A former Memphis police officer was indicted on federal charges involving a 2021 murder case that continues to rattle the city. Patric Ferguson, the ex-officer, faces accusations of violating civil rights, kidnapping, and weapons offenses as part of an alleged fatal shooting while on duty, according to a federal grand jury indictment cited by Action News 5. Another individual, Joshua Rogers, was also implicated, facing charges of conspiracy to cover up the murder and destroying evidence.
As detailed by the indictment, Ferguson, while serving as a Memphis Police Department officer, kidnapped and shot Robert Howard in the head, subsequently involving Rogers in an attempt to hide the crime. Released on a $400,000 bond in June of 2023, Rogers is charged with accessory after the fact, amidst allegations of disposing of the vehicle used to carry Howard's body by selling it to a scrap yard. WREG News reports suggest the deceased's body was ultimately discovered near Second Street and the Wolf River Bridge.
The case at the state level against Ferguson includes first-degree murder and especially aggravated kidnapping, among other offenses. Ferguson allegedly made a series of incriminating cell phone searches about cleaning up crime scenes and destroying evidence. "Evidence was obtained showing Ferguson purchased cinder blocks, chains and padlocks at a hardware store which investigators later found were used by Ferguson to hide evidence," The Commercial Appeal detailed, referencing information from an affidavit in the state case.
Ferguson's admissions, after waiving his Miranda rights, painted a grim tale of how he abducted Howard, shot him in the back of his patrol car, and later, with Roger's aid, moved the body from the first location to another to conceal their tracks. While Ferguson faces the weight of the federal court system, the state case lingers unresolved in Shelby County Criminal Court Division 9, the courtroom which formerly housed Judge Melissa Boyd, who resigned in April following her own legal troubles. These proceedings now taking place in the shadow of Boyd's disgraceful exit, according to Action News 5.
