Sat Oct 11 10:00:00 UTC 2025: **News Article:**

**Indiana Set to Execute Roy Lee Ward for 2001 Murder of Teenager**

MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. – Indiana is scheduled to execute Roy Lee Ward early Friday morning for the 2001 rape and murder of 15-year-old Stacy Payne. The execution, by lethal injection, will take place at the state prison in Michigan City and marks Indiana’s third execution since reinstating capital punishment last year after a 15-year hiatus.

Ward, 52, was convicted of breaking into Payne’s home in Dale, Indiana, raping her, and fatally attacking her with a dumbbell and knife. Payne died hours later in a hospital.

The case has been through the courts for over two decades, including an overturned conviction and a subsequent guilty plea in 2007. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case in 2017, and the Indiana Supreme Court recently declined to stay the execution. Governor Mike Braun also denied Ward’s clemency petition, citing the brutal nature of the crime.

The execution raises concerns about Indiana’s use of pentobarbital, the drug used in lethal injections, and the cost associated with securing it. Ward’s attorneys had challenged the use of the drug, raising concerns about potential pain and suffering.

Payne’s murder deeply impacted the small southern Indiana community. A prayer vigil is planned near her hometown to honor her memory. Stacy Payne’s mother, Julie Wininger, said that her daughter was an honor student and cheerleader who loved the song “You Are My Sunshine”. “We will never see Stacy smile again,” Wininger said. “We will never hear her voice, never have the joy of watching her grow into the incredible woman she was meant to be.”

While declining interview requests, Ward has expressed remorse. His attorneys said he has accepted his fate. Prior to his execution, Ward had renewed his faith and was baptized in prison.

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