US EditionPublished • loading... • Updated
Braun denies clemency for Ward; execution to proceed next month
Governor Braun cites Ward's extensive criminal record and institutional misconduct after the parole board's unanimous denial of clemency for the 2001 rape and murder case.
- Governor Mike Braun denied clemency for Roy Lee Ward, scheduling his execution for October 10, 2025, at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City before sunrise.
- Following public hearings on September 22, 2025, the Indiana Parole Board unanimously recommended denying commutation, citing the brutal nature of the crime and that Stacy Payne was conscious during the attack.
- During the 2001 crime, Ward broke into Stacy Payne's home on July 11, 2001, raped and murdered the 15-year-old, and police found him at the scene covered in blood holding a pocket knife.
- The Indiana Supreme Court on September 26 refused a stay, and Governor Braun reached his decision on Monday as Ward's attorneys pursue federal litigation challenging pentobarbital, citing Benjamin Ritchie's May execution.
- State filings show the Indiana Department of Correction has obtained three sets of pentobarbital, two expiring at the end of October and one in March 2026, costing $275,000 to $300,000 per dose.
Insights by Ground AI
20 Articles
20 Articles
Coverage Details
Total News Sources20
Leaning Left4Leaning Right2Center12Last UpdatedBias Distribution67% Center
Bias Distribution
- 67% of the sources are Center
67% Center
L 22%
C 67%
11%
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
