Life without parole for Merrillville man

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Rice

Updated: February 14, 2012 10:17AM

Lake Superior Court Judge Diane Ross Boswell sentenced a Merrillville man to life in prison without the possibility of parole in what she called the brutal murder of a co-worker who trusted him.

Boswell sentenced Ronnie Jamel Rice, 30, who pleaded guilty a year ago to murder, murder in perpetration of a robbery and robbery in the bludgeoning death of Maxine Urbanczyk, 61. Rice said he plans to appeal.

After the hearing concluded, Rice’s family and Urbanczyk’s family hugged and cried.

Deputy prosecutors Angela Brown and Armando Salinas argued for the life sentence after Boswell found they proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Rice acted with intent when he murdered Urbanczyk during a robbery on Dec. 10, 2007, at the KFC on U.S. 30 in Merrillville. Evidence showed that Urbanczyk, a store manager, had let Rice in that morning, even though he wasn’t scheduled to work until later that day. Rice admitted he struck Urbanczyk with a chair and a hammer in order to steal cash from the safe. She suffered at least 15 blows to the head, skull fractures, several broken ribs and a bruised lung, Dr. Young Kim, a forensic pathologist with the Lake County coroner’s office, said.

Brown said she agreed with defense attorney Scott King that it was impossible to fathom what was in Rice’s mind when he killed Urbanczyk, a widow with three grown children and seven grandchildren whom Rice had met the week before.

“We do not have the criminal mind to commit the brutal and intentional murder of an innocent victim for $3,667.89,” Brown said.

King argued for a term of years, noting that even with a sentence in the 45 to 65-year range Rice would emerge from prison a much older man. He noted testimony from Rice’s mother, Juanita Battle, and sister, Kamika Battle, that Rice had never shown violent tendencies toward anyone prior to the crime. Rice was described as someone with a big heart who was fun loving, outgoing and devoted to his niece, but who didn’t handle his finances well. Rice had been fired from two jobs for stealing and had to pay restitution in one of the cases, but the night before the murder his sister said Rice called for a ride from one of the casinos.

Boswell, in handing down the sentence, listed as mitigating factors the fact Rice pleaded guilty, accepted responsibility and showed remorse. She also found his young age to be a mitigating factor. But Boswell said the nature and circumstances in what she called the “brutal, brutal killing of a co-worker who trusted him” in order to rob the safe an aggravating factor in her decision and said he should not walk free in society.

After killing Urbanczyk, Rice wore her jacket when he left the restaurant, then hid it and items from the safe in a nearby Dumpster. He took his sweatshirt, which was stained with Urbanczyk’s blood, and stashed it in a co-worker’s car. Then Rice and two co-workers went inside the restaurant, where Urbanczyk lay dead in a pool of blood in the office.

Boswell said the fact Rice could return to the scene after such a brutal killing and see Urbanczyk dead on the floor pointed to his character.

Kevin Urbanczyk said his mother’s grandchildren “ask about my mom all the time and I have to make excuses until they are old enough to understand what happened.” The youngest grandchild was 9 months old.

Kathleen Stein, Urbanczyk’s daughter, said the pain of their mother’s death would stay with them forever. Rice even shook hands and hugged her after the discovery of their mother’s body. The stress from the case has left her anxious, depressed and suffering from panic attacks and a heart condition.

Before he was sentenced, Rice said he’d been waiting four years to express his sympathy to the family and noted the incident had changed many lives. “I never meant to do it,” Rice said.

King had asked Boswell to consider 39 felony murder cases filed between January 2007 to July 2011, in which he said two were life without parole cases. Boswell said it wouldn’t be fair for her to consider the other cases in her reaching decision. In addition, Brown said during that time period King forgot two other life without parole cases and a death penalty case. Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter and his deputies review each case to determine whether a life sentence or death penalty would be sought, Brown said.