Raymond Rogers “terrorized” his ex-wife and her boyfriend for nearly a year before he broke into their rural Woodbury County home, armed with a semi-automatic handgun. Three years later, a jury returned a guilty conviction.
There were two calls to 911 on Feb. 24, 2023. “People dead. People are dead,” the first caller, believed to be Rogers, said. The second whispered into the phone that someone was going to kill them, initial court documents relay.
Police arrived to find Rogers’ vehicle in the home’s driveway in Sergeant Bluff, with footprints in the snow leading to the home, where a sliding glass door was shattered, a court filing from the Woodbury County Attorney said.
Inside the home were three injured people: Rogers’ ex-wife, Ashley Rogers, who sustained multiple gunshot wounds and suffered from labored breathing; her boyfriend, Gerele Jones, who had gunshot wounds to his hand, chest, and face; and Rogers, who was wearing a backpack that had ammunition inside, was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound under his chin, an unsuccessful suicide attempt.
Ashley Rogers told responding officers Rogers had shot her.
At the scene, spent shell casings, fired bullets and empty magazines were found. A black handgun was found a short distance from where Rogers lay. A later investigation found Jones was shot 12 times, and Ashley Rogers three.
Jones was pronounced dead at the scene. Ashley Rogers was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment, as was Rogers himself. Both survived.
It was later determined that Jones’ son made the second call to 911.
The incident came nearly a year after Ashley Rogers filed for divorce, court filings show. She had also filed for relief from domestic abuse, and with that came a no-contact order. Rogers “stalked and terrorized” Ashley Rogers and Jones throughout 2022, according to a news release from Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird.
Jury found Rogers guilty on all counts three years after shooting
Three years after the incident, on May 20, 2026, a jury found Rogers, 37, guilty on all counts against him: first-degree murder, attempted murder, first-degree burglary, and stalking with a dangerous weapon.
Taken into consideration were more than 200 exhibits, including crime scene photos, reports and previous court documents. The jury returned the guilty verdicts after less than three hours.
Rogers faces a mandatory life sentence without parole stemming from the first-degree murder charge.
“Another murderer is off the streets and in prison where he belongs,” Bird said in the news release, thanking the Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office, the Sergeant Bluff Police Department, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation’s Lab, the Woodbury County Attorney’s Office, and prosecutors from the Iowa Attorney General’s Office, for help in the investigation.
“And thank you to the brave son of Gerele Jones who not only called 911 but was also willing to testify at trial,” Bird said in the release. “We grieve the loss of his father, but we are grateful for his courage.”
Rogers’ sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 10, 2026.
Kyle Werner is the breaking news and public safety reporter for the Register. Reach him at kwerner@registermedia.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa man found guilty in 2023 murder of ex-wife’s boyfriend
Reporting by Kyle Werner, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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