Tennessee cop hit with murder and kidnapping charges after he admits to forcing a man into his squad car and shooting him dead – while still on-duty
Officer Patric Ferguson faces multiple charges in the death of 30-yer-old Robert Howard in memphis, TN, on Jan 6
Ferguson, 29, is charged with first-degree murder, first-degree murder in perpetration of aggravated kidnapping, especially aggravated kidnapping, abuse of a corpse, fabrication and tampering with evidence
Ferguson is accused of kidnapping and fatally shooting Howard while on duty
Ferguson allegedly, has admitted to killing the victim who was dating his ex, who is also a police officer
Police say the officer Ferguson forced the victim into his patrol car before shooting him at a quiet intersection and dumping the body
A day later he rcruited his friend, Joshua Rogers, who helped move the body to another a location
Howard’s body was recovered Sunday near the Wolf River bridge in Memphis
Howard’s girlfriend reported him missing three days before his body was found
Joshua Rogers, 28, faces accessory charges in connection with Howard’s death
A Tennessee police officer was charged with kidnapping a man, fatally shooting him in a squad car and dumping his body while on duty, authorities said.
Patric Ferguson, 29, a Memphis police officer since 2018, was charged in the death of 30-year-old Robert Howard of Memphis. Also charged in in the crime Joshua Rogers, 28, faces accessory charges in connection with the murder after helping to dispose of the body.
Ferguson and Howard were known to each other, police said, but it’s unclear if Rogers, the second person accused person and the victim were familiar with each other.
. On January 6th, . He’s the father of 3 children. Robert would have been 31 on the 30th of this month,
Fox 13 reported Monday that three law enforcement sources said that the kidnapping and murder occurred because Howard had been dating Ferguson’s ex-girlfriend, who is also a Memphis Police Department officer.
‘No one is above the law,’ Memphis Police Director Mike Rallings said in a statement.
‘Knowing that a Memphis Police Officer, someone who took an oath to protect and serve, made the decision to commit this horrific crime is devastating.
‘His actions were not that of a law enforcement officer and should not reflect on fellow officers,’ Rallings said.
Howard was reported missing by his girlfriend on January 6, Memphis police said in a statement Sunday on Twitter.
Police said that the woman tracked Howard’s cell phone to the intersection of Lamar Avenue and Shelby Drive, where she found the phone, but not her boyfriend, leading to a City Watch Alert being issued for Howard on January 8.
Police said a body, believed to be Howard, was recovered Sunday near the Wolf River bridge.
An investigation determined that Howard had been taken from outside his home and then been shot by Ferguson, who knew Howard and was on duty at the time.
According to authorities, Ferguson had acted ‘on his own accord’ and armed himself with his personal handgun, before forcing Howard into the back of a patrol car and driving to Frayser Boulevard and Denver Street – about 20miles from where his phone was found – where Ferguson shot and killed Howard.
Ferguson allegedly left Howard’s body at an unspecified location and then returned later to move it.
Police said that Ferguson’s cell phone search history had included multiple queries regarding crime scene cleanup and how to destroy DNA evidence, WMC Action News 5 reported.
Additional evidence police found included Ferguson buying cinderblocks, chains and padlocks at a local hardware store, and surveillance video capturing the actual shooting.
Police said that Ferguson admitted to having kidnapped and killed Howard, and asking his friend, Rogers, to help him move the body on January 7.
While executing search warrants, police said they found bloody towels in Ferguson’s car that had been used to clean up the crime scene and also found the gun used in the slaying at a home.
Rogers allegedly admitted to police that he helped Ferguson move Howard’s body to Rogers’ home.
Ferguson faces several charges, including first-degree murder, first-degree murder in perpetration of aggravated kidnapping, especially aggravated kidnapping, abuse of a corpse, and tampering with and fabricating evidence, according to the Memphis Police Department.
Rogers is being charged with accessory after the fact, abuse of a corpse and tampering with and fabricating evidence.
Ferguson was fired following his arrest police said. He is being held without bond. His co-defendant, Joshua Rogers was released on Sunday on a $25,000 bond.
A GoFundMe apparently set up by Howard’s mother to help raise money for his funeral noted that he was a father of three children who would have turned 31 on January 30.