On April 20, 2021, 30-year-old female Amanda Lee 'Mandi' Shroyer was tragically killed in a double homicide at a residence in the 800 block of Third Street in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Shroyer was at the home of 40-year-old Jennifer Ann Dray, who was also killed during the incident. The violence stemmed from a power struggle over the assets and drug inventory of a recently deceased man named Walter Cash, who had died of a fentanyl overdose just days earlier. Tensions had risen between Dray and associates of Cash, who blamed her for his death and sought to take control of his property, including a vehicle, money, and narcotics.
The plot to rob Dray escalated when three individuals—Ronald W. Price, Marina Zrnic, and Joshua J. Dube—coordinated an attack on the residence. Dube, who had been inside the home, reportedly confined Dray while waiting for Price and Zrnic to arrive. When Zrnic and Price reached the front door, Price allegedly pushed past Zrnic and opened fire, shooting both Dray and Shroyer. After the shooting, Dube fled the scene with bags containing methamphetamine and cocaine, while Price escaped the county, later burning his clothes and dismantling the murder weapon to destroy evidence. Shroyer was transported to a hospital where she later succumbed to her injuries, while Dray was pronounced dead at the scene.
Law enforcement officers quickly identified the suspects involved in the orchestration of the crime. Marina Zrnic was arrested and eventually cooperated with prosecutors, entering a guilty plea to attempted robbery as a Level 2 felony in exchange for her testimony. Joshua Dube also accepted a plea deal, admitting guilt to charges of robbery and confinement, and agreed to testify against the shooter. Both accomplices identified Price as the gunman who fired the fatal shots.
Ronald W. Price faced trial in February 2023, where a jury acquitted him of murder charges but found him guilty on two counts of felony murder and one count of attempted robbery. During the proceedings, evidence presented detailed how the robbery plan turned deadly, resulting in the loss of two lives. Following his conviction, the court sentenced Price to an aggregate term of 130 years in prison for his role in the deaths of Amanda Shroyer and Jennifer Dray. His conviction was later upheld by the Court of Appeals of Indiana in early 2024.
