Psycho in Anchorage lasts 26 hours before being caught

[SubNine]

Police chase ends 26 hours of violence

By JAMES HALPIN and LISA DEMER
Anchorage Daily News

Published: December 3, 2007
Last Modified: December 3, 2007 at 11:59 PM

Christopher Erin Rogers Jr. says he hacked his father to death with a machete in Palmer, stole his dad's truck, fled to Anchorage and continued a 26-hour crime rampage that left two dead and four others injured because he was angry with his family, according to charges filed Monday.

After two killings Sunday, he kept hunting because he "just wanted to kill a few more people," he told police.

The rampage came to an abrupt end Monday morning when Rogers, 28, carjacked an SUV and led police on a high-speed chase across Northern Lights Boulevard that ended with police ramming the SUV - a violent end to the violent binge.

After his arrest, Rogers told police he was angry over his treatment by family members before the Palmer attack, but said the attacks in Anchorage were largely random, according to a police affidavit filed in court.

He is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted murder in the first degree, though more charges, including injuring a police officer, are likely after a grand jury examine the case, Anchorage District Attorney Adrienne Bachman said.

The mayhem began before sunup Sunday morning, according to court records.

5:25 A.M. SUNDAY

Christopher E. Rogers, 51, and his girlfriend, Elann Moren, 55, spent the day Saturday at home on Gunnysack Road in Palmer. Rogers' son, known as Erin, was with them. She and Rogers Sr. went to bed after dinner, she told police.

When Moren awoke, Erin was standing above her, slashing her with a machete and saying, in effect, "You made me do this," an affidavit filed by Alaska State Troopers in Palmer says. By the time Moren called 911 to report the machete attack, Rogers' father was dead.

Before she left for Mat-Su Regional Medical Center, Moren told troopers that she thought Erin took some or all of unspecified prescription medication she had.

After his capture Monday, Rogers Jr. told police he was angry with his father and Moren. Many of his family members thought poorly of him, he said, and treated him badly.

Troopers arriving at the scene Sunday morning couldn't find Rogers Jr. or the weapon that inflicted the injuries. They contacted local police departments and told them to be on the lookout, Trooper Col. Audie Holloway said.

Rogers Jr. was already on his way to Anchorage in his father's black truck. He later told police killing his father with a machete took a lot of energy and that he should have "just shot them" but he couldn't find his father's gun.

He did find the gun, and lots of ammunition, in his father's truck as he drove into town. He ditched the truck and the machete in town near a gas station. He kept the gun and went prowling for new wheels.

10:36 A.M. SUNDAY

Neighbors walking their dog along the 4300 block of Lois Drive found Jason Wenger, a 27-year-old graduate student at the University of Alaska Anchorage, slumped in his idling green Bronco in his driveway near Spenard Builder's Supply.

They first thought he needed medical help, then called police when they saw he wasn't breathing.

Rogers told police he shot Wenger, who was sitting in the driver's seat. He planned to steal the Bronco but the shots were louder than he expected and he worried the neighbors might see him if he took the time to get Wenger's slumped body out of the Bronco and get himself in.

He "did not want to take on the whole neighborhood," he told police, so he ran away.

Neighbors reported hearing shots between 7 and 8 a.m., but they saw the idling car and dismissed them as possible backfire, according to court documents.

Wenger worked for ASSETS Inc., helping people with disabilities, his graduate adviser Jo-Ann Mapson said. A straight-A student, he was at work on his thesis, which he planned to complete in the spring.

A BREATHER

A fleeing Rogers made his way through neighborhoods on foot toward downtown Anchorage, he told police. He tired and took a nap in some woods. When he woke up, he bought a pack of smokes and a bottle of beer, then set out to find another victim, he told police.

He wasn't worried about getting caught anymore, he said. He "just wanted to kill a few more people along the way."

7:20 P.M SUNDAY

Elizabeth Rumsey, 33, was walking home on a bike path near Westchester Lagoon after volunteering for the Anchorage International Film Festival at the Bear Tooth Theatrepub, said her friend Rachel James, who was talking to Rumsey on her cell phone at the time.

"We were catching up on her weekend," said James, who is Rumsey's backcountry ski partner.

A law clerk for the Alaska Supreme Court, Rumsey had just won the Wilderness Woman Contest in Talkeetna, James said.

Rumsey was only a few blocks from her home when "she crossed paths with a tall, thin man who made her nervous," according to the charging document. Over the phone, James heard Rumsey tell someone the time.

"All of a sudden she screamed several times and the phone went dead," James said. She called a neighbor to go check on her friend, then called Rumsey's cell phone. A woman at the scene picked up and said police and medics were on the way.

Rumsey, shot in the back, was rushed to Alaska Regional Hospital, where she was initially listed in critical condition.

Rumsey's friends are keeping a round-the-clock vigil outside her hospital room and said Monday evening they think she is doing well.

7:05 A.M. MONDAY

Only a few blocks away from where Rumsey got shot, Tamas Deak, 43, walked out of his home near 16th Avenue and K Street to start his car and let it warm up while he was getting ready for work. Rogers was watching.

Deak is a landscape architect born in Hungary. He's married with two young children, said Michael Prozeralik, president of KPB Architects, where Deak has worked since 2002.

As Deak got out of his car to go back inside, Rogers approached him. He had learned from his earlier mistake, he told police, and this time around, he waited for Deak to get out of the car before he shot him multiple times in the arm and torso.

Rogers sped off as Deak lay on the ground, yelling for his wife.

A bullet "did nick a lung," Prozeralik said, but no major arteries were hit. "The prognosis is pretty positive," he said. Deak "should have a full recovery."

When police received the call about the attack on Deak, every available officer and detective - at least 50 - began the hunt for Rogers, who investigators were beginning to see as a part of the bigger picture, said Anchorage police Lt. Paul Honeman.

7:29 A.M. MONDAY

Anchorage police spotted Deak's gray 1990 Jeep Wagoneer at the intersection of DeBarr Road and Bragaw Street and began their pursuit, Honeman said. Rogers refused to pull over, leading them south on Bragaw to Northern Lights, where he ran a red light and turned eastbound.

With a growing string of cruisers in pursuit, it became clear Rogers wasn't planning to stop for police, and the decision was made to stop him with force, Heun said. Two officers rammed their cars into the Wagoneer near Northern Lights and Lily Street, just shy of Boniface Parkway.

One officer injured his knee during the wreck.

Rogers told police he intended to shoot some officers, but his .357 revolver "just clicked" when he pulled the trigger.

Police found five live rounds in the gun, and plenty more in Rogers' jacket.

WRAP-UP

Rogers, a construction worker who lived in Anchorage, has a lengthy criminal history here and in the Mat-Su area - including charges of assault, harassment, reckless endangerment, driving under the influence, and attempted arson, according to court documents. Though he's been in and out of jail, he's never been in for long, according to the Department of Corrections.

Even before the Palmer attack, troopers had an outstanding warrant for Rogers' arrest. With 2,119 warrants to wrangle, troopers have to choose who to look for. A probation violation warrant is not at the top of their list, troopers spokeswoman Megan Peters said. The original charge in that case was driving under the influence.

A public defender was appointed Monday to represent Rogers, Heun said. He is being held without bail for the Palmer charges, and on $1 million cash-only bail for the crimes he is accused of in Anchorage, Bachman said.

He is scheduled to be arraigned today in Anchorage on all the charges, she said.



I am so glad he was caught! This one hits really close to home for me, I am so glad I carry everyday.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[ccw9mm]

Bail, for two counts of murder with a proven history of flight from the law. Stupid is as stupid does.

[Herknav]

Glad it ended OK. I just left Elmendorf in April.

[robt2k]

Bail, for two counts of murder with a proven history of flight from the law. Stupid is as stupid does.

He is being held without bail for the Palmer charges, and on $1 million cash-only bail for the crimes he is accused of in Anchorage, Bachman said.

The first will keep him locked up, and the second would also effectively do the same.

Do they at least have the death penalty in AK?

[glock27mark]

wow, and i thought our morning newscast was bad.

[grady]

Rumsey was only a few blocks from her home when "she crossed paths with a tall, thin man who made her nervous,"

Her instincts were right. Too bad she didn't follow up on them, or have an option where she could protect herself.

Over the phone, James heard Rumsey tell someone the time.

I've read several instances where a criminal will engage in a seemingly innocent conversation just before they strike. This guy didn't care about the time, he apparently just wanted to get close enough to shoot her.

As Deak got out of his car to go back inside, Rogers approached him. He had learned from his earlier mistake, he told police, and this time around, he waited for Deak to get out of the car before he shot him multiple times in the arm and torso.

Deak is fortunate to be alive. I wonder if better situational awareness could have helped him. Being shot was probably the last thing on his mind that morning.

Rogers told police he intended to shoot some officers, but his .357 revolver "just clicked" when he pulled the trigger.

Police found five live rounds in the gun, and plenty more in Rogers' jacket.

I wonder if he had a dud round, or one empty cylinder.

Perfect examples of how violent crime can unexpectedly come out of nowhere.

[digitalexplr]

There are wack jobs everywhere! To bad someone had not been able to take this guy out sooner before he had injured so many.

If somone asks you why you carry, hand them this story. You never know where or when this type of individual will pop up.

[farronwolf]

Glad it ended OK. I just left Elmendorf in April.

How the heck is it OK when 2 people died and 4 others were hacked up? What would have been OK is if his dad had stopped him before he got started.

I just hope that he doesn't end up in a mental institution instead of a prison cell for the rest of his life. He can get mental help from inside the prison if he needs it.

[imatt]

These are the kind of people the death penalty is designed for.

However, we can be sure some scum lawyer will argue the "not guilty by reason of insanity" plea.

[lacrosse50]

Definitely a reason to carry. I wonder how the anti's will spin the story....

[Janq]

Definitely a reason to carry. I wonder how the anti's will spin the story....

Agreed, and they won't.
They'll just ignore this story altogether.

- Janq

[LongRider]

Glad it ended OK. I just left Elmendorf in April.

People died good people. More were hurt badly and will suffer for it the rest of thier lives. The scum bag is alive. There is a good chance that the citizens of Alaska will have to pay his room and board for the rest of his life. How is that a good ending?

This is one of the many examples of why I could never be a LEO. How anyone after seeing this kind of mayhem could let the scum bag make it to a jail cell is beyond me. You guys live up to a standard of ethics I can not even begin to comprehend. The crap you guys see I know I would end up in a jail cell. As tough as a shooting someone is. It has to be harder to know that creeps like this and baby killers will be laughing braggging about what they did.

[USPnTX]

Rogers told police he intended to shoot some officers, but his .357 revolver "just clicked" when he pulled the trigger.

I am wondering if the LEO's fired at all? I would assume that he jumped out of the SUV and pointed his weapon at the officers. How that didn't end up in his timely demise is odd!