On Father's Day weekend in June of 2020, 61-year-old Gene Rogers was found shot to death in his Richburg, South Carolina mobile home. Also discovered at the scene was the body of his 78-year-old mother, Billie Ruth Rogers, who had also been fatally shot. The grim discovery was made on Sunday, June 21, 2020, initiating a double homicide investigation that would lead authorities on a complex path to identifying a suspect within their own family.
The investigation into the deaths of Gene
and Billie Rogers involved multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Chester County Sheriff's Office, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, the FBI, and military investigators. Their attention eventually turned to Gene Rogers' grandson and Billie Rogers' great-grandson, Gene Alexzander 'Alex' Scott, a 24-year-old U.S. Army soldier. The motive, as determined by investigators, was greed. It was believed that Scott murdered his grandfather and great-grandmother to gain access to inheritance money, including life insurance and retirement funds. Prosecutors stated that Gene Rogers had already given his grandson over $80,000 earlier in the year.
At the time of the murders, Scott was serving in the U.S. Army. He was arrested in Germany, where he was stationed, and extradited back to South Carolina to face charges. In October 2021, a Chester County grand jury indicted Scott on two counts of murder and one count of possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.
During his trial in May 2024, prosecutors presented evidence suggesting the murders were premeditated. They argued that Scott, who had told deputies he discovered the bodies when he went to visit his grandfather for Father's Day, had actually feigned his emotional reaction. A deputy who was first on the scene testified that Scott's behavior seemed like a performance and that he repeatedly asked to leave. Ultimately, the jury found Gene Alexzander 'Alex' Scott guilty of the murders of his grandfather and great-grandmother. He was sentenced to 60 years in prison and will not be eligible for parole.
