A jury found alleged hitman Jimmy Rodgers guilty of second-degree murder and trespassing. Rodgers was found not guilty of first-degree murder and conspiracy.
The Jimmy Rodgers trial continued on Monday, October 14, 2019, for day 3 of testimony at the Lee County Justice Center in Fort Myers. He is on Trial for the murder of Teresa Sievers. (Court TV)
A sentencing hearing for alleged hitman Jimmy Rodgers had been rescheduled to December 12 at 1:30 pm ET. The hearing was originally scheduled for November 18, but that date would have interfered with the Mark Sievers’ trial that’s in the middle of jury selection.
Rodgers was sentenced to life in prison by the Honorable Judge Bruce Kyle on Dec. 12, 2019.
Rodgers was found not guilty of first-degree murder and conspiracy. He’ll serve life in prison for the death of 46-year-old Teresa Sievers, a beloved holistic doctor in South Florida, who was bludgeoned to death by a hammer in her Bonita Springs home in 2015.
Prosecutors say Mark Sievers planned his wife’s murder with the help of his longtime friend, Curtis Wright. Wright allegedly traveled to Missouri to hire Rodgers as a hitman and brought him back to Southwest Florida to carry out the heinous act.
FL v. Rodgers: Hammer Hitman Murder Trial – Watch the Verdict
Mark Sievers (left) and Jimmy Rodgers (right) (Courtesy of Lee County S.O.)
46-year-old Teresa Sievers, 46, was bludgeoned to death at her Bonita Springs home on June 28, 2015, after returning home alone from a trip to Connecticut. Her body, which reportedly sustained seventeen blunt force trauma blows, was found the next day.
Investigators had no suspects until they received a tip via phone call on July 9. That tip led to the arrests of Jimmy Ray Rodgers and a longtime friend of Teresa’s husband, Curtis Wright. Despite a cloud of suspicion, Teresa’s husband lived as a free man until February 26, 2016.
Prosecutors say Mark Sievers planned his wife’s murder with the help of Wright, who allegedly traveled to Missouri to hire Rodgers as a hitman and brought him back to Southwest Florida. Although investigators believe Rodgers killed Teresa, Mark and Wright are accused of orchestrating the attack.
Mark and Teresa Siever’s Bonita Springs home. (Courtesy of Scripps News Fort Myers-Naples)
Detectives still aren’t clear on Mark’s alleged motive. Text messages and phone records between the couple showed a roller coaster marriage filled with intense affection, contempt and “swinging,” which included flirtation between Teresa and Wright. Friends of the couple reportedly told investigators their marriage was rocky, and Mark may have feared he would lose his daughters in a divorce. Multi-million-dollar life insurance policies taken out on Teresa also suggest a financial motive.
Mark was charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Rodgers was charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and first-degree burglary while armed. Both defendants were facing the death penalty. Wright, testified as a key witness, took a 25-year plea deal for his role.
TIMELINE:
2015
- April 30: Mark and Wright allegedly begin to plot Teresa’s death.
- June 28-29: Teresa’s body found in her Bonita Springs home.
- July 9: Investigators receive a tip about Teresa’s killers.
- August 25: Jimmy Ray Rodgers arrested.
- August 27: Curtis Wright arrested.
2016
- February 25-26: Wright accepts a plea deal. Mark arrested and charged with second-degree murder.
- May 4: Grand jury indicts Rodgers and Mark.
- May 5: While in custody, Mark is served with a warrant for first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
- June 22: Prosecutors file notice of intent to seek the death penalty against Rodgers and Mark.
2019
- August 19: Judge Bruce Kyle grants Defense motion to have Rodgers and Mark tried separately.
- October 1: Jury selection begins in the trials of FL v. Sievers and FL v. Rodgers.
- October 23: A jury finds Jimmy Rodgers guilty of second-degree murder and trespass. Rodgers is found not guilty of first-degree murder and conspiracy.
