In the early morning hours of January 20, 2025, a fatal encounter unfolded in a room at the Best Western hotel in Mishawaka, Indiana, leaving one man dead. Police were dispatched to the hotel at approximately 3:20 a.m. following reports of a shooting. Upon arrival, they discovered 44-year-old Anthony Korolis of Buchanan, Michigan, unresponsive near the entrance of a hotel room. Korolis, a male, had sustained gunshot wounds to his chest and head and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators noted that Korolis was wearing a bandana over the lower portion of his face.
At the scene, authorities found a fully loaded 9mm handgun near Korolis's body. Inside the hotel room, they recovered three. 40 caliber casings. The room also contained drug paraphernalia, a substance that tested positive for methamphetamine, and a pill identified as clonazepam. The investigation quickly led police to Justin Levi Bonham, who was present in the room and admitted to shooting Korolis with a. 40 caliber handgun.
Bonham, 34, claimed he acted in self-defense, stating that he fired his weapon out of fear when he saw Korolis enter the room armed. The St. Joseph County Prosecutor's Office preliminarily ruled the shooting as a justified homicide, as they were unable to disprove Bonham's claim of self-defense beyond a reasonable doubt. While not charged in Korolis's death, Bonham faced legal consequences for the items found in the hotel room.
Initially, Justin Levi Bonham was charged with possession of methamphetamine, possession of paraphernalia, possession of a controlled substance, and unlawful carrying of a handgun with a prior felony conviction. In a plea agreement, Bonham pleaded guilty to the charge of unlawful carrying of a handgun. The remaining drug-related charges were dismissed. He was subsequently sentenced to five years in the Indiana Department of Correction, with two years of probation to follow.
