New jury to recommend sentence for old trial

By Linda Cicoira

Some of the details were ironed out Thursday in Accomack Circuit Court regarding the sentencing of Roquan Leeteq “Kake” Rogers, the young man accused of being the shooter in a 2017 murder-for-hire scheme that targeted an Eastern Shore Drug Task Force informant.

A jury convicted Rogers of three counts of conspiracy. The panel was deadlocked on nine other counts including attempted capital murder of Nathaniel “Nate” Johnson and his then girlfriend, Desirae Smith. 

The panel of six men and six women recommended a total of 17 years in prison for Rogers. A breakdown showed 10 years for conspiracy to commit capital murder for hire, five years for conspiracy to commit capital murder involving a prisoner and two years for conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice. When those jurors were polled, a man on the panel said he did not agree with the recommendation and the jury was discharged.

In June, the court will empanel a new jury to recommend sentences for the crimes. The four-volume transcript of the original proceeding will be read to the new panelists. It has not been decided who will read for the witnesses  Prosecutor Spencer Morgan and defense lawyer Curtis Brown will read their previous questions and statements from the transcript.

Morgan would not comment on how he would proceed with the undecided charges. Brown unsuccessfully argued for a mistrial and for bond for his client who has already served three and a half years in jail.

Testimony disclosed that the informant was given money by the task force to buy cocaine from the defendant’s brother, Akeem Rogers. Johnson testified against Akeem Rogers and was set to attest to selling cocaine to Evron Terrell Strand, who was charged with being the mastermind of the murder-for-hire plot.

Akeem Rogers’ trial was in October 2017, about two weeks before the shooting.

Both Johnson and Smith testified that Roquan Rogers was the shooter. Johnson was shot in the back and buttocks. He said he recognized the defendant that night by the unusual shape of his mouth, his dreads, and his body style. Smith said she saw his face when she turned to look and the flash of the gunfire illuminated him. Both said they knew him. 

At Strand’s trial, Smith’s testimony was inconsistent with what she said at Roger’s trial. Brown said this was one reason for his asking for a mistrial. He was also upset that charges that were later not prosecuted against Roquan Rogers in Northampton County were mentioned during the trial. Brown argued that Strand attempted to hire several people to kill Johnson. One of those men, Aaron Bowens actually accepted $1,000 for the job and was sentenced to 20 years in prison with all but five years of the term suspended.

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