Capital murder co-defendant ruled competent to stand trial

Michael Wetzel, The Decatur Daily, Ala.
·1 min read

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.

— mike.wetzel@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2442. Twitter @DD_Wetzel.