Court appeal was filed, and the Indiana Parole Board recommended against clemency due to the “heinous” nature of his crime.
No-one knows why he said those words, but those are the words he chose.
Outside Indiana State Prison, a small group of activists prayed and read scriptures.
Members of Death Penalty Action rang a ceremonial bell, a ritual followed at Indiana executions in recent years. Activists emphasize that accountability can be achieved without capital punishment.
Indiana death penalty
Indiana resumed executions in 2024 after nearly 15 years, following challenges obtaining lethal injection drugs.
The state uses a single-drug pentobarbital protocol, per the Death Penalty Information Center. Five men remain on death row, with only four deemed competent for execution. Future executions require approval from the Indiana Supreme Court.
Gov. Mike Braun highlighted the extensive review of Ward’s case.
“The State Parole Board issued a unanimous recommendation to deny Ward’s final appeal for clemency, and his execution proceeded as scheduled,” Braun said, via the Indiana Capital Chronicle.
Ward’s execution underscores ongoing debates about the death penalty, lethal injection secrecy, and capital punishment in Indiana.