Indiana Parole Board holds clemency hearings for death row inmate Roy Lee Ward

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Parole Board took testimony Monday regarding whether Gov. Mike Braun should grant clemency to convicted killer Roy Lee Ward, who was sentenced to death for the rape and murder of 15-year-old Stacy Payne in 2001. His execution is set for next month.

Monday’s clemency hearings culminated with Stacy’s mother asking the Indiana Parole Board to uphold Roy Lee Ward’s death sentence, and recommend that the governor deny Ward’s petition for clemency.

“We will never see Stacy’s smile again,” Julie Wininger, Stacy Payne’s mother, said. “We will never hear her voice, never have the joy of watching her grow into the incredible woman she was meant to be.”

Law enforcement officers and EMTs who tried to save Stacy’s life called the crime scene the worst they had seen in their decades-long careers.

“In my 42 years that I have been there, I have never ever seen anything this brutal in my life,” Jane Stout, an EMT, said.

“I have never seen a murder scene as bad as this. It was horrible. It was the most brutal thing that I’d ever witnessed,” Randy Cutrell, former detective and lead investigator in the case, said. “This case has had a tremendous impact on me, and it’s had a huge impact on all the police officers involved.”

Last week, Ward declined to be interviewed by the Parole Board. His defense team argued that Ward was concerned his remorse would not be properly relayed due to his language difficulties. Ward’s defense team also argued that the trial attorneys erroneously labeled Ward as psychotic and that Ward’s diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder was never presented in his case.

“The jury relied on a false narrative as a basis to sentence Roy to death,” Larry Komp, Ward’s defense attorney, said. “The jury relied on the labels of severe psychopath, and it simply is not the case.”

“We do know that the jury relied on a false narrative to sentence Roy to death,” Larry Komp, Ward’s defense attorney, said. “His label of psychopath is incorrect.”

But a representative for Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita’s Office said multiple courts have determined Ward’s sentence is appropriate, and that Ward has never publicly expressed remorse for Payne’s murder.

“Our family has endured emotional devastation for 24 years and two months. That is 8,839 days,” Wininger said.

If Gov. Braun does not grant Ward clemency, the state will execute him on Oct. 10.