Ex-Jay County deputy sentenced to 53 years for murder

PORTLAND, Ind. — A former Jay County sheriff's deputy on Monday was sentenced to 53 years in prison for a murder conviction.

A Jay Circuit Court jury in June found Roger L. Boyd Jr., 36, guilty in the September 2020 shooting death of James P. Miller, a 49-year-old Montpelier resident.

Boyd, of Portland, was sentenced Monday by Judge Brian Hutchison.

Boyd told authorities he shot Miller in self defense after finding the Blackford County man in his garage, outside the ex-deputy's home in the 1200 block of South Bridge Street.

At last month's trial, however, Deputy Prosecutor Zechariah Landers told jurors video from a nearby surveillance camera showed Boyd and Miller entering the garage together.

Earlier:Former Jay County sheriff's deputy formally charged with murder, confinement

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

A charge against Boyd stemming from that claim — criminal confinement while armed with a deadly weapon — was dismissed by Jay County Prosecutor Wesley Schemenaur's office the week of the trial.

In Indiana, the maximum sentence for a murder conviction is 65 years.

While awaiting trial, Boyd was incarcerated at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City. Defense attorney Zaki Ali told Judge Hutchison his client had been attacked and threatened by other inmates at the Delaware County jail.

Boyd previously worked as a Dunkirk police officer.

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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.