Salem woman sentenced for manslaughter in crash that killed her boyfriend

Christian Willbern, Salem Statesman Journal
·2 min read
Angel Marie Rogers was sentenced Monday in Marion County Circuit Court to 75 months for manslaughter in the death of her boyfriend, driving under the influence, mail theft and reckless endangerment.
Angel Marie Rogers was sentenced Monday in Marion County Circuit Court to 75 months for manslaughter in the death of her boyfriend, driving under the influence, mail theft and reckless endangerment.

A 39-year-old Salem woman was sentenced Monday in Marion County Circuit Court to 75 months in prison for manslaughter in a September 2022 crash near McKay High School that killed her boyfriend.

Angel Marie Rogers was convicted of manslaughter in the death of Keith Schmidtke, 46, driving under the influence, mail theft and reckless endangerment during a stipulated facts trial. Rogers was high on methamphetamines at the time.

Judge Audrey Broyles sentenced Rogers according to Measure 11 sentencing guidelines for manslaughter, along with a year for each misdemeanor. She will serve three years in jail as part of the 75-month sentence.

Rogers was driving Schmidtke's black Ford Edge after he stole mail from a multi-unit mailbox on the 4300 block of San Francisco Drive NE. Schmidtke got into the passenger seat, and as Rogers drove away she ran a stop sign and crashed with a car that was southbound on Hollywood Drive NE.

Schmidtke, who was not wearing his seatbelt because it was broken, was ejected. The SUV flipped on its hood and landed on Schmidtke, killing him.

Rogers initially told emergency responders that the crash was her fault. But for two days she denied responsibility saying Schmidtke drove through the stop sign. After she was released from the hospital, investigators determined from her injuries that she was the driver. A video from a resident's home also showed her getting in the driver's seat and pulling away.

"Your kids won't see you for a few years, and that's a tragedy for them, but it's the decisions you made that got you here," Broyles told her.

Marion County Circuit Court Judge Audrey J. Broyles sentenced Angel Marie Rogers to 75 months in prison for manslaughter, driving under the influence, mail theft and reckless endangerment.
Marion County Circuit Court Judge Audrey J. Broyles sentenced Angel Marie Rogers to 75 months in prison for manslaughter, driving under the influence, mail theft and reckless endangerment.

"I'm so sorry," Rogers sobbed when asked if she wanted to speak.

Following her release, Rogers will be under post-prison supervision for 36 months. She also will have to pay restitutionl, which has not yet been determined by prosecutors.

Schmidtke's daughter, Jada, said before the sentencing that her father was her "definition of hope."

"Did you know that he would stand far enough away to let me get a running start to hug him?" Jada said.

She told Rogers: "You can go to prison and come back, but you can't die and come back."

For questions, comments, and news tips, email reporter Christian Willbern at cwillbern@statesmanjournal.com

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Salem woman sentenced in 2022 crash that killed her boyfriend