chicago — CHICAGO – Indiana has decided to execute a man convicted of raping and killing a teenage girl in 2001, the third execution in the state since then. appeal Death penalty last year.
Roy Lee Ward is scheduled to be executed before sunrise Friday at the state prison in Michigan City, Indiana. The 52-year-old has exhausted his legal options to appeal the ruling.
Ward’s execution by lethal injection comes amid questions about the state of Indiana’s handling of the case PentobarbitalIt is the drug she used in the recent executions.
Here’s a closer look at the issue:
Authorities say Ward entered the home of 15-year-old Stacey Payne on July 11, 2001, raped her, beat the girl and stabbed her repeatedly with a dumbbell and a knife. She was airlifted from her hometown of Deal to hospital and died hours later.
Matt Keller, the former city marshal, discovered Stacy and arrested Ward, who was still in the house.
“I cannot imagine the enormous pain, suffering and immense terror that Stacy experienced during the final moments of her young life,” Keller said at Ward’s pardon hearing in Indianapolis last month.
Payne’s death shook the southern Indiana community of about 1,500 people. Her father still lives at home, and her Raggedy Ann doll collection is untouched.
A nearby church planned to hold a prayer service to honor the girl hours before her execution “with fond memories shared.”
Ward’s case has been in the courts for decades. He was convicted of murder and rape in 2002 and sentenced to death. But the Indiana Supreme Court overturned the conviction and ordered a new trial.
Ward then pleaded guilty in 2007. The US Supreme Court declined to hear the case in 2017.
Two years later, he Indiana sued And seek to stop all executions. He said Indiana’s method of implementing the death penalty is “arbitrary” and “offensive to evolving standards of decency.”
The Indiana Supreme Court refused to stay the execution last month. That’s also when Gov. Mike Brown denied Ward a pardon after board members noted the “brutal nature” of the killing.
In arguing against clemency, state attorneys cited Ward’s criminal history, including indecent exposure charges and a robbery conviction.
“He is a murderer and a rapist,” Deputy Prosecutor Tyler Banks told the parole board. “He is also predatory and manipulative.”
The lawyers said Ward had exhausted his legal means.
“He’s pretty much resigned to the fact that this has been going on for a while,” said Joanna Green, one of Ward’s attorneys. He said, “If I could take every bit of the pain you caused me, I would.”
Indiana resumed executions in 2024 after a 15-year hiatus. State officials said they were able to obtain drugs used in lethal injections that had not been available for years.
But these drugs came at a high cost, more than $1 million for four doses. In June, Brown said the state would not buy more immediately, raising questions about whether Indiana would consider a new execution method. In his first term, the Republican pointed to the high cost and short shelf life.
Ward’s lawyers have challenged the use of the drug in court, saying it can cause rapid pulmonary edema, in which fluid rushes through rapidly dissolving membranes into the lungs and airways, causing pain similar to suffocation. They pointed out that there were witnesses to the May execution Ben Ritchie The man staggered forward before dying.
“There are still a lot of unanswered questions about what happened during Ben’s execution,” Green said.
Of the 27 states that have death penalty laws, Indiana He is one of two barring media witnesses.
Indiana Department of Corrections officials confirmed Wednesday that the agency “has enough pentobarbital to follow the required protocol” for the execution, but did not comment further.
Green said they discovered through their lawsuit that the pentobarbital to be used in Ward’s execution was manufactured, not synthesized. Ward’s lawyers said this meant fewer concerns about the medication deteriorating quickly, and they also received assurances about proper handling of the medication, including temperature control. The lawsuit was dropped, as was another legal challenge over the conditions of the execution room.
Payne, who loved the song “You Are My Sunshine,” was full of life, relatives said.
She was an honor roll student and cheerleader, and was saving money from her job at a pizzeria, her mother, Julie Weninger, told the parole board.
“Stacey’s life was very short but full of so much meaning,” she said.
Winger counts each of the more than 8,000 days since Payne’s death. She called on the Parole Board to implement justice.
“We will never see Stacy smile again,” Weninger said through tears. “We will never hear her voice, and we will never have the pleasure of watching her grow into the amazing woman she was meant to be.”
Ward, who declined interview requests through his attorney, has spoken little publicly.
He did not comment when he was sentenced in 2007. He also refused to meet with the parole board, saying he did not want to force the victim’s family to travel to Michigan City. The lawyers also said he feels remorse, but has difficulty expressing it.
Ward was recently diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, an issue raised by attorneys in challenges.
In a September 17 affidavit, Ward said he refused to appear before the parole board because “because of my learning disability and language impairment, the messages I mean to convey are sometimes difficult for me to express accurately.”
While behind bars, he lost relatives, including his mother, who moved to Michigan City to be closer to him. Through the prison program, he took care of a cat named Sadie, who was brought home before his execution.
He renewed his faith and was baptized in prison. He is in close contact with spiritual advisors who say he has expressed remorse.
“He doesn’t hide the fact that this happened,” Deacon Brian Nosbusch said. “He’s definitely a changed person.”