The Indiana Parole Board noted the "brutal nature" of the crimes against a 15-year-old.

Ward's attorney, Joanna Green, acknowledged the horrific nature of the crimes but said Ward has expressed remorse for committing them.

The state of Indiana has executed two other men since it resumed lethal injections, which were paused in 2009.

The Indiana Parole Board has recommended that Gov. Mike Braun deny death row inmate Roy Lee Ward's clemency request, noting the "brutal nature" of the crimes he inflicted on his young victim, a 15-year-old girl.

"Candidly, this Board reviews thousands of cases a year, many with gruesome facts," the board wrote in a Sept. 24 letter to Braun, "but the victimization of Stacy Payne stood out to us."

Ward, who was sentenced to death for the rape and murder of

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