Indiana Supreme Court Sets Execution Date for Roy Lee Ward

A jury sentenced him to death in 2002, but the conviction was overturned.

Roy Lee Ward Execution — Source: WISH-TV / WISH-TV

SPENCER COUNTY, Ind. — The Indiana Supreme Court has set October 10 as the execution date for Roy Lee Ward, convicted of raping and killing 15-year-old Stacy Payne in 2001.

Ward waited until Payne’s parents left for work, then pretended he was searching for a lost dog to get inside their home. Once in, he raped and murdered the teenager.

A jury sentenced him to death in 2002, but the conviction was overturned. Ward pleaded guilty in 2007 and was again sentenced to death. Since then, his execution has been delayed several times by appeals, including disputes over Indiana’s lethal injection process.

With the appeals now exhausted, the state’s high court ordered Ward’s execution to take place before sunrise on October 10 at Indiana State Prison in Michigan City.

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