Roy Lee Ward, 53, was executed by lethal injection early Friday at the Indiana State Prison for the 2001 rape and murder of 15-year-old Stacy Payne.

The execution, Indiana’s third since resuming capital punishment last year, was carried out at 12:33 a.m. after Ward exhausted all legal appeals and was denied clemency.

Ward, who had recently been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, expressed remorse for the crime, according to his attorney and spiritual adviser.

His case had wound through the courts for more than two decades, including an overturned conviction and retrial, the AP has reported.

The victim’s family said they were relieved the sentence was finally carried out, remembering Payne as a bright, kind teenager whose loss left lasting pain.