Man sentenced 26-years to life in brutal hammer death of 'Bridalplasty' reality star

Man sentenced 26-years to life in brutal hammer death of 'Bridalplasty' reality star

A Southern California man has been sentenced for the 2016 murder of nurse and former reality TV contestant Lisa Marie Naegle.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced Monday that Jackie Jerome Rogers, 36, was sentenced to 26 years to life in state prison for bludgeoning Naegle to death with a hammer and burying her body at his home near Los Angeles International Airport.

Naegle, a 36-year-old nurse from San Pedro, was a losing contestant in 2010 on E! network's "Bridalplasty," a reality show where she competed for a dream wedding and plastic surgery.

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Prosecutors say Rogers bludgeoned Naegle with a hammer at least eight times while they were in his car on Dec. 18, 2016. Evidence shows that Rogers hit Naegle an additional two times to ensure she was dead before burying her in dirt and manure in his back yard.

Rogers, who was a nursing student of Naegle's, then tried to cover up the crime by "disposing of all the victim’s belongings, washed her blood and tissue off the murder weapon and his car," according to a press release from the District Attorney’s Office.

Naegle, who was married, was involved in a romantic relationship with Rogers, prosecutors added.

In this Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2016, file photo, police and coroner's officials investigate a home in the Lennox area of Los Angeles as they search for Lisa Marie Naegle, who has been missing since the previous weekend.
In this Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2016, file photo, police and coroner's officials investigate a home in the Lennox area of Los Angeles as they search for Lisa Marie Naegle, who has been missing since the previous weekend.

The victim was last seen alive at a birthday party at a Torrance beer hall, her husband, Derek Harryman told Torrance's Daily Breeze. Surveillance video showed Rogers leaving the beer hall with Naegle.

A jury found Rogers guilty of one count of first-degree murder in September.

Contributing: Jayme Deerwester, The Associated Press

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Man sentenced 26-years to life in brutal hammer death of 'Bridalplasty' reality star