(Des Moines) Attorney General Brenna Bird announced that her office, in cooperation with the Woodbury County Attorney’s Office, has secured a guilty verdict of murder in the first degree in the Woodbury County case of State v. Raymond Rogers.
Raymond Rogers stalked and terrorized his ex-wife Ashley Rogers and her boyfriend Gerele Jones throughout 2022. On February 24, 2023, he entered Ashley and Gerele’s residence armed with a .45 Caliber semi-automatic handgun and opened fire. Gerele was shot twelve times and killed while Ashley was shot three times and survived. Raymond Rogers then shot himself but failed in his attempt to commit suicide.
On Wednesday, May 20, 2026, after less than three hours, a jury found Rogers guilty of Murder in the First Degree, Attempted Murder, Burglary in the First Degree, and Stalking in Violation of a No Contact Order and While in Possession of a Dangerous Weapon. Murder in the First carries a mandatory sentence of life without parole.
“Thanks to the hard work of the Woodbury County Sheriff’s Department, the Sergeant Bluff Police Department, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation’s Lab, Woodbury County Attorney James Loomis and his staff, and prosecutors in the Attorney General’s office, another murderer is off the streets and in prison where he belongs,” said Attorney General Bird. “And thank you to the brave son of Gerele Jones who not only called 911 but was also willing to testify at trial. We grieve the loss of his father, but we are grateful for his courage.”
Sentencing is scheduled for August 10, 2026.
