LEE COUNTY, Fla. (Court TV) — A Missouri man has been sentenced to life in prison in a murder-for-hire plot.
Jimmy Rodgers was convicted of second-degree murder and trespassing in the death of Dr. Teresa Sievers. Prosecutors argued Rodgers killed Teresa under the direction of her husband, Mark Sievers, and his longtime friend, Curtis Wright.
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)
Teresa, a beloved holistic doctor in South Florida, was bludgeoned to death with a hammer in her Bonita Springs home in 2015.
Court TV’s Trial Archives | FL v. Jimmy Rodgers: Hammer Hitman Murder Trial
Prosecutors argued Mark planned his wife’s murder with the help of Wright. Wright allegedly traveled to Missouri to hire Rodgers as a hitman and brought him back to Southwest Florida to carry out the murder.
Investigators had no suspects until they received a tip via phone call on July 9. That tip led to the arrests of Rodgers and Wright. Despite a cloud of suspicion, Teresa’s husband lived as a free man until February 26, 2016. Mark is now scheduled to stand trial in December.
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 is charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Wright, who testified as a key witness, took a 25-year plea deal for his role.
