Diff: Patric J. Ferguson
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'''Patric J. Ferguson''', a former Memphis Police Officer, faced federal civil rights, kidnapping, and weapons charges after a federal grand jury in Memphis, Tennessee, returned an eight-count indictment against him. The charges were in connection with the fatal shooting of Robert Howard (referred to as R.H.), an incident that occurred on January 5, 2021. Ferguson allegedly kidnapped and fatally shot Howard while on duty, then conspired with a civilian, Joshua M. Rogers, to cover up the crime by disposing of Howard's body in the Wolf River in Memphis. Rogers was charged with accessory after the fact for assisting Ferguson in covering up the crime, including selling the car used to transport Howard's body to a scrap metal dealership. |
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'''Patric J. Ferguson''' is a former Memphis Police Department officer who was sentenced in the United States to 38 years in prison on 1 December 2025. The sentence followed federal civil-rights, firearms, kidnapping and obstruction charges connected to the fatal shooting of a man identified in federal material by the initials R.H. |
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== Legal Proceedings == |
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The indictment against Ferguson and Rogers was announced by Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Kevin G. Ritz for the Western District of Tennessee, and Special Agent in Charge Douglas DePodesta of the FBI Memphis Field Office. The FBI Memphis Field Office's Tarnished Badge Task Force and the Memphis Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Pritchard for the Western District of Tennessee, along with Trial Attorneys Maura White and Tenette Smith of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section, are prosecuting the case. |
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The case is notable because the Justice Department said Ferguson was on duty as a police officer when he kidnapped and fatally shot R.H. on 5 January 2021, then worked with Joshua M. Rogers to conceal the killing. |
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Ferguson, who no longer worked for the Memphis Police Department at the time of the indictment, was accused of killing Howard, who was 30 years old at the time of his death. The indictment revealed that Ferguson and Howard knew each other. Following Howard's death, Rogers was alleged to have aided Ferguson in hiding evidence of the crime, including selling the car used in the incident to a scrap metal dealership. |
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== Background == |
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Ferguson had been an officer with the Memphis Police Department. Federal prosecutors said he and R.H. knew each other, but public Justice Department material did not give a full motive for the killing. |
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== Legal Action and Investigations == |
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Howard was reported missing by his girlfriend on January 6, 2021. The Memphis Police Department initiated an investigation, revealing that Howard had been taken from a home by Ferguson and subsequently killed. Ferguson was arrested on charges of first-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping, and other related offenses before Howard's body was found near the Wolf River bridge on January 10, 2021. Ferguson was relieved of duty immediately following his arrest. Rogers, described as an acquaintance of Ferguson, was also arrested on charges related to the incident. |
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The case began after R.H. disappeared in January 2021. Local reporting and prosecution material described a sequence in which R.H. was taken, killed and later found near the Wolf River area in Memphis. |
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== Subsequent Legal Action == |
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In December 2021, Martha Garth, the administrator of Howard's estate, filed a federal lawsuit against Ferguson, alleging that Howard was shot while restrained inside Ferguson’s police squad car. The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages totalling no more than $60,000. |
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== Federal Case == |
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The United States Department of Justice announced on 1 December 2025 that Ferguson had been sentenced to 38 years in prison. According to the Justice Department, documents filed with his plea established that he kidnapped and fatally shot R.H. while on duty. |
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== Ongoing Proceedings == |
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Prosecutors and police have not disclosed a motive for the killing. The federal charges against Ferguson and Rogers were the result of an investigation involving the FBI’s Memphis field office and the Memphis Police Department. The state cases against Ferguson and Rogers are still active, with attorneys representing them yet to comment on the matter. |
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The same DOJ release said Ferguson then conspired with Joshua M. Rogers to cover up the shooting by disposing of R.H.'s body in the Wolf River and selling the vehicle used to transport the body to a scrap-metal company. |
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An indictment is an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. |
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== Joshua Rogers == |
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Joshua M. Rogers was Ferguson's co-defendant. DOJ material states that Rogers helped Ferguson destroy evidence after the fatal shooting. A later DOJ release said Rogers was sentenced to 56 months in prison for his role. |
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The Rogers sentencing release also confirmed that Ferguson had been sentenced to 38 years on 1 December 2025. |
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== Significance == |
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The Ferguson case is an example of a police-abuse prosecution in which the central conduct happened while the officer was on duty. The Justice Department framed the case as a civil-rights matter as well as a kidnapping, firearms and obstruction case. |
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Because the criminal proceedings resulted in federal sentences, Ferguson is no longer described only as accused in relation to the federal case. Older references to ongoing federal proceedings are outdated. |
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== References == |
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* [https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/former-memphis-police-department-officer-sentenced-civil-rights-firearms-kidnapping-and United States Department of Justice: Ferguson sentencing press release] |
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* [https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdtn/pr/tennessee-man-sentenced-aiding-memphis-police-department-officer-destroying-evidence United States Department of Justice: Rogers sentencing press release] |
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[[Category:Crime]] |
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[[Category:Law Enforcement]] |
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[[Category:United States]] |