MORGAN COUNTY, Ala. (TCN) — A 23-year-old man will spend the rest of his life in prison after he pleaded guilty to multiple counts of capital murder for killing seven people in what became known as the “Seven Deadly Sins” murders.
WAFF-TV reports a judge handed John Michael Legg the sentence on Wednesday, Dec. 18, following his plea hearing. Just days prior, a judge declared him competent to stand trial. Legg will not be eligible for parole.
On June 4, 2020, Morgan County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a shooting call on the 500 block of Talacuh Road in Valhermoso Springs and found the seven deceased victims at the scene. The sheriff’s office said some of the victims were also burned in a fire started by Legg and his co-conspirator, Frederic Allen Rogers. The sheriff’s office identified the victims as Tammy England Muzzey, James Benford, Jeramy Roberts, Roger Jones, William Hodgin, Emily Payne, and a juvenile female they did not name.
The sheriff’s office obtained arrest warrants for Legg and Rogers, but the two men fled to Oregon following the shootings. On June 21, 2020, Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputies in Oregon conducted a traffic stop and detained the them at gunpoint. They returned to Alabama on June 28, 2020.
The Morgan County District Attorney announced in February 2021 that a grand jury returned an indictment charging Rogers and Legg with one count of capital murder during the course of a robbery, one count of capital murder pursuant to one scheme or course of conduct, three counts of capital murder during a burglary, and one count of capital murder during the commission of arson. The district attorney said he intended to seek the death penalty against the suspects.
According to WAFF, Legg, Rogers, and some of the victims were part of a gang called the “Seven Deadly Sins.” Investigators reportedly concluded the victims died because of a drug disagreement and social media posts. A jury convicted Rogers in August, but the jury opted not to sentence him to death. Rather, he got life in prison without parole.
Morgan County Sheriff’s Office public information officer Mike Swafford told WAFF, “That’s the most horrific crime this county has seen on record. Just to have that come to a conclusion, hopefully the families of those who have lost someone are able to put that behind them.”
District Attorney Scott Anderson said, “We can’t bring their loved ones back. We wish we could, but we can’t. Everybody is a loser in these cases, and so all we have to offer to them is justice, and we’ve done that.”