Indiana executes Roy Lee Ward; media barred | JQJO

Roy Lee Ward, 53, was executed by injection early Friday at Indiana State Prison for the 2001 rape and murder of 15-year-old Stacy Payne, a crime that shook Dale. Pronounced dead at 12:33 a.m., his final moments were described by a spiritual advisor who held his hand as it turned blue. Media were barred; attorneys watched through a window without sound. Ward’s written apology wasn’t read, with officials listing his last words as, “Brian is going to read them.” It was Indiana’s third execution since resuming capital punishment last year, amid disputes over pentobarbital.