CHICAGO (AP) — indiana man A death row inmate convicted of the rape and murder of a teenage girl in 2001 was executed for the third time in the state early Friday morning. reinstatement of the death penalty last year.
Roy Lee Ward, 53, was sentenced to death at the Indiana State Penitentiary in Michigan City. The process began shortly after midnight, and Ward was pronounced dead at 12:33 a.m., the Indiana Department of Corrections said in a statement.
Ward’s last meal was at Texas Coral, which included a hamburger. His last words, reported by the Indiana Department of Corrections, were “Brian is going to read it,” but it’s unclear when exactly he said those words.
He was convicted of the rape and murder of 15-year-old Stacey Payne. Authorities said Ward attacked the girl with a knife and dumbbell at her parents’ home near Dale, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) east of Evansville. The crime shook the small community of about 1,500 people.
After more than 20 years, Ward has exhausted his legal options. His lawyer, Joanna Green, said days before his execution that Ward was “deeply remorseful” for the crime.
Ward’s execution came amid questions about Indiana’s handling of powerful sedatives. pentobarbital. Last year, state authorities lifted a 15-year moratorium on executions, saying they now had access to drugs used in lethal injections that had been unavailable for years.
The Indiana Department of Corrections said it had obtained “a sufficient amount of pentobarbital to follow the necessary procedures” for Ward’s execution. Ward’s lawyers had raised concerns about the drug’s use and the state’s storage practices, including temperature issues.
Of the 27 states that have death penalty laws, Indiana This is one of two cases in which the media is prohibited from witnessing executions. Ward’s witness list also included an attorney and a spiritual advisor.
His case remained in court for more than 20 years.
Ward was convicted of the crime in 2002 and sentenced to death. However, he pleaded guilty in 2007 after the Indiana Supreme Court overturned his conviction and ordered a new trial. Ten years later, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the case. In 2019 he sued the state of indiana It seeks to halt all pending executions.
Last month, the Indiana Supreme Court rejected a stay of execution, and Gov. Mike Brown rejected Mr. Ward’s clemency proposal.
The victim’s family said they are ready for justice to be served, remembering Payne’s influence beyond her short life as an honor student and cheerleader.
“Now there are no family gatherings, holidays are empty, and birthdays are sad reminders of what we have lost,” his mother, Julie Wininger, told the parole board last month. “Our family has endured emotional devastation.”
Ward said he did not want to force the victim’s family to go to prison and that he could not always say what he wanted, so he did not attend an interview with the parole board to request clemency. Lawyers say Ward was recently diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, which affects his ability to communicate.
One of Ward’s spiritual advisers, Deacon Brian Nosbusch, said that before his execution, Ward had thought deeply about his actions.
“He knows what he did,” Nosbusch said. “He knows it was scary.”
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Golden reported from Seattle.
