On the night of March 10 leading into the early morning of March 11, 2018, a social gathering took place at a residence in the 2100 block of Carolina Street in Gary, Indiana. The homeowner, Bunita Boyd, was hosting friends and family when an altercation broke out between her and her ex-boyfriend, 30-year-old Black male Broderick Harbin. The dispute began when Boyd took an alcoholic beverage away from Harbin, citing his history of becoming unruly when drinking.
The verbal disagreement escalated into a physical struggle, during which Harbin reportedly struck Boyd’s arm before sitting down in a chair. Also present in the room was Ronald Earl Menzie, a cousin of the father of Boyd’s children, who witnessed the exchange.
Without warning, the situation turned violent when Menzie produced a handgun. Boyd reported hearing a loud popping sound and suddenly realized her hand was bleeding from a gunshot wound. When she looked up, she saw Menzie pointing the weapon directly at Harbin. Menzie proceeded to fire multiple additional shots at Harbin, who was still seated. Amidst the chaos, Boyd pushed Menzie toward the door, and as he exited the home, he instructed her not to identify him to authorities. Harbin sustained multiple gunshot wounds during the attack and was pronounced dead, while Boyd survived the injury to her hand.
Investigators identified Ronald Earl Menzie as the suspect based on witness accounts from the scene. He was subsequently arrested and charged with murder and Level 6 felony criminal recklessness. During the legal proceedings, prosecutors argued that Menzie did not act in sudden heat, noting that while there was tension between Boyd and Harbin, the shooting was a calculated response rather than an uncontrollable reaction. The state presented evidence, including autopsy photographs, to support the charges against him.
In August 2019, a Lake County judge delivered the sentence following Menzie's conviction. He received a 58-year prison term for the murder charge, which was enhanced by an additional 12 years due to the use of a firearm. Furthermore, he was sentenced to two consecutive years for criminal recklessness regarding the injury to Boyd. The court ordered these sentences to be served consecutively, resulting in an aggregate term of 72 years in the Indiana Department of Correction. Menzie later appealed his conviction in 2020, challenging the admission of certain evidence and jury instructions, but the Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court’s decision.
