On the early morning of November 4, 2023, deputies from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office in Indiana were dispatched to a residence on the 5900 block of East State Road 45 near New Unionville. The call came in around 1:30 a.m. regarding a disturbance at the home. Upon arrival, law enforcement encountered a chaotic scene with broken furniture and glass strewn about the interior of the house, suggesting a violent altercation had taken place.
Inside the garage, officers discovered the body of 48-year-old Tara Langley, a female resident of Bloomington. She had suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head and was pronounced dead at the scene. Near her body, investigators located an AR-15-style rifle and a civilian-style taser. A sizable amount of blood was observed around the victim and throughout the garage, indicating the severity of the event.
Outside the residence, police detained a man identified as Bryce Michael Leighton, who was found with what appeared to be blood on his hands and clothing. Leighton, who was 34 years old at the time, was reportedly hysterical and shouting unintelligibly about his 'baby.' During questioning, he allegedly told officers that he and Langley had been in a relationship for seven years and that an argument had escalated. He claimed the victim was intoxicated and had advanced toward him with a taser, stating that the ensuing moments were a 'blur,' though he admitted to holding the rifle when it discharged.
Leighton was arrested and transported to the Monroe County Correctional Center, where he was held without bond. He was formally charged with murder, a Level 1 felony. He entered a plea of not guilty, and legal proceedings were initiated with a jury trial scheduled to begin in the spring of the following year. Prosecutors alleged that the forensic evidence, including the positioning of the suspect and the weapon, contradicted the self-defense narrative provided by the accused.
