Man sentenced to 60 years in victim's torture, murder
Jun. 3—GOSHEN — Family members and friends spoke not just of their loss, but also of friends betraying a friend, as an Elkhart man was sent to prison for his role in the death of Columbia City woman two years ago.
Matthew Murzynski, 25, appeared in Elkhart County Circuit Court on Thursday to be sentenced based on terms of his guilty plea. In March, he had admitted to a charge of aiding, inducing or causing robbery resulting in bodily injury, with an enhancement for criminal gang activity; and a charge aiding, inducing or causing criminal confinement in the case.
Murzynski was one of three men charged in the case in which Kimberly Dyer, 31, was tortured and murdered in the basement of a house along Old Orchard Lane in Elkhart in October 2019. A Michigan man was also robbed at the house.
Though he wasn't charged with murder as were the other men in the case, Donald Owen Jr. and Mario Angulo Jr., Murzynski was going to be tried with them until he took the plea agreement.
As part of the deal, Judge Michael Christofeno ordered him to serve 60 years in prison.
"You started this, you participated in this, you continued this torture and this killing, and did nothing to stop it," Christofeno said. "I think it is fortunate for you, Mr. Murzynski, that I have already accepted your plea, and I'm going to leave it at that."
Members of Dyer's family blamed Murzynski for his part in how they were robbed of the Columbia City woman.
"You took my only daughter from me," Sue Wiod, Dyer's mother, said. "I can never hug her again. I can never tell her how much I love her. I can never hear her voice or laughter because you took all of that away from me."
Wiod also read statements written by Dyer's daughters, as they lamented the loss of time they'll no longer be able to spend with their mother.
"My mom had a good heart, and I know she made some wrong decisions, but she never did anything like what you did to her," Wiod said in the statement from Dyer's daughter Tatiana. "You knew she had children. You knew she had a good family. You took her away from us. I can't believe you did this. Now I can't go home to my mom and tell her I love her."
Tatiana's older sister expressed similar pain in her letter.
"I will never get to see my mommy's beautiful face ever again," Wiod said as she read from the statement of Dyer's other daughter, Malina. "I will never get to hear her sweet voice again. I will never get to hear her words, 'I'm proud of you.'"
Family members, as well as Dyer's friend, Tiffanie Doyle, also expressed outrage at how Dyer was killed when people she considered friends turned on her that October.
"You saw an addict, and I saw a loyal friend," Doyle said. "You saw someone on the run, and I saw somebody I could run to."
Thought he pleaded guilty in March, Murzynski's sentencing was pushed back until Thursday to allow for the trial of Owen and Angulo. A jury found the two guilty of murder, robbery and criminal confinement charges, and they were convicted at the end of a nearly two-week long trial on April 29.
In a second phase of the trial, the jury later considered the Elkhart County Prosecutor's Office's push to seek life prison sentences for the two. The jury recommended life for Owen, but for Angulo, they recommended he do time with an opportunity for release later.
Owen is scheduled to be sentenced June 10. Angulo is scheduled to be sentenced June 24, according to court information.
Murzynski's sentence called for 25 years in prison on the robbery charge, but was doubled to 50 years with the gang enhancement. Another 10 years was added on the criminal confinement charge.
A third count was dismissed, as were two other criminal cases. Christofeno also ordered the Indiana Department of Corrections to house Murzynski separately from Owen and Angulo.
MURDER TRIAL
Several other hearings were held in Circuit Court on Thursday, including one to ready the start of another murder trial next week.
Charles Bussard, 31, of Bristol is charged with shooting and killing his uncle Byron Bussard, 45, in the house the two shared along with Charles Bussard's father along C.R. 23 in Bristol in January 2015.
At his hearing, Bussard's attorney and the prosecution said they are prepared for the jury trial to begin Monday.
Five years to the day after his uncle disappeared, Bussard allegedly contacted police in January 2020 to admit to the murder, according to investigators.
Aimee Ambrose can be reached at aimee.ambrose@goshennews.com or 574-533-2151, ext. 240316. Follow her on Twitter at @aambrose_TGN.
