In the quiet community of Valhermoso Springs, Alabama, the life of 21-year-old Emily Brooke Payne was tragically cut short on June 4, 2020. She was a female victim in a horrific mass shooting that claimed the lives of six other people and a dog at a residence on Talucah Road. The scene that deputies discovered just before midnight was described as heinous and cold-blooded, with victims having been shot multiple times.
The other victims were identified as Tammy England Muzzey, 45; Roger
Lee Jones Jr., 19; Jeramy Wade Roberts, 31; William Zane Hodgin, 18; James Wayne Benford, 22; and a 17-year-old female whose name was not released. Initial investigations led authorities to believe the perpetrators had fled the area, leaving a community in shock and searching for answers. The motive was not immediately clear, though it was noted that it did not appear to be a domestic-related murder-suicide.
A significant breakthrough in the case came on June 22, 2020, when two suspects, John Michael Legg, 20, and Frederic “Ric” Allen Rogers, 23, were apprehended in Salem, Oregon. The two men, both from Morgan County, were known to the victims. It was reported that some of the victims and both suspects were part of a local club known as the 'Seven Deadly Sins.' Legg and Rogers were subsequently charged with multiple counts of capital murder and extradited back to Alabama.
The legal proceedings moved forward, and in August 2024, the trial for Frederic Rogers commenced. During the trial, his own defense attorney reportedly conceded Rogers' guilt, stating that he would die in prison. The case against John Michael Legg is also proceeding through the justice system. The district attorney for Morgan County has sought the death penalty in this case, which he described as the most significant crime in the county's history.
