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Thread: Death Penalty Trial Set for Fredric Allen Rogers in 2020 AL Multiple Slayings

  1. #11
    Administrator Helen's Avatar
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    Suspect in Morgan County mass murder seeks details of witness deals offered by prosecutors

    By Stephen Gallien and Nakell Williams
    WAAY 31 News

    A capital murder suspect accused in the killings of seven people in Morgan County wants to know if prosecutors offered anyone a deal.

    John Legg is one of two men charged in the 2020 mass murder in Valhermoso Springs. He and Frederic Allen Rogers are accused of killing seven people in a home on Talucah Road before setting it on fire.

    The victims ranged in age from 17 to 45 years old. A dog was also killed.

    Witnesses told investigators that the suspects and some of the victims were part of a club called Seven Deadly Sins. Perceived disobedience and theft apparently led up to the violence.

    Now, Legg wants prosecutors to give his defense team the name and address of each informant, including confidential informants. He also wants to know the nature and extent of all immunity granted to the informants and whether any threats, force, promises or inducements were used to obtain information or testimony.

    Legg and Rogers are due in court Monday for a hearing in which motions in their case will be discussed.

    https://www.waaytv.com/news/suspect-...bed245abd.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  2. #12
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    Motion hearing held for Valhermoso Springs capital murder suspects

    By Stefante Randall
    WAFF News

    MORGAN COUNTY, Ala. (WAFF) - Two men accused of killing seven people at a home in Valhermoso Springs appeared in Court on Monday.

    A motion hearing was held for John Michael Legg. Frederick Rogers is also charged in the case and was in court also. Legg and Rogers face capital murder charges for violently killing seven people on Talucuha Road in Morgan County in June 2020.

    When deputies arrived, the house was on fire, and seven people were found shot to death. Both Legg and Rogers were later arrested in Oregon after fleeing. In court on Monday, motions for Legg were filed, including a motion to reveal the identity of informants and disclose any deals or promises.

    Defense Attorney’s requested the defendant view the crime scene and undergo a mental evaluation, as well as several other requests.

    Defense attorneys stated the motions were filed to protect the constitutional rights of Legg. State attorneys stated they are currently reviewing evidence. The judge did not grant any of the motions.

    He said he will look over them and make a decision at a later date. As of now, the trial date is still pending.

    https://www.waff.com/2022/01/11/moti...rder-suspects/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  3. #13
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    Attorneys in capital murder case seek to visit scene with client

    By Michael Wetzel
    For the Enquirer

    Attorneys for one of two men facing capital murder charges in the June 2020 shooting deaths of seven people in Valhermoso Springs want a judge to permit their client to view the scene of the slayings.

    The request was among 13 motions attorneys for defendant John Michael Legg presented to a Morgan County circuit judge during a hearing Jan. 10 – motions they said would protect their client’s rights.
    “We have the right to look at it with our client,” said defense attorney Johnny Berry, speaking about the house at 522 Talucah Road, where the seven victims were found.

    “If there is a need, I will make sure that happens,” Judge Stephen Brown told Berry during the 29-minute hearing. “It can be done. We’ll have to find the owners of the property.”

    Attorney Brandon C. Little and Berry, both of Cullman, said the defendant has the right to be present at all proceedings at every stage of his capital murder trial.

    “Today were general motions of things we filed to protect (Legg’s) constitutional rights,” Berry said.

    Little said the defense team is “waiting for discovery to come in, and then we’ll know how to proceed.”

    Among the motions were these, asking that the state:

    • “Reveal to the defense the identity of all confidential informants, any promises or understanding with any witness or information, and whether any threats or inducements of any nature whatsoever have been made regarding any witness or informant.”
    • Provide to the defense all mitigating evidence maintaining or acquired by the state.
    • Disclose any alleged prior wrongs, crimes or acts the state intends to introduce at trial.

    Other motions asked that the defense receive a transcript of the preliminary hearing of Aug. 14, 2020, and evidence of prosecution’s files, records and information necessary to a fair trial. Additionally, the defense asked the judge to apply heightened standards of scrutiny and reliability in the case because the state is seeking the death penalty.

    District attorney Scott Anderson said he had no objections to the defense’s motions.

    Brown said he would send the parties his rulings on the motions in writing.

    Co-defendant Frederic Allen Rogers, 23, was present at the hearing, but his defense attorney, Carl Cole, said he had no motions for the judge to consider.

    Family members of at least two victims were present at the hearing but declined to comment afterward.

    In October, Brown denied Legg’s request for youthful offender status. Legg was 19 when he was charged with taking part in the septuple murder June 4, 2020.

    Both defendants have pleaded not guilty and not guilty by reason of mental disease and mental defect to the six capital murder charges they are facing.

    At a preliminary hearing in 2020, FBI investigator Chris Hendon testified Rogers gave a written statement that he fatally shot James Wayne Benford, 22, of Decatur; Jeramy Roberts, 31, of Athens; Roger Lee Jones Jr., 20, of Decatur; and William Zane Hodgin, 18, of Somerville.

    Rogers’ statement, according to Hendon, said Legg was responsible for the shooting deaths of homeowner Tammy England Muzzey, 45, Emily Payne, 21, and Dakota Green, 17, all of Valhermoso Springs.

    A small dog was also killed in the house.

    Anderson said the state would seek the death penalty against the two defendants.

    According to a search warrant affidavit, a witness said Legg and Rogers were members of a club called 7 Deadly Sins, which also included at least three of the homicide victims.

    Rogers and Legg “became upset, particularly Legg, over the perceived disobedience towards the club and the theft of several of his firearms a few hours before the homicides,” according to the affidavit.

    “The witness stated that Rogers and Legg stated something to the effect of, ‘We’re going in there by force and wipe the slate clean.’ The witness stated that Rogers and Legg continued to state that the ‘club’ would be dismantled by the end of the night.”

    Rogers and Legg were apprehended in Stayton, Oregon, 2,517 miles from Decatur, June 21, 2020, and transported back to Morgan County. They remain in the Morgan County Jail.

    Authorities found about 60 spent bullet casings in the house. Morgan County coroner Jeff Chunn said all of the victims died of multiple gunshot wounds.

    The seven deaths tied for the most during a mass killing in the nation in 2020.

    The FBI has said the Valhermoso Springs killings appear to be “the second-largest mass shooting” in state history, behind a 2009 shooting in Geneva County that claimed 10 victims and the shooter.

    https://hartselleenquirer.com/2022/0...e-with-client/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  4. #14
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    Escape attempt by capital murder suspects in north Alabama foiled

    By Paul Gattis
    AL.com

    Two capital murder suspects currently being held in a north Alabama jail failed in their attempt to escape.

    According to the Morgan County sheriff’s office, John Michael Legg and Mashaud Tyliek Lewis attempted to escape on June 26. Earlier this week, the sheriff charged Legg with second-degree escape and Lewis with permitting/facilitating first-degree escape.

    The sheriff’s office said that an “inmate secretly obtained a trustee uniform that did not belong to him and attempted to leave their designated area with the assistance of another inmate.” Jail staff discovered the plan, secured the inmates and placed the jail on lockdown.

    The sheriff’s office said no inmates left the secure area of the jail.

    Legg, 21, has been charged with capital murder in connection with the seven-victim homicide in rural Morgan County in 2020.

    Lewis, 22, has been charged with capital murder in connection with fatal shooting last year in Decatur.

    https://www.al.com/news/2022/07/esca...ma-foiled.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  5. #15
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    Alabama man found competent for trial in 7 grisly murders

    By Paul Gattis
    AL.com

    One of two men charged in one of the state’s most heinous mass murders has been deemed mentally competent to stand trial for capital murder.

    Frederic Allen Rogers of Hartselle appeared in Morgan County circuit court Monday for a brief hearing before Judge Stephen Brown. Rogers’ attorneys presented no evidence to dispute a state report that deemed Rogers competent.

    Rogers, along with John Michael Legg, have been charged with capital murder in connection with the shooting deaths of seven people in rural Morgan County on June 4, 2020.

    No trial date has been set for either defendant.

    Rogers’ attorneys Carl Cole and Brent Burney said that they will continue to investigate to determine if the issue of their client’s competency needs to be revisited.

    Morgan County District Attorney Scott Anderson said he expected the issue may come up again.

    Anderson said he intends to seek the death penalty for both Rogers and Legg.

    Law enforcement at the scene described it as among the worst they had ever seen with bloody victims throughout a home in Valhermoso Springs. The home is about 12 minutes from Huntsville’s city limits.

    “Incredibly heinous, talking cold-blooded,” Morgan County Sheriff spokesman Mike Swafford said at the time.

    https://www.al.com/news/2022/08/alab...rder-case.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  6. #16
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    Capital murder co-defendant ruled competent to stand trial

    By Michael Wetzel
    The Decatur Daily

    Aug. 17—A Morgan County circuit judge has ruled a co-defendant is competent to stand trial for his role in the killing of seven people in Valhermoso Springs in June 2020.

    Judge Stephen F. Brown accepted a state report on the mental evaluation of defendant Frederic Allen Rogers, 24, at an Aug. 1 hearing. In his ruling Friday, Brown wrote "the court accepts and adopts the findings of the evaluations" and "does not find that the defendant is incompetent to stand trial."

    The case is set for a status conference on March 20, 2023, in order to address scheduling a trial date and any pending motions, court documents said.

    Rogers and John Michael Legg, 21, both of Hartselle, are accused of fatally shooting four men and three women at a known drug house at 522 Talucah Road on June 4, 2020. They were arrested on June 21, 2020, in Stayton, Oregon, and charged with six counts of capital murder. Both remain in Morgan County Jail.

    According to court documents, Legg has a competency hearing set for Oct. 24.

    https://news.yahoo.com/capital-murde...231300589.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  7. #17
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    Defendant in 7 Alabama murders begs judge to allow him to attend jail church services

    By William Thornton | wthornton@al.

    One of the men accused in the 2020 murder of seven people in rural Morgan County asked the judge overseeing his case to allow him to attend church, according to court documents.

    In a handwritten letter on notepaper submitted earlier this month, John Michael Legg told Morgan County Circuit Judge Stephen Brown he had been “removed from Sunday church services.”

    Legg, 22, of Hartselle, along with Frederic Allen Rogers, 24, of Woodville, is charged with capital murder in the June 4, 2020 shootings of seven people in a house on Talucah Road in Valhermoso Springs in eastern Morgan County.

    The defendants have been in the Morgan County Jail with no bail since their arrests in Marion County, Oregon, on June 21, 2020.

    A status hearing is set for both Legg and Rogers on October 2 at 11 a.m.

    In a one-page letter, Legg wrote to Brown:

    “I’ve made some mistakes since I’ve been in jail, but fellowship is an important part of being a Christian. I’m trying to better myself through attending church and other faith based classes. Please don’t let my lapse in judgment affect my growth in grace.”

    Legg went on to ask Brown, “Please your honor, allow me to return to fellowship with those who come here from Beltline Church of Christ.”

    It is unclear what prompted the letter. An order from Brown on April 4 directed Legg to address any motions or communication through his attorneys.

    Legg attempted last year to escape from jail, according to authorities.

    At a preliminary hearing on Aug. 15, 2021, FBI investigator Chris Hendon testified that Rogers gave a written statement that said he fatally shot James Wayne Benford, 22, of Decatur, Jeramy Roberts, 31, of Athens, Roger Lee Jones Jr., 20, of Decatur, and William Zane Hodgin, 18, of Somerville.

    Rogers’ statement, according to Hendon, said Legg was responsible for the shooting deaths of homeowner Tammy England Muzzey, 45, Emily Payne, 21, and Dakota Green, 17, all of Valhermoso Springs.

    Authorities found about 60 spent bullet casings in the house, and a witness said all of the victims died of “multiple gunshot wounds.” A small dog was also fatally shot.

    According to a search warrant affidavit, a witness said Legg and Rogers were members of a club called “7 Deadly Sins,” which also included at least three of the homicide victims.

    Rogers and Legg “became upset, particularly Legg, over the perceived disobedience towards the club and the theft of several of his firearms a few hours before the homicides,” according to the affidavit. “The witness stated that Rogers and Legg stated something to the effect of, ‘We’re going in there by force and wipe the slate clean.’ The witness stated that Rogers and Legg continued to state that the ‘club’ would be dismantled by the end of the night.”

    Shortly after the shootings, according to the affidavit, the witness received a text from Rogers that said, “Everything has been dealt with.”

    https://www.al.com/news/huntsville/2...outputType=amp
    Thank you for the adventure - Axol

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  8. #18
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    Septuple homicide suspects appear in court, trial for one set

    WHNT News 19

    MORGAN COUNTY, Ala. ( WHNT ) — The trial date for one of the suspects in the 2020 Morgan County septuple homicide has been set.

    The two suspects in the case, Frederic Rogers and John Legg appeared in a Morgan County courtroom on Monday for a status hearing on their cases. Both men are charged with six counts of Capital Murder.

    A Morgan County judge set an August 2024 trial date for Rodgers, however, Legg did not receive a trial date. Legg’s attorney is expected to file a request for a mental health evaluation this week.

    Investigators say the two killed seven people inside a Valhermoso Springs home after a dispute involving their motorcycle club known as ‘7 Deadly Sins.’

    The victims ranged from 17 to 45 years old. It took weeks for authorities to find and capture the suspects with multiple agencies assisting in processing the crime scene and searching for those responsible.

    Almost three weeks after the killings, authorities found Legg and Rogers in Oregon. They were indicted on six counts of capital murder.

    Once extradited back to Morgan County, Rogers said in an interview that he and Legg had started a motorcycle club called the 7 Deadly Sins, and they served as president and vice president, according to testimony.

    Authorities said both suspects were originally from Morgan County and knew everyone in the house. They did not have a criminal record at the time.

    Morgan County Sheriff Ron Puckett described it as a “crime that shocked the community and tore families apart.”

    “I think the issue for them is that look what they’ve done, they’ve taken seven lives away from their community, away from their families, damaged those families forever,” the Sheriff said.

    At the time of the crimes, Morgan County authorities called this the worst crime in the county’s history.

    https://whnt.com/news/decatur/septup...r-one-set/amp/
    Thank you for the adventure - Axol

    Tried so hard and got so far, but in the end it doesn’t even matter - Linkin Park

    Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever. - Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt

    I’m going to the ghost McDonalds - Garcello

  9. #19
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    Septuple homicide defendant prepares to fight death penalty if convicted

    By David Gambino
    The Decatur Daily

    Feb. 15—A capital murder defendant accused of shooting and killing seven people at a Valhermoso Springs drug house in June 2020 asked Morgan County Circuit Court to compel the prosecution to disclose any aggravating factors it intends to use, should it seek the death penalty, as well as any mitigating factors that would be beneficial to the defense, according to motions filed this week.

    Frederic Allen Rogers, 26, along with his alleged accomplice, John Michael Legg, 23, both of Hartselle, were captured in Oregon and returned to Morgan County Jail on June 28, 2020. Both remained there Wednesday with no bond, according to jail records.

    In capital cases, an aggravating circumstance is a circumstance that indicates the defendant, if convicted, should be sentenced to death, according to the Alabama Supreme Court.

    Mitigating circumstances, on the other hand, indicate that the convicted defendant should be sentenced to life without parole rather than death. For example, a defendant lacking the capacity to appreciate the criminality of his conduct is considered a mitigating factor.

    Before a jury can vote to impose the death penalty, the state must prove that aggravating circumstances outweigh mitigating circumstances.

    Both Rogers and Legg have pleaded not guilty to six counts each of capital murder by reason of mental illness or defect. Rogers' jury trial is scheduled to begin Aug. 14, court records show. Legg's trial has not yet been scheduled.

    On Tuesday, Circuit Judge Stephen Brown ordered the prosecution to disclose to the defense, within 14 days, whether it intends to seek the death penalty for Rogers.

    "We have serious questions and doubts about whether the state of Alabama can prove all of the counts of capital murder in the indictment beyond a reasonable doubt," said Rogers' attorney, J. Brent Burney. While preparing for the guilt phase of the trial, Burney said he also has to prepare for the sentencing phase defense.

    "Based on our mitigation investigation to date, we feel strongly that the mitigating factors will outweigh the aggravating factors," he said.

    Burney in 2022 filed a motion requesting a mental examination for Rogers. The motion argues that Rogers apparently "does not appreciate the gravity" of the case, and, at the time of the alleged crimes, he "may have been severely delusional."

    The motion was granted by Brown. On Tuesday, Brown ordered the prosecution to disclose, within 45 days, any circumstances that are "agreed upon" as being mitigating circumstances.

    "This Order does not require the State to discover new mitigating circumstances for the defendant, or advocate on his behalf," the order reads.

    The prosecution was also given 45 days to disclose any aggravating circumstances that it intends to rely on.

    "The defense team continues to investigate the facts and prepare for trial," Burney said.

    In December, Legg's attorneys filed a motion requesting $15,000 to pay for an independent mental health evaluation and IQ test, records show. As of Wednesday, the court has yet to respond to the request.

    At a preliminary hearing for the defendants in August 2020, an FBI special agent read a written statement from Rogers saying he killed 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, at a house on Talucah Road. The statement said Legg fatally shot three women at the residence: Tammy England Muzzey, 45, Emily Brooke Payne, 21, and Dakota Green, 17 of Valhermoso Springs.

    The special agent testified that apparently the defendants were invited to a dinner party at the residence, known as a drug house, and Rogers "cased" the house and its occupants before opening fire on three men in the garage.

    After allegedly killing the rest of the occupants, Rogers and Legg visited Legg's father's house in Hartselle and drove a silver Dodge Charger to Oregon, where Rogers had relatives, according to the testimony.

    The defendants and Roberts were members of a "motorcycle gang" known as "Seven Deadly Sins," according to the FBI's testimony.

    Burney said he is personally opposed to the death penalty.

    "I find it inconsistent, and somewhat abhorrent, that we live in a pro-life state, while at the same time our state leaders in Montgomery were gleeful that they successfully executed an human being using nitrogen gas," he said. On Jan. 25, Alabama executed Kenneth Smith via nitrogen hypoxia.

    Morgan County District Attorney Scott Anderson did not respond to requests for comment.

    https://news.yahoo.com/septuple-homi...134300262.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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