MORGAN COUNTY, Ala. — UPDATE 9/5/2024
Defense witnesses are on the stand today in front of the jury. To clarify, Frederic Rogers is also known as "Ricky" and is referred to this way through much of the testimony.
First on the stand was psychotherapist Wayne Hulon, a specialist in Quantitative EEG. He testified that Ricky's results showed disregulation in the bi-lateral lobe and caused him not to make good decisions, and a brain map QEEG validated Ricky's "developmental trauma", and "Bottom line with Ricky is his brain is impaired in all the major lobes. The connectivity of the brain is poor." On cross examination, the State asked Hulon if he contradicts himself by first stating that you can get a diagnosis from the brain map. Hulon clarifies that "You can’t have a diagnosis solely off the brain map but it’s meant to support other tests to confirm a diagnosis." Additionally:
State: “Could you have someone with the same brain map who has never done anything violent before”
Hulon: “Yes”
State: “Does this brain map lead to murder”
Hulon: “No”
Next up was Raymond Thompson, Ricky's stepfather, who was married to Ricky's mother, Tasha. He testified that Ricky called him "Dad" after six months and that Raymond's step-grandfather was verbally abusive to Tasha and Ricky.
The defense attorney started to break down in tears as he asks Raymond about Ricky trying to tell his mother he wanted to kill himself and she didn't get him help. The State suggested a break and the defense declined. According to Raymond, Ricky never saw his mother sober and Kensley (Ricky's wife) was trying to keep him away from his family. Raymond says Ricky's siblings still love him.
UPDATE 9/4/2024
Defense witnesses are on the stand this morning in front of the jury. To clarify, Frederic Rogers is also known as "Ricky" and is referred to this way through much of the testimony.
First on the stand was Nathan Lackey, a close friend, knew Ricky in his early life, They were neighbors. Lackey says Ricky does not need the death penalty.
Next up was Kenneth Todd Collins. He was a bus driver for Ricky. “He was a happy kid and always smiling,” Collins said. Ricky was in 6th/7th grade when riding the bus. Collins taught him for 5 years in agricultural science. “I never had any trouble with Ricky at all. He was always the first person to volunteer. If I had a classroom full of Ricky’s it would’ve been great"...“If he had disciplinary problems I wouldn’t be sitting here today”
The defense asked Todd to address the jury: “He’s a smart young man but he’s broken. He would be a benefit within the system and could help other inmates get their GED.”
Next up was Felicia Harding. Harding works in the Jackson County school system. Ricky was in a club that Harding advised, the National Beta Club. Harding described Ricky as “known as a good student” and said, “I was shocked he did this crime.”
Next up was Robert Shaffer, a clinical psychologist specializing in neuro and forensic psychology. Shaffer was contacted by the defense to conduct a comprehensive neurodevelopmental assessment on Ricky.
Shaffer testified that he believes Ricky has bipolar disorder, brain impairment, and developmental trauma. He described Ricky as having “silent conditions” and noted that Ricky experienced a “sensitivity to imagined threats” at the time of the shootings, believing he was in danger.
UPDATE 9/3/2024
Defense witnesses are on the stand this morning in front of the jury. To clarify, Frederic Rogers is also known as "Ricky" and is referred to this way through much of the testimony.
Rogers's grandmother, Marta, who lives in Oregon, took the stand. Rogers and the other man allegedly involved in the killings, John Michael Legg, fled to her home. She said Rogers had lived with her before moving to Alabama. She described Rogers as, "I realize Ricky has made a horrible mistake and that’s putting it lightly”…”he’s wonderful with his brothers and sisters”… “he did special things for me all the time in Oregon”…”he’s very sweet” “I was feeling under the weather the other day from stress and he wrote me a message from jail in big letters saying ‘Go to the doctor’.” She said that Ricky got married while in Alabama, which was a surprise to her.
When the State asked how Ricky seemed when he arrived after committing seven murders, she said, "He just seemed tired to me because he had been driving." When asked if he showed any emotions, she replied, "No he was always happy when seeing me.”
Rogers's grandfather, Reggie Reagh, is next on the stand. He was living in Woodville, Alabama at the time of the murders and says he was in disbelief when he found out about the murders because, “Ricky wasn’t like that”. He spoke at length about Ricky's mother (Tasha) and his uncle (Reggie, Jr.) and their troubles, saying that Tasha stayed with Ricky's father for less than a year and Reggie Jr. died in a car accident at age 17. He said that Reggie Jr. and Ricky were close. Reagh raised Ricky for part of his childhood. He said that Ricky was "suicidal in his teen years but was a good student in school." Reagh echoed what Marta said, that Ricky was great with his siblings. Tasha and her husband Raymond had three children.
He verified Marta's statement that Ricky went to Oregon but came back to Alabama, but did not give specific dates. He said that Ricky marries a woman named Kensley [sic], and that they split up in May 2020.
Next up is the State cross-examining Reagh. When asked to describe Ricky's personality, Reagh said that he seemed like he "loved life" and "was never a violent person".
Another witness, Ricky's stepmother, Lindsay Gates, who was married to Ricky's birth father, Brian, said that Ricky's mother, Tasha, did not allow Lindsay or Brian to see Ricky, but that after Ricky graduated high school she was able to have a relationship with him, and that the last time she saw Ricky and he talked about John (Michael Legg), it "set off alarm bells". She believes Ricky would have made would have made different decisions in his life if so much wasn’t kept from him, like family and friends. She said she found out about the murders the night before it broke on the news and cried for hours. She felt that there was no way he could have been capable.
When the State asked her how many court proceedings were involved in Brian trying to connect with Ricky, she said none. The State asked if he had the ability to fight it and Lindsay said no, financially he couldn't afford it. When the State asked, "Do you think he knew you would’ve done anything for him [Ricky]?", she replied, "I don’t think so. I think his trauma caused him to have confused emotions."
The next witness was Ricky's half-sister Gabby, Lindsay's daughter. When the defense asked her to tell the jury how this has affected herm she said, "He missed most of my life growing up and now he has to miss the rest of it, I’m angry." She started to cry. Then she said that Ricky reached out to her on Facebook and taught her to play guitar. When asked about her impression on John, she said, "I thought he was strange but I didn't think much of him." Gabby broke down when asked to describe their first Christmas together. She said, "Ricky was upset that he missed out on so much. He said the motorcycle club felt like a family." Ricky would visit about once a month, but, "When he first start dating Kensley I really liked her. When they got married it seemed quick. After they got married he was quiet and depressed. Kensley would get upset when I texted him." She concluded by saying that she is very mad a Ricky and very disappointed but that she loves him and that will never change.
Under cross-examination from the state, she said that she did not see Kensley much.
Afternoon session:
Lisa Sharff, Ricky's great-aunt, said, "Ricky’s got a good heart. I don’t what know happened. He lost himself. I’m sorry. There is nothing I can say to make it better."
Ricky's cousin, Cierra Southard, took the stand and said that while they were best friends and spent a lot of time together, he moved away and lost touch. She didn't move back to the area until 2021.
Ricky's friend Trent Mason took the stand, saying they've been best friends since 6th grade and both dealt with the same bully. Trent says he has talked to Ricky while Ricky has been in jail and that he's talked about how remorseful he is.
Witness Morgan Ray, a friend of Ricky's, took the stand and said that Ricky's wife would not allow Ricky to talk to Morgan. Another friend, Zoey Erby, took the stand and said that Ricky wore the same clothes to school. She said he had issues with his mother and she (Zoey) didn't think he was bring properly taken care of. She also said Ricky would cut himself.
Erby was the final witness for the day. Testimony resumes Tuesday at 9:15 am.
UPDATE: 8/28/2024
A verdict has been reached in the Frederic Rogers trial.
- Capital murder two or more: guilty
- Capital murder burglary: guilty
- Capital murder arson: guilty
- Capital murder robbery: not guilty
UPDATE:
4:02 pm - Jury is breaking for the day. Court is over for the day.
3:37 pm - The judge has completed re-reading the charges and the jury, made up of 8 women and 4 men, has returned to the jury room to continue deliberations. The judge has also left the courtroom.
3:14 pm - The judge and jury have re-entered the courtroom after the jury requested a copy of the definition of the charges and the explanation of them.
The jury asked for a copy of the charges, but the judge said he can’t give a copy of the charges to them. The judge offered to reread the charges and the jurors nodded to agree that’s what they wanted him to do.
12:25 pm - The jury has left the courtroom and has now been sent to the jury room to receive verdict form and begin deliberations. They will be able to look over evidence—including guns used upon request.
Alternates are being kept in courtroom and given instructions by the judge
Judge says court is now operating on the jury’s timeline.
Verdict must be unanimous on each count.
Earlier:
Closing arguments are underway in the trial of the septuple homicide being called the "Seven Deadly Sins" case. Frederic Rogers is on trial for Capital Murder in the slaying of seven people in Valhermoso Springs in 2020.
The judge explained how the process will go. The state will give closing arguments, the jury will be given instructions, and they'll get the verdict form for deliberations.
The attorney for the State addressed the jury, saying, "You are invested and you care about this case...It is clear as day as we sit and as I stand here talking to you that this defendant Frederic Rogers is guilty of capital murder.” Rogers was expressionless during the closing arguments.
The judge is giving the jury instructions, which are running to 25 pages. The jury will be sent to the deliberation room following instructions, and any verdict must be unanimous. The jury is only determining guilt or innocence at this time, not sentencing.
Here are the counts they are deliberating:
Count 1: Capital Murder during a Robbery 1st degree
Count 2: Capital Murder of 2 or more persons
Count 3: Capital Murder during a Burglary 2nd degree
Count 6: Capital Murder during Arson 1st
Counts 4 and 5 were dismissed.
Background:
June 4, 2020: The Morgan County Sheriff's Office shared an update on the investigation into the murders of seven people in Valhermoso Springs.
The seven were discovered when deputies responded to a gunshot call at the home.
Not all seven people lived at the location, but investigators declined to explain the relationships between the people in the home.
The victims are:
Tammy England Muzzey 45 of Valhermoso Springs
Emily Brooke Payne 21 of Valhermoso Springs
Roger Lee Jones Jr 19 of Decatur
Jeramy Wade Roberts 31 of Athens
William Zane Hodgin 18 of Somerville
James Wayne Benford 22 of Decatur
Female Juvenile, 17 (name withheld by law enforcement)
While deputies had been called to the home multiple times in 2020 for calls including three poisoning/overdoses and one criminal trespass, they did not answer questions on whether or not the murders might be drug related.
June 22, 2020: Suspects Frederic Rogers and John Michael Legg were arrested in Oregon. They were taken into custody during a traffic stop in Marion County, OR and extradited to Alabama.
Investigators say the two murder suspects were so upset with fellow members of their club, Seven Deadly Sins, that they gunned them down to "wipe the slate clean."
February 26, 2021: Frederic Rogers and John Michael Legg were indicted by a Morgan County grand jury on six counts each of Capital Murder.
May 22. 2024: Alabama asks for the death penalty for Frederic Rogers. His attorneys file a motion asking that a death penalty verdict must be unanimous.