Jury watches Frederic Rogers confess to 2020 murders in video interview

Aug. 27—A solemn jury watched two hours' worth of video footage Monday of Frederic Rogers confessing to investigators in 2020 that he murdered seven individuals inside a home in Valhermoso Springs with his accomplice, John Michael Legg.

Both Rogers and Legg are charged with capital murder. If found guilty, they will be sentenced either to death or life in prison.

As the jury entered the courtroom, an unshackled Rogers stood with his attorneys. A few of the victims' friends and families sat on the prosecution's side of the courtroom.

According to testimony, Rogers, 26, and Legg, 23, arrived at a home on Talucah Road on the night of June 4 and shot and killed four men and three women: Jeremy Roberts, 31, of Athens, James Wayne Benford, 22, of Decatur, William Zane Hodgin, 18, of Somerville, and Roger Lee Jones Jr., 20, of Decatur, Tammy England Muzzey, 45, Emily Brooke Payne, 21, and Dakota Green, 17, of Valhermoso Springs.

Morgan County Assistant District Attorney Garrick Vickery began the court day Monday by putting FBI Investigator Chris Hendon on the stand and asking him about the initial arrest of Rogers on June 21, 2020.

"What all transpired with the defendant following his arrest in Oregon?" Vickery asked.

"I was notified there was a successful arrest and I provided a general briefing of what I knew about the investigation to date to those agents (in Oregon) so that they could conduct at least enough of the interview with enough facts," Hendon said.

Hendon and Morgan County Investigator Robert Irvin conducted a second interview with Rogers on June 29, 2020, in an interview room at the Morgan County Jail. Video with audio from that interview was recorded and shown to jurors Monday.

Vickery asked Hendon to clarify that Rogers did not have an attorney during the time of the second interview and Hendon confirmed it was true.

Rogers sat and watched the interview silently, occasionally whispering to his attorneys.

At the beginning of the video, Rogers is seen in a striped jumpsuit and is shackled at the feet but not the hands. He is seated at a table facing Hendon and Irvin. After they read Rogers his Miranda Rights, Rogers said he would tell his story "from the beginning."

"This all started when me and John (Legg) first met and that was about a year ago," Rogers said in the video. "We talked about starting a motorcycle club and over the course of six to eight months, we became really close."

Rogers said he and Legg started the Seven Deadly Sins motorcycle club, and Rogers was president, Legg was vice president, Roberts was the "enforcer," and Jones was a prospect. Roberts and Jones were among the seven who were killed.

Rogers then told investigators on the video about his and Legg's relationship with Roberts.

"Jeremy has always been about robbing people and selling dope," Rogers said. "I've known him for three years."

Rogers said Roberts robbed a man whom he believed was affiliated with the Aryan Brotherhood.

"He robbed Byron and Byron swears he'll kill him," Rogers said. "To retaliate, Jeremy took the guns we had in the house and shot up Byron's house. When that happened, Byron started coming after Jeremy and all his people. We were scared."

Rogers believed Byron would try to retaliate against him or his family because of his affiliation with Roberts and claimed his now ex-wife received death threats but he could not confirm who made the threats.

"We learned that Jeremy was trying to get us comfortable over at Tammy's house to get it to where we would get the blame for all of Byron and Jeremy's (b.s.) or we were going to go to jail for that s-," Rogers said. "We got scared that they were going to come after our families."

Rogers told investigators he made a rash decision.

"So, we loaded up with some guns. We were invited over to Tammy's house for dinner that night and we took out everyone in the house," Rogers said. "The plan was to go in there and (b.s.) for a little bit and get everything done and then leave."

When investigators asked him to elaborate on "get everything done," Rogers replied with a chuckle, "As in to kill everybody."

Rogers said after he and Legg shot the seven inside the house, they went back to Rogers' house and got rid of their phones. He said they stayed with a woman in Colorado for two nights and were in Fort Collins, Colorado, for two weeks before arriving at his grandmother's house in Oregon.

Investigators concluded the interview by asking Rogers to sign his confession, and shortly before doing so, Rogers remarked he would like to go into ministry, "before I get sentenced to death."

After the video ended, the jury was excused and Vickery said the state rested the guilt phase of their case. The defense had no witnesses to call and court was adjourned. Circuit Judge Stephen Brown said court would resume session Tuesday morning.

In opening arguments last week, Rogers' lawyer said his client would be found guilty and that the only question is if he would be executed or spend his life in prison.

Defense attorneys have said numerous witnesses will be called during the penalty phase of the trial.