Roy Lee Ward

Case information

• Name: Roy Lee Ward
• Sex: White male
• Date of birth: 07-20-1972
• DOC #: 914976
• Court (current): Spencer County Circuit Court
• Judge (current): Judge Wayne Roell
• Cause #: 74C01-0107-CF-0158
• Prosecutor (current): Jon A. Dartt

Timeline

• July 11, 2001 — Roy Lee Ward committed the rape and murder of Dale, Ind. teenager Stacy Payne.
• December 18, 2002 — Roy Lee Ward was on death row.
• June 9, 2007 — Vanderburgh Superior Court Judge Robert Pigman sentenced Roy Lee Ward to death.
• June 8, 2008 (before sunrise) — Execution date was set by the judge.

The offence

Roy Lee Ward raped and murdered Stacy Payne, a teenager from Dale, Ind. Prosecutors presented graphic evidence and testimony during Ward’s sentencing hearing describing the attack and her injuries.

Kentucky forensic pathologist Donna Hunsaker testified about findings from Stacy Payne’s autopsy. Hunsaker testified that Stacy Payne was:

• bound with nylon twine,
• raped,
• beaten on the head with a 3-pound weight,
• slashed across her throat, and
• cut nearly in half across her midsection.

The prosecution presented testimony that Payne lived for four hours after the attack.

Investigation

No standalone investigation facts were provided in the source beyond forensic autopsy findings presented at sentencing.

Trial

Earlier trial and appeal

An earlier verdict of a Spencer County jury recommending death was overturned on appeal, and Roy Lee Ward was granted a new trial.

Guilty plea before the new trial’s start

Days before Ward’s new trial was scheduled to begin last month, Roy Lee Ward pleaded guilty to the rape and murder, so the jury selected from Clay County, Ind., was asked only to decide his sentence.

Sentencing hearing and jury recommendation

After five days of testimony before Vanderburgh Superior Court Judge Robert Pigman, jurors deliberated and recommended death in less than 45 minutes.

During the week of testimony:

• Jurors saw Ward’s baby pictures and learned details including his grades in school, attendance, and nicknames, presented as part of an effort by Ward’s defense attorneys to demonstrate the troubled life he had led.
• Ward sat silently during the victim impact statement hearing and declined the opportunity to offer his own statement.
• Ward’s arms and legs were shackled, and he wore short-sleeved yellow prison scrubs with tattoos of the Tasmanian devil, a skull and dagger that were hidden by street clothes he was permitted to wear in front of the jury.
• During closing arguments, Spencer County Prosecutor Jon Dartt recalled testimony about how hard the 15-year-old fought to live, and the prosecution said Payne lived for four hours after the attack.

Defence

Ward’s defense attorneys were Lorinda Youngcourt and Steve Risptra.

The defense called psychologists who described Ward as a psychopath devoid of emotion and conscience.

Ward’s mother, grandmother, and other relatives and acquaintances all said he should spend the rest of his life in prison.

Ward’s own attorneys told jurors to give him life in prison without parole, explaining he was too dangerous to live his life anywhere but behind bars.

Sentencing

Vanderburgh Superior Court Judge Robert Pigman formally sentenced Roy Lee Ward to death.

Pigman ordered the execution to occur before sunrise on June 8, 2008.

Appeals

Because Ward’s case was a death-penalty case, it was stated that it would automatically be appealed again, with the appeals process still ahead.

Outcome

Roy Lee Ward received a death sentence after a jury recommended the death penalty for the crime.

Other details

Victim impact statement

During a 30-minute victim impact statement hearing, Julie Payne gave a victim impact statement.

Julie Payne stood between her daughter Melissa and her husband Roger as she delivered her statement. Julie Payne described Stacy Payne as hard working, caring, and loved by all, and stated that Stacy had just completed her freshman year of high school and was working her first job, saving every penny for her future plans.

Quotes given by Julie Payne included:

• "I wish you could better know Stacy so you could better understand our loss,"
• "Stacy's positive attitude and smile made her the kind of person other people gravitated toward,"
• "She had so much potential. She always did her best. Her life was so short, but it was filled with meaning."
• "The things we feel most deeply are hardest to put into words,"
• "It has been six horrible, long, hard years. We have yearned for her every day."
• "The damage to our family will last a lifetime. Roy Lee Ward home last updates contact " (appearing at the end of the provided text)

At the end of her statement, Julie Payne emphasized: "Stacy is not coming home," and said: "The damage to our family will last a lifetime.

Melissa Payne told reporters the sentencing did not end her family’s pain after the hearing ended, and the only sound described was the metallic jingling of Ward’s shackles as he was led away.

Defence attempt to influence sentencing

The defense presented testimony and information about Ward’s troubled life through psychologists and through presentation of photos and school/attendance records.

Execution timing

The sentencing included ordering the execution to occur before sunrise on June 8, 2008, and it was stated that an automatic appeal follows death penalty convictions, meaning the date was likely to be delayed.