Rogers gets 309 years in Anchorage, awaits sentence for Palmer crimes

MAT-SU — Christopher Erin Rogers Jr. received 309 years in prison Friday for the Anchorage end of his 2007 killing spree.

Rogers, 30, was convicted in Anchorage in April of murder, attempted murder, robbery and eluding a police officer. In Anchorage, he shot three people, wounding two and killing one — Jason Wenger, 27.

Reached in Anchorage, the district attorney who handled the sentencing, Adrienne Bachman, said, “The judge labeled Mr. Rogers as cold-hearted, cold-blooded and that these offenses were heinous and warranted the maximum sentences to isolate him from the public and protect the public.”

Rogers received the maximum sentence of 99 years in prison for both of the attempted murder charges and the murder charge. Barring a successful appeal, he will die in prison. By state law a defendant is allowed a third off his sentence if he behaves in prison, which means Rogers would have to live 206 more years to see the light of day. There’s also discretionary parole, which, through the parole board, can shave off more time, but Bachman said Rogers isn’t eligible for that.

Rogers began his spree Dec. 2, 2007, in his father’s home. A jury later found him guilty of hacking his father to death with a machete and of attempting to kill his father’s fiancée, Elann Moren, who was left bleeding on the floor of the bathroom that night.

During the incident, Rogers Sr.’s dog intervened. Moren credits the dog with saving her life, but he was cut for his trouble, tacking on an animal cruelty charge to Rogers’ list of felonies. The dog, Bear, died of cancer in June, having in the interim been recognized by the Humane Society of the United States as a Dog of Valor.

Moren, who testified at Rogers’ trial, lost fingertips in the attack but has since mostly recovered from her wounds.

At his Palmer trial, nobody, not even Rogers’ attorney, argued that Rogers didn’t kill his father or wound Moren. Defense attorneys argued only that the crime fit the definition of a second-degree, rather than a first-degree, murder.

After his attacks in Palmer, Rogers took his dad’s pickup to Anchorage, swapped his machete for a gun and continued his rampage before police tracked him down and arrested him.

Though Rogers went to trial in Palmer first, his sentencing here has been pushed back a number of times, most recently to Jan. 11. Two of the charges for which he was convicted in that case carry maximum sentences of 99 years.  

Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.