INDIANAPOLIS — Governor Mike Braun has denied clemency for Roy Lee Ward, allowing his execution to proceed as scheduled for October 10.
"After carefully reviewing the unanimous recommendation from the State Parole Board, I have decided to allow the execution of Roy Lee Ward to proceed as planned for October 10," Braun said.
The Indiana Parole Board unanimously recommended denying Ward's request for clemency after conducting public hearings on September 22. Ward had requested his death sentence be commuted to life in prison without parole.
Ward was convicted of the 2001 rape and murder of 15-year-old Stacy Payne in Dale, Indiana. In July 2001, Ward persuaded Payne to let him into her home, where he raped and killed her.
A jury found Ward guilty in 2002, and the trial court imposed the recommended death sentence. Ward challenged his conviction, but in 2004, pled guilty to rape and murder on remand, and the jury again recommended the death penalty. In 2009, the Indiana Supreme Court affirmed his conviction and sentence.
In their recommendation to the governor, the parole board noted Ward's extensive criminal history spanning three states and including crimes of battery, theft, burglary, forgery, drug offenses and multiple incidents of indecent exposure and public indecency. The board also cited Ward's institutional conduct, which included 14 conduct reports while incarcerated for offenses including sexual conduct, use of a controlled substance, and battery.
Ward declined to be interviewed by the parole board during the clemency process, though his legal team argued he was misdiagnosed with Anti-Social Personality Disorder and should have been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
The board found that "the brutal nature of the rape and murder of Stacy Payne" and the fact that "Stacy was conscious and aware throughout her attack and her final hours" were heavily considered factors.
Ward's execution is scheduled for Friday, October 10, 2025, before sunrise at the Indiana State Prison.
