A Monroe County, Indiana, jury has convicted Bryce Michael Leighton of murder for the fatal 2023 shooting of Tara Langley at a home on State Road 45 in Monroe County, according to the county prosecutor's office.
The verdict came in the week ending October 30, the Bloomingtonian reported, citing the Monroe County Prosecutor's Office. Three prosecutors handled the trial: Chief Deputy Jeff Kehr, First Deputy Chris Pierce and Deputy Joseph Bazzell. The lead detective was Andrew Rushing of the sheriff's office. No sentencing date was reported.
The night of the shooting
Deputies were sent to 5929 E. State Road 45 at about 1:30 a.m. on Saturday, November 4, 2023, after a neighbor called about a man shouting outdoors, according to Rushing's probable cause affidavit as described by the Bloomingtonian. Deputies found Leighton outdoors, with apparent bloodstains on his hands and clothes. Langley's body was in the attached garage, and an AR-15 style rifle lay near the exterior doorway.
The coroner's office identified the victim at the time as "Tara Langley, 48, of Bloomington," and Leighton, then 34, was booked into the Monroe County jail on a murder charge, the Bloomingtonian reported in 2023. Deputies said she had a gunshot wound to the head. Investigators also collected a stun gun beside her, along with a fired rifle casing and a bullet from inside the house.
The stun gun account and the geometry of the garage
Leighton told investigators that he and Langley had been dating for seven years and that he was packing to leave when Langley came toward him holding a stun gun, that he had a gun in his hands, and that "everything just went into a blur" when the stun gun went off.
The affidavit's description of the room cut against a necessity claim. According to Rushing, Leighton stood just inside the outside door of the garage at the moment of the shot, Langley stood closer to its center, and nothing blocked his way out. The published report does not describe the arguments made at trial, so it is not clear how heavily the defense leaned on that account before the jury.
Those facts track the questions that decide most self defense cases: whether the force used was proportionate to the threat, and whether the person could simply leave. Even in states that have removed any duty to retreat, the force used must still be reasonable, and jurors may weigh an open door in judging whether it was. We laid out how those rules differ in Castle Doctrine vs. Stand Your Ground.
Our arithmetic: the timeline and the sentencing range
November 4, 2023: Shooting reported and Leighton arrested.
Week ending October 30, 2026: Guilty verdict, 1,091 days after the shooting by our count, or just under three years.
Under Indiana Code 35-50-2-3, murder carries a fixed term "of between forty-five (45) and sixty-five (65) years," with "the advisory sentence being fifty-five (55) years," and a fine of up to $10,000. Leighton was 34 at his arrest and is about 37 now. Adding the minimum, advisory and maximum terms to his age at arrest gives release ages of roughly 79, 89 and 99 before any credit for good behavior, which means even the low end of the range is close to a life term for a man his age.
The judge will set the sentence after a presentence investigation, weighing aggravating and mitigating circumstances under Indiana law. Leighton chose a jury trial over a plea. That choice, and what it usually costs at sentencing, is the subject of How Plea Deals Work.
Leighton may appeal. A guilty verdict means the state carried its burden, but it is still subject to review by Indiana's appellate courts.
Two Taps News stories summarize reporting and the analysis discussed on Two Taps and Friends. They are not legal advice. Read our standards.
