Separate trials more likely for Rogers

PALMER — With Christopher Erin Rogers Jr. facing eight felony charges in Palmer and 10 in Anchorage, stemming from an alleged crime spree that started early Dec. 2 and left two people dead, Palmer District Attorney Roman Kalytiak says it isn’t clear whether Rogers will face two trials or one.

“Some people may view it as one long, prolonged criminal act, but when I look at it I also look at the distinction between the Anchorage case and the Palmer case,” Kalytiak said. “In Palmer, he knew the victims, but in Anchorage they were all strangers to him.”

Rogers is accused of killing his father, Christopher Erin Rogers Sr., with a machete and trying to kill his father’s fiancé, Elann Moren, while the couple slept in their Palmer home. Police say he then went to Anchorage where he shot and killed another man, Jason Wenger, 27, and wounded two more people. After his capture, Anchorage police say he confessed to the rampage. He pleaded not guilty to the Palmer charges last month.

Kalytiak said he’s not ruling out the possibility of a joint trial.

“For example, if he should raise an insanity defense — in other words saying, ‘I did these things but claiming insanity’ — if you have that kind of defense I think you’re not so concerned about the jury knowing about the whole ball of wax.”

If Rogers admits he committed the crimes but claims he lacked the mental capacity to understand what he was doing as he did them, it wouldn’t be as prejudicial for a jury to hear the full extent of what he is accused of doing in both cities, Kalytiak said. Should his defense be he’s innocent, what he allegedly did in Palmer could be considered prejudicial for an Anchorage jury considering his crimes there, and vice versa.

Kalytiak said if the cases remain separate Rogers’ Palmer case could see trial before its Anchorage counterpart.

“The Palmer case is probably a bit less complicated because in Anchorage they have three crime scenes and three different victims,” Kalytiak said. In Palmer, there’s one crime scene, which means less evidence to process and legwork to put in before starting trial.

“Luckily for us one of the victims in the Palmer case survived and is therefore an eyewitness to the case. That makes the prosecutor’s job a whole lot easier,” Kalytiak said.

Moren survived the attack but was severely injured, suffering numerous heavy blows from the machete, according to court documents. While she was being attacked, the couple’s dog, Bear, interceded and allowed Moren to escape and call police. That’s when Rogers allegedly stole his father’s pickup truck and fled to Anchorage.

While the Palmer trial is set to begin Feb. 11, Kalytiak sees little chance of making that date.

“Sometimes it takes murder cases a year, or maybe even two years, to go to trial,” he said. He remains optimistic the trial will start before the end of the year. “That would be nice, in my opinion.”

Rogers is next due in Palmer Superior Court Jan. 24, but Kalytiak said Rogers’ attorney has asked to move that date to February and he has consented.

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