SPENCER COUNTY, Ind. — The Indiana Supreme Court has set the execution date for a Spencer County man convicted of raping and killing a 15-year-old girl in 2001.

According to an order obtained by FOX59/CBS4 on Thursday, the Indiana Supreme Court denied Roy Lee Ward's appeal, setting the stage for him to be officially executed at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City on Oct. 10 before the hour of sunrise.

Previous reporting reveals that Ward waited for Stacy Payne’s parents to leave their home for work on July 11, 2001. He then pretended to be looking for his lost dog before he persuaded Payne to let him inside her family’s home. Once inside, Ward raped and murdered the girl.

Ward had requested that the case be delayed while citing “serious questions and concerns about whether the Sta

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