chicago — Chicago (AFP) – A Indiana man A convict convicted of the 2001 rape and murder of a teenage girl is scheduled to die by lethal injection early Friday in the state’s third execution since then. Appealing the death penalty last year.
Roy Lee Ward, 53, was scheduled to be executed before sunrise at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City.
He was convicted of the rape and murder of 15-year-old Stacey Payne and sentenced to death. The brutal crime, which took place at the family home in Deal, shook the small community of about 1,500 people.
The lawyers said Ward had exhausted his legal options after numerous court battles.
His lawyer, Joanna Green, said: “He is deeply remorseful for this terrible crime.”
Ward’s execution comes amid questions about the state of Indiana’s handling of the case Pentobarbital. Last year, state officials ended a 15-year moratorium on death sentences, saying they had been able to obtain drugs used in lethal injections but had been unavailable for years.
The Indiana Department of Corrections said it had obtained “sufficient pentobarbital to follow the required protocol” to execute Ward. Despite this, Ward’s attorneys raised concerns about the drug’s use and how it is stored in the state, including temperature issues.
Ward’s expected execution in Indiana on Friday is the first of eight scheduled to be carried out in October in seven different US states, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
Of the 27 states that have death penalty laws, Indiana He is one of two barring media witnesses. Ward’s list of witnesses includes lawyers and spiritual counselors.
His case has been pending before 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 refused to hear the case. In 2019, it is Indiana sued Seek to stop all pending executions.
Last month, the Indiana Supreme Court refused to stay the execution, and state Governor Mike Brown rejected Ward’s clemency request.
The victim’s family members said they were ready for justice, remembering that Payne was an honor student and cheerleader who made an impact beyond her short life.
“Now our family gatherings are no longer full, and the holidays are still empty. Birthdays are a sad reminder of what we have lost,” her mother, Julie Weninger, told the parole board last month. “Our family has been emotionally devastated.”
Ward, who declined interview requests through his attorney, has spoken little publicly. He skipped a parole board interview to seek clemency, saying he didn’t want to force the victim’s family to travel to prison and couldn’t always say what he meant.
Attorneys say Ward was recently diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, which affects his ability to communicate.
One of his spiritual advisors, Deacon Brian Nosbusch, said Ward thought deeply about his actions.
“He knows he did it,” Nosbusch said. “He knows it was terrible.”