Indiana Death Row Inmate Rejects Parole Board Interview
SPENCER COUNTY, Ind. — Death row inmate Roy Lee Ward declined to meet one-on-one with the Indiana Parole Board, saying he wanted to spare the family of his victim from traveling to the state prison in Michigan City for the interview.
Ward’s attorney, Joanna Green, also added that Ward’s autism spectrum disorder diagnosis — which is detailed in the inmate’s clemency filings — “makes it difficult for him to effectively communicate, especially to convey his feelings of remorse.”
Indiana Department of Correction spokesperson Annie Goeller said in a statement Wednesday that Ward “does not wish to be interviewed by the Parole Board as part of his clemency request.” The inmate is scheduled to be executed Oct. 10 at the Indiana State Prison.
State officials canceled the hearing — previously set for Friday — and will convene Monday at the Indiana Government Center in Indianapolis, where Ward’s attorneys and representatives from the Indiana Attorney General’s office will present arguments.
That hearing was already scheduled and is also when the public can weigh in.
Green told the Indiana Capital Chronicle the decision was motivated by Ward’s desire to ease the burden on the family of 15-year-old Stacy Payne, who Ward murdered in 2001.
