Syracuse, NY - The 18-year delay in bringing a murder charge against a Syracuse man in the strangulation death of his pregnant estranged wife is not grounds for dismissal, a judge ruled today. Onondaga County Judge Joseph Fahey ruled from the bench in rejecting the defense’s challenge to the murder prosecution of Johnny Rogers. Rogers, 44, was arrested at his...
Syracuse, NY - The 18-year delay in bringing a murder charge against a Syracuse man in the strangulation death of his pregnant estranged wife is not grounds for dismissal, a judge ruled today.
Onondaga County Judge Joseph Fahey ruled from the bench in rejecting the defense’s challenge to the murder prosecution of Johnny Rogers.
Rogers, 44, was arrested at his James Street apartment Nov. 30 and charged with killing Princess Thomas back in September 1991. Thomas’ decomposed body was found Sept. 22, 1991, under a pile of trash and underbrush off South Clinton Street by the railroad tracks.
Thomas, 23, was seven months pregnant but Rogers was not the father of the fetus, officials determined.
Defense lawyer Michael Vavonese has contended Rogers was being denied a fair trial by bringing the charge after all this time had passed. He has argued to Fahey that authorities knew Rogers was not the baby’s father and suspected him in the victim’s death back in 1991.
First Chief Assistant District Attorney Rick Trunfio has contended police may have had suspicions about Rogers when Thomas turned up dead, but authorities did not get more definitive proof until the case came under renewed scrutiny by the “Cold Case Task Force” a couple of years ago.
DNA testing that did not exist in 1991 has given authorities proof Rogers was not the baby’s father, a fact that goes to a potential motive to kill Thomas, Trunfio has argued. Additionally, authorities obtained new information in 2007 from Rogers’ former girlfriend in which she told police Rogers once threatened to do to her what he had done to Thomas.
Vavonese today asked Fahey to at least hold a hearing to explore the issue of why authorities waited so long to file charges and whether that prejudiced Rogers’ right to a fair trial now. In support of that argument, Vavonese noted the defense is having trouble locating a potential alibi witness for Rogers.
Fahey, however, ruled there was no need for a hearing and rejected the defense challenge to the prosecution.
Rogers is set to stand trial June 21.