Ex-Jay County sheriff's deputy Roger Boyd Jr. convicted of murder

PORTLAND, Ind. — A former Jay County sheriff's deputy on Friday was convicted of murder.

A Jay Circuit Court jury on Friday afternoon returned a guilty verdict in the case of Roger L. Boyd Jr., 36. Testimony in his trial began on Tuesday.

Boyd was accused of fatally shooting James P. Miller, a 49-year-old Montpelier man, on Sept. 5, 2020.

The Portland man told investigators he shot Miller with a semi-automatic handgun after finding the Blackford County resident in his garage.

Boyd's defense attorney, Spencer Benge of Anderson, tried to persuade jurors his client had acted in self defense.

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However, Deputy Prosecutor Zechariah Landers maintained video from a nearby surveillance camera showed Boyd and the shooting victim entering the garage together.

Miller's girlfriend testified that after the killing, Boyd ordered her to enter his home and go into a basement.

That allegation led to a second charge against Boyd, criminal confinement while armed with a deadly weapon, a Level 3 felony carrying up to 16 years in prison. However, the confinement charge this week was dismissed by Prosecutor Wes Schemenaur's office.

The maximum penalty for a murder conviction in Indiana is a 65-year prison term. Judge Brian Hutchison set sentencing for July 25.

While awaiting trial, Boyd was held at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City.

His other defense attorney, Zaki Ali of Anderson, had requested the transfer. Ali said the former deputy had been threatened and attacked by other inmates while being held in the Jay County jail.

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Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.