Jury finds Rogers guilty of capital murder
For the Enquirer
In a unanimous decision this past Wednesday, a Morgan County jury found Frederic Rogers guilty of three counts of capital murder for his role in a 2020 septuple homicide in Valhermoso Springs.
Rogers, 26, shot and killed four people at a drug house on Talucah Road on June 4, according to testimony, while his alleged accomplice, John Legg, 23, is accused of killing three others: Jeramy Roberts, 31, of Athens; James Wayne Benford, 22, of Decatur; William Zane Hodgin, 18, of Somerville; Roger Lee Jones Jr., 20, of Decatur; Tammy England Muzzey, 45; Emily Brooke Payne, 21; and Dakota Green, 17, of Valhermoso Springs.
The guilt phase of Rogers’ trial began last week with his attorneys conceding during opening statements that he would be found guilty of capital murder. The jury began deliberations at 2 p.m. on Aug. 27. Shortly before lunch on Wednesday, Rogers showed little reaction as presiding Circuit Judge Stephen Brown read the verdict aloud.
The jury found Rogers guilty of three counts of capital murder with the follow ing aggravating circumstances: murder during a burglary, murder of two or more people by one act, and murder during arson. Rogers was also accused of stealing the victims’ phones and was charged with murder during a robbery; however, the jury found him not guilty of capital murder with the robbery aggravator.
Brown dismissed the jury until Friday morning, when they will return to hear further arguments from the State and the defense and determine Rogers’ fate: life in prison without parole, or death. The penalty phase could last an additional two weeks.
“You don’t have quite the same task,” Brown said of the upcoming phase. He cautioned the jurors to avoid media reports on the case. “Maintain that wall between you and the outside world concerning any information.” Legg’s trial date has not yet been set. He’s scheduled to appear in court for a status conference on Sept. 23.
“As I said during opening, and as was repeated in closing, we knew the jury was going to convict him of some counts of capital murder,” said Carl Cole, one of Rogers’ attorneys, after the verdict. “So, this was expected, and we now move to the penalty phase where the question is whether he gets death in prison or execution in prison.
“That’s the only question that remains: Does the government get to kill him?” Chief Assistant District Attorney and lead prosecutor Garrick Vickery said he would reserve any comments until the penalty phase is complete, which he expects to last at least through the end of week.
