A man has pleaded guilty to assisting an on-duty Memphis cop in disposing of the body of a victim who was allegedly murdered in his patrol car.
Joshua M. Rogers, 33, faces up to 70 months in prison, or 5 years and 10 months, after pleading guilty on Thursday, according to a press release from the US Department of Justice. According to federal authorities, on January 5, 2021, Memphis police Officer Patric J. Ferguson kidnapped 30-year-old Robert Lee Howard Jr. at gunpoint and forced him into his patrol car, where he shot him in the head.
Prosecutors claim Ferguson then enlisted the assistance of Rogers to dispose of the body. They transferred the body to Rogers’ car and “affixed chains, padlocks, and cinder blocks” to it before driving to Memphis’ Wolf River and dumping it.
“The defendant in this case obstructed law enforcement from investigating and seeking justice on behalf of the victim, his family, and friends,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division stated. “I am proud of the great work by the Department of Justice in their prosecution of this case.”
Sentencing is scheduled for August 6.
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Ferguson, 34, is facing state charges of murder, kidnapping, evidence tampering, corpse abuse, official misconduct, and official oppression, as previously reported by Law&Crime. In May 2024, a federal grand jury returned an eight-count indictment charging federal civil rights, kidnapping, and weapons offenses.
Both cases are ongoing. The federal trial is set for November 3, while Ferguson will appear in court next month in the state case.
The day after Howard was killed, his girlfriend reported him missing. On January 10, 2021, authorities recovered Howard’s body. Police arrested Ferguson and Rogers a few days later. A state grand jury indicted them in May 2021. The federal grand jury also charged Rogers with conspiring to conceal the fatal shooting and destroying evidence.
According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by the Memphis Commercial Appeal, investigators discovered Ferguson searching on his phone for information on how to clean up crime scenes and destroy evidence. He also purchased cinder blocks, chains, and padlocks to dispose of Howard’s body, according to the affidavit.
Police have not stated a motive for the killing.
Howard’s family also sued Ferguson in federal court, alleging unlawful seizure, false arrest, and excessive force.