Brenna Cooper
Warning: This article contains discussion of rape which some readers may find distressing.
The final meal of a death row inmate, convicted of brutally raping and murdering a 15-year-old girl, has been revealed.
On July 11, 2001, high school student Stacy Payne opened her front door to find a man enquiring about a lost dog. The 29-year-old, later identified as Roy Lee Ward, would then force his way into the home and brutally assault Stacy while her younger sister hid upstairs in fear.
The younger sibling was able to contact the police while hiding, with law enforcement arriving and arresting Ward at the scene.
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Meanwhile, Stacy, who had suffered numerous knife wounds and blunt force injuries during the attack, would ultimately pass away later that day.
Ward was later convicted of Stacy's rape and murder a year later and sentenced to death by an Indiana court in 2022.
Nearly 23 years on from Ward's conviction, his sentence has finally been carried out, with the 53-year-old being executed by lethal injection on Friday (October 10) at Indiana State Prison in Michigan City.
Prior to the sentence being carried out, Ward was allowed to choose his final meal, a privilege offered to death row inmates in the US, with the condemned man opting for a burger and fries from steakhouse Texas Corral, according to the Indiana Department of Corrections.
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According to ABC News, his final words were 'Brian is going to read them'. It is not clear what he meant; however, Brain is the name of one of Ward's spiritual advisers.
Prior to his execution, Ward had made several unsuccessful appeals to have his sentence commuted to life without the possibility of parole, all of which were denied.
He is the third prisoner to be executed this year in the state of Indiana and the 35th inmate across the entire US (per Death Penalty Info).
Of the inmates executed in 2025, lethal injection remains the most popular option. However, this year also saw the controversial return of the firing squad being allowed in certain states.
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Since its reintroduction, two men - Brad Sigmon and Mikal Mahdi - were killed using this method.
Granting prisoners a choice over their final meal is a tradition in all but one of the US states that retain the death penalty.
Prisoners are allowed to choose any meal - within certain restrictions - with the idea being that it allows the condemned one final choice before they are put to death.
And yet, the practice is not without its critics.
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In 2011, the state of Texas banned prisoners from choosing their final meal after murderer Lawrence Brewer requested an expensive meal and then refused to eat it.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact The Survivors Trust for free on 08088 010 818, available 10am-12.30pm, 1.30pm-3pm and 6pm-8pm Monday to Thursday, 10am-12.30pm and 1.30pm-3pm on Fridays, 10am-12.30pm on Saturdays and 6pm-8pm on Sundays.