Boyd trial set for February

A trial has been set for a former local law enforcement officer who is charged with murder.

Jay Circuit Court Judge Brian Hutchison on Friday scheduled a trial for Roger L. Boyd Jr., 35, Portland, for Feb. 2. He is charged with the Sept. 5 murder of James P. Miller of Montpelier.

He is also charged with criminal confinement while armed with a deadly weapon, a Level 3 felony.

Hutchison scheduled the trial during a pretrial conference Friday. A final pre-trial conference is scheduled for Jan. 5.

Boyd, who previously served as K-9 officer for Jay County Sheriff’s Office and for Dunkirk Police Department, was arrested shortly after Miller was shot in the early morning hours of Sept. 5 outside 1215 S. Bridge St., Portland. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to court documents, police say Boyd admitted at the scene that he shot Miller. Police say Boyd told them the shooting was in self defense and that he believed Miller had a weapon, though police say no such weapon was found.

Miller’s girlfriend, Nicole L. Burke, was later found in the basement of the home. According to the documents, she told police she was standing in the driveway after the shooting and Boyd ordered her into the house and told her to go to the basement.

Brittney Shewmake, Boyd’s girlfriend and the owner of the 1215 S. Bridge St. property, is also charged with criminal confinement, a Level 3 felony, in connection with the incident. Court documents indicate that she was inside the house with two children, ages 3 and 5, at the time of the shooting.

In Indiana, murder carries a sentence of 45 to 65 years with an advisory sentence of 55 years.