Clemency denied for Indiana death row inmate to be executed Oct. 10 for brutal 2001 murder

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- An Indiana man convicted in the 2001 rape and murder of a 15-year-old girl is set to be put to death on Oct. 10.

Roy Lee Ward has been on death row for more than 20 years after being convicted in the rape and murder of 15-year-old Stacy Payne in Dale, Indiana.

Ward recently filed a request for clemency with the Court, that Gov. Mike Braun denied on Monday morning. In a news release, he said, “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."

According to court documents, Ward went to Stacy Payne's residence in July 2001 and convinced her to let him inside. Stacy's sister, Melissa, was upstairs when she heard her screams and called 911.

Officers arrived shortly after to find Ward in the doorway of the house with a knife in his hand, ordering him to the ground and handcuffing him. Payne was then found in the kitchen partially clothed in a "massive pool of blood" with several lacerations including her abdomen, throat and back.

Payne was taken by helicopter to UofL Health Hospital in Louisville, Ky. where she died after arriving. Her autopsy revealed that she had 18 blunt force injuries, according to court documents.

A jury convicted Ward of murder, rape and other charges in 2002 and recommended a death sentence.

A Dec. 2012 execution date for Ward was stayed by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana.

This will be the state's third execution in 15 years, the most recent being Benjamin Ritchie in May.

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