stacy payne what happened

Stacy Payne was a 15-year-old girl who was raped and murdered in her home in Dale, Indiana, in 2001. Roy Lee Ward, the man responsible, was convicted and sentenced to death for the crime. Ward gained entry to her house by pretending to look for a lost dog and then attacked Stacy Payne with a knife and dumbbell. Stacy suffered extensive injuries and died several hours after the attack. Ward was arrested at the scene still holding a knife. After over two decades of legal proceedings, including appeals and a retrial where Ward pleaded guilty, he was executed by lethal injection early on October 10, 2025, at the Indiana State Prison. His execution marked Indiana's third since resuming capital punishment in 2024 after a 15-year hiatus. Ward was reportedly remorseful about the crime, and the victim's family expressed that justice had finally been served after many years of emotional devastation from their loss.