Jeffrey Rogers, who allegedly murdered and dumped the body of Traci Leigh Jones in a Kentucky lake in June, had hired her to film pornography together with his wife, according to the authorities. Rogers was arrested three days after the murder but police didn't say anything about the connection between the murder and the victim and how they knew each other.
Authorities have now claimed that there was a romantic relationship between the three. According to an affidavit released this week by the district attorney in Erath County, Jones was murdered after she threatened Rogers and his wife of exposing them after the romantic relationship between them soured.
Multiple Crimes
According to the affidavit, Rogers, 60, had hired Jones to film pornography along with his wife but ended up killing her when he felt threatened of getting exposed. Rogers allegedly murdered the 41-year-old Jones and dumped her body in a plastic bag. Authorities believe that the plastic bag was initially dumped in Tennessee, which floated across to Kentucky, where it was found by the police.
Police initially couldn't trace the killer but after contacting the Texas Rangers they zeroed in on Rogers, who was arrested three days later and charged with murder. However, his wife Tammy Rogers, a former principal at Arlington ISD elementary school, hasn't been charged in relation to the murder.
Jones' body was found on June 21 but both the Kentucky and Tennessee authorities were unable to trace the killer. Suspecting that the body could have floated from far away, both Kentucky and Tennessee authorities contacted Texas Rangers. According to the affidavit filed, Texas Rangers' Danny Briley contacted a lawyer a day later to find that Jones was his client. The lawyer revealed in the affidavit that Jones had contacted him in April about a dispute with Jeffery and Tammy Rogers about their relationship.
Pornography Leads to Murder
The lawyer said that Jones had told him that the trio was involved in producing pornography and she feared that the couple could harm her in a bid to prevent themselves from getting exposed. Birley also spoke to one of Jones' friends who said that Jones had shared with her that she would often get engaged in pornography and other sexual acts with the Rogers and get compensated through a shared bank account.
This created doubts in the minds of the Texas Rangers. On investigation, and after interviewing Tammy Rogers, they found that they owned a pornography production company Circle V Entertainment and Jones would be paid for producing pornography. However, she also said that their relationship with Jones had ended.
According to the affidavit, Tammy Rogers said that she lost her job as the principal in the school after Jones filed a complaint about them owning a pornography production company. Even then, Jones continued to get paid by the couple. Jones' friend said that she saw her for the last time on June 16 walking from her home. On checking surveillance cameras, police spotted multiple footages of Jeffery Rogers and Jones together in Stephenville on that day. Jones can be seen wearing the same dress that was found on her body. Also, a plastic container could be seen on the backseat of a car that Jeffery Rogers was driving with Jones sitting next to him. This container was the same in which Jones' body was found, leading police to suspect and arrest Jeffery Rogers, following which he confessed of the crime.
