LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – Bruce Ward, a convicted murderer and the longest-serving inmate on Arkansas' death row, has died at the age of 68. According to the state Department of Corrections, Ward was pronounced dead on Tuesday from natural causes. He had been incarcerated at the Varner SuperMax unit in Gould, approximately 67 miles (108 kilometers) south of Little Rock.

Ward had spent 35 years on death row after being convicted for the 1989 murder of Rebecca Doss. Doss was found strangled in the men’s room of the Little Rock convenience store where she worked, a case that drew significant media attention and public outcry. With Ward’s passing, the number of inmates remaining on death row in Arkansas has decreased to 24.

In 2017, Arkansas had initiated plans to execute Ward along with seven other inmates within a two-week period, but these executions were halted due to court decisions and the expiration of the state's supply of lethal injection drugs. Although the state managed to execute four other inmates at that time, Ward's execution was among those affected by legal complications.

Recently, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a new law permitting the use of nitrogen gas for executions, positioning Arkansas as the fifth state to adopt this method. Supporters of this legislation assert that it will facilitate the resumption of executions in the state, indicating a potential shift in the approach to capital punishment.

Currently, the longest-serving inmate on Arkansas’ death row is Don Davis, who was sentenced in 1992 for the murder of a northwest Arkansas woman following a burglary. Ward’s lengthy incarceration and the recent changes in the state’s execution protocols spotlight ongoing debates regarding the death penalty and the administration of justice in Arkansas.

Bruce Ward's death marks a significant moment in the history of capital punishment in the state, highlighting both the longevity of certain cases on death row and the evolving methods of execution under state law.