MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. (WEVV) — Indiana death row inmate Roy Lee Ward was executed by lethal injection early Friday morning.

As reported, Ward was was convicted of the 2001 rape and murder of 15-year-old Stacy Payne in Spencer County.

According to the Indiana Department of Correction, Ward's execution was carried out before sunrise at the Indiana State Prison.

Officials say the execution process began shortly after 12 a.m. CDT on October 10 and Ward was pronounced dead at 12:33 a.m. CDT.

Indiana Governor Mike Braun released a statement Friday morning, saying: "Roy Lee Ward's case has been heard and reviewed numerous times by both state and federal courts, including the Indiana Supreme Court, since his conviction in 2002. These reviews have never resulted in an overturned sentence. The S

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