In the quiet community of Valhermoso Springs, Alabama, a horrific scene unfolded on June 4, 2020, ending the life of 45-year-old Tammy Marie England Muzzey and six other individuals. Deputies from the Morgan County Sheriff's Office responded to a call of shots fired just before midnight and arrived to find a house on Talacuh Road partially engulfed in smoke. Inside, they discovered a scene of carnage: seven people and a dog, all deceased from gunshot wounds.
The investigation into the seven deaths was immediately treated as a homicide.
The victims of the mass shooting were identified as Tammy England Muzzey, 45, Emily Brooke Payne, 21, Roger Lee Jones Jr., 19, Jeramy Wade Roberts, 31, William Zane Hodgin, 18, James Wayne Benford, 22, and a 17-year-old female juvenile. Authorities described the act as 'incredibly heinous' and 'cold-blooded,' noting that the suspects 'came, they did it, they left.'
The investigation revealed a connection between the suspects and some of the victims through a group known as the 'Seven Deadly Sins Club,' which was reportedly involved with drugs and money. Two suspects, John Michael Legg and Frederic Rogers, were identified. Investigators believe that Legg and Rogers became angry after Legg suspected a member of the club had stolen guns from him, leading them to decide to 'end the club.' On the night of the murders, they opened fire on the seven individuals inside Tammy Muzzey's residence.
Following an investigation involving multiple law enforcement agencies, including the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force, arrest warrants were issued for Legg and Rogers. They were apprehended in Marion County, Oregon, on June 22, 2020, and subsequently extradited back to Alabama. Both men were indicted by a Morgan County grand jury on six counts of capital murder each. Prosecutors announced their intention to seek the death penalty.
In the ensuing legal proceedings, Frederic Rogers was convicted of capital murder. Despite the prosecution's request for the death penalty, a jury sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole. John Michael Legg later pleaded guilty to capital murder in December 2024.
