Rogers murder trial set

PALMER — The criminal trial of a Palmer man accused of murdering his father last year with a machete and another man with a gun is scheduled to begin next month.

Christopher Erin Rogers Jr., 29, has been incarcerated since December and his trial in Palmer is set for Oct. 27. Trial dates are often set as placeholders and tend to get pushed back as the trial looms.

But Palmer District Attorney Roman Kalytiak, when asked if Rogers’ trial will go ahead as scheduled, said it’s looking like it might.

Rogers faces dual murder cases in Anchorage and in Palmer.

In Palmer, he’s accused of killing his father, Christopher E. Rogers Sr., and grievously wounding his father’s girlfriend, Elann Moren on Dec. 2, 2007, as the couple slept in their Palmer home.

According to court records, in Palmer Rogers faces 11 charges including murder, assault, theft, vehicle theft and cruelty to animals.

The cruelty charge stems from when he allegedly wounded his father’s dog, which had tried to stop the attacks.

Prosecutors allege that immediately after slaying his father, Rogers went to Anchorage where he shot and killed Jason Wenger, 27, and wounded two more people.

In Anchorage court he faces 10 counts, including murder, robbery, vehicle theft and assault.

In Alaska, murder charges carry up to 99 years in prison.

Kalytiak said Tuesday that the trials are likely to remain separate with the Anchorage case going before a jury after the Palmer case.

In previous interviews, Kalytiak said that, in his mind, that’s probably as it should be.

While it could be argued that the Anchorage shootings apparently followed close on the heels of the Palmer slashings and could thus constitute one prolonged spree, Kalytiak said he sees substantial enough difference in the two to warrant keeping them separate.

In Palmer, for instance, Rogers knew the people he is alleged to have attacked, while in Anchorage it appears he was firing upon strangers.

In some instances, Kalytiak said, it might make more sense to merge the trials. If Rogers’ attorneys chose to raise an insanity defense, Kalytiak said, that might make one trial a better idea than two. In that instance, he said, it’s not as crucial for the jury to be kept from knowing the full extent of what Rogers is accused of.

That, however, is at least so far not an issue in this case, Kalytiak said, noting the defense attorneys stance at at the last pre-trial conference earlier this summer.

“According to what they said they are not going to raise the insanity defense,” Kalytiak said.

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