MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. (WNDU) - The state of Indiana is set to execute a man convicted of raping and murdering a teenage girl.

Roy Lee Ward is scheduled to be put to death before sunrise on Friday at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City.

According to our sister station WTHR , the 52-year-old has exhausted his legal options to challenge the sentence.

Ward was found guilty of raping and killing 15-year-old Stacy Payne in 2001 in Spencer County. He has been sentenced to death twice in the case.

Ward’s execution is set to be the state’s third execution since resuming capital punishment last year. Joseph Corcoran’s execution was the state’s first in 15 years when he was put to death in December 2024 while Benjamin Ritchie was executed this past May.

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