Stacy Payne was a 15‑year‑old girl from Dale, Indiana, who was raped and murdered in her home in 2001; the man convicted of killing her, Roy Lee Ward, was executed by the state of Indiana in October 2025.

What happened to Stacy Payne?

  • Stacy Lynn Payne was attacked on July 11, 2001, in her family’s home in Dale, Indiana, after answering the door to Roy Lee Ward, who used a pretext about a missing dog to gain entry.
  • Ward assaulted, raped, and repeatedly beat and stabbed her with a dumbbell and a knife; she was airlifted to a hospital but died later that day from her injuries.
  • The crime deeply shocked the small community of Dale, which had a population of around 1,500, and her family has spoken publicly about the long‑lasting emotional devastation of her loss.

What happened to the attacker?

  • Roy Lee Ward was convicted of the rape and murder of Stacy Payne and originally sentenced to death, a sentence that went through years of legal challenges and appeals.
  • In 2025, a clemency hearing considered arguments about his mental health and remorse, but the Indiana parole board and Governor Mike Braun rejected clemency, citing the brutality of the crime.
  • Ward was executed by lethal injection in October 2025 at Indiana State Prison, with officials confirming the execution and news outlets reporting it as Indiana’s third execution since resuming capital punishment.

How is Stacy remembered?

  • Stacy is remembered by her family as an honor student and cheerleader who worked at a local pizzeria and was known for her love of life and the song “You Are My Sunshine.”
  • Her family has kept her memory present in their home, and her mother has described birthdays and holidays as painful reminders of what was lost, emphasizing how short but meaningful Stacy’s life was.

Bottom note: Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.