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Indiana A man convicted of raping and murdering a teenage girl in 2001 will be put to death, the state’s third execution since capital punishment resumed 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 man has exhausted his legal options to challenge the sentence.
Ward’s execution by lethal injection comes amid questions over Indiana’s handling of pentobarbital, the drug it has used in recent executions.
Here’s a closer look at the case:
A brutal death shocks an Indiana town
Authorities say Ward entered the home of 15-year-old Stacy Payne on July 11, 2001, raped her, and repeatedly stabbed the girl with dumbbells and a knife. He was airlifted from his city valley He was taken to hospital and died a few hours later.
Former town marshal Matt Keller discovered Stacy and arrested Ward who was still at the home.
“I cannot imagine the extreme pain, suffering and utter terror that Stacey experienced during the last moments of her young life,” Keller said at Ward’s clemency hearing. indianapolis Last month.
Payne’s death rocked the southern Indiana community, which is home to about 1,500 people. Her father still lives at the home, his Raggedy Ann doll collection untouched.
A nearby church has planned a vigil to honor the girl “with the sharing of good memories” just hours before her execution.
a long court battle
Ward’s case has been going through the courts for decades. In 2002 he was found guilty of murder and rape 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 sued Indiana, seeking to stop all executions. He argued that Indiana’s “method of imposing the death penalty is arbitrary” and “disrespectful to evolving standards of decency.”
The Indiana Supreme Court last month refused to stay the execution. That too when the government. mike braun Ward’s pardon was rejected after board members noted the “brutal nature” of the murder.
Arguing against clemency, state attorneys noted Ward’s criminal history, including indecent exposure charges and a robbery conviction.
“He is a murderer and a rapist,” Deputy Attorney General Tyler Banks told the parole board. “He’s also violent and manipulative.”
Ward has exhausted his legal avenues, lawyers said.
“He’s completely on board with the fact that this is happening and has been happening for some time,” said Joanna Green, one of Ward’s attorneys. “He said, ‘If I could go through every pain that happened to me, I would.'”
Questions about performance drugs
Executions resume in Indiana in 2024 after a 15-year hiatus. State officials said they would be able to obtain drugs used in lethal injections that had been unavailable for years.
But the price of those drugs was steep, more than $1 million for four doses. In June, Braun said the state would not immediately purchase more, raising questions about whether Indiana would consider a new execution method. first term republican Cited high cost and short shelf life.
Ward’s lawyers challenged the drug’s use in court, saying it could cause flash pulmonary edema, in which fluid rapidly moves through disintegrating membranes into the lungs and airways, causing suffocation-like pain. He noted that witnesses to the execution of Ben Ritchie in May said that the man leaned forward before dying.
“There are still many unanswered questions about what happened during Ben’s execution,” Green said.
Of the 27 states with death penalty laws, Indiana is one of two states that prohibit media witnesses.
Indiana Department of Corrections officials confirmed Wednesday that the agency has “enough pentobarbital to follow necessary protocols” for the execution but had no further comment.
Green said he learned through his trial that the pentobarbital used in Ward’s execution was manufactured and not mixed. Ward’s lawyers said this meant concerns about the drug spoiling quickly were reduced and he received reassurance about proper management of the drug, including temperature control. The lawsuit was dropped, as was another legal challenge over the terms of the execution chamber.
Remembered for love of life
Relatives said Payne, who loved singing “You Are My Sunshine,” was full of life.
An honors student and cheerleader, she was saving money from her pizzeria job, her mother, Julie Winninger, told the parole board.
“Stacey’s life was too short but filled with so much meaning,” she said.
Winninger tallied each of the more than 8,000 days since Payne passed away. He appealed for justice from the parole board.
“We will never see Stacey smile again,” Wininger said, crying. “We will never hear her voice, we will never have the joy of watching her grow into the incredible woman she was meant to be.”
his last days
Ward, who declined interview requests through his lawyers, has said little publicly.
He did not comment at his sentencing in 2007. He also declined a parole board interview, saying he did not want to force the victim’s family to travel to Michigan City. The lawyers also said that they were remorseful but were having difficulty expressing it.
Ward had recently been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, an issue attorneys raised in challenges.
In a September 17 affidavit, Ward said he refused to appear at the parole board because “because of my learning disability and language disability it is sometimes difficult for me to accurately convey the messages I wish to convey.”
While behind bars, he lost his relatives, including his mother who moved to Michigan City to be closer to him. Through a prison program, he took care of a cat named Sadie, who was re-homed before his execution.
He renewed his faith and was baptized in prison. He keeps in close contact with spiritual advisers who say he has expressed regret.
Deacon Brian Nosbush said, “He’s not hiding the fact that this happened.” “He’s definitely a changed man.”