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Dispute Within Illicit 'Seven Deadly Sins' Club Led To Mass Murder In Alabama, Authorities Say
The so-called 'Seven Deadly Sins' club was allegedly involved in illegal activities, but authorities have revealed few details about them.
Discord with a clandestine club known as the "Seven Deadly Sins" led to a shooting in Alabama earlier this month that killed seven people, authorities said.
John Michael Legg, 19, and Frederic Allen Rogers, 22, were arrested on capital murder charges during a traffic stop in Oregon on Sunday after fleeing to Marion County from around the Huntsville, Alabama area, CNN reported. The two men were wanted in connection with the deaths of seven people who were found fatally shot inside a burning home on June 4.
During a press conference on Monday, local authorities referred to the murder as "horrific," but said that they don't believe that the incident poses a threat to the general public.
While a motive for the shooting at first seemed unclear, authorities have since said that Legg and Rogers were members of a club called the "Seven Deadly Sins." The shooting was related to a dispute among the members.
Investigators believe that Legg and Rogers killed the seven victims — four men and three women — because they were "doing away with the club," Morgan County Sheriff Ron Puckett said on Monday.
“This was probably one of the ways they were going to wipe the slate clean if you will," he said.
The victims were identified earlier this month as Tammy Muzzey, 45, Jeramy Roberts, 31, James Benford, 22, Emily Payne, 21, Roger Jones, Jr., 19, William Hodgin, 18, and a 17-year-old girl who was not named. Of the seven victims, Jones, Roberts, and Benford were also members of the illicit club, along with a seventh member who has not been identified
While it is currently unclear what the purpose of the club was, authorities said that the members were involved in illegal activities related to drugs.
Legg and Rogers were arrested without incident and are currently in custody at the Marion County Jail as they await extradition back to Alabama, the Marion County Sheriff's Office said. The pair, who do not have a criminal record, are believed to have fled to Oregon because they have relatives in the area, according to authorities.
It's not clear if either of the men have attorneys available for comment.
