September 2, 2025
Simmons opened fired 30 rounds from a rifle on Rogers’ home back in December 2020.
A Texas man has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for the 2020 murder of Melvin Ray Rogers Jr., a crime prosecutors say stemmed from a racially charged dispute. On August 21, Madison Meazell Simmons, now 21, pleaded guilty to killing Rogers after harboring a months-long grudge.
According to KTRE-9, prosecutors said Simmons, then a 17-year-old Texas native, opened fire on Rogers’ Nacogdoches home in December 2020, shooting 30 rounds from a 5.56 mm rifle. Several bullets struck and killed the 40-year-old father in his garage.
Authorities linked Simmons to the crime after recovering the rifle during a separate investigation and matching it to the shell casings found at the scene. Simmons’ home was searched on the authority of a warrant for an unrelated case, leading forensic technicians to determine that the discovered rounds “were shot from the same weapon” that killed Rogers.
He was arrested in February 2021 during a traffic stop and charged with first-degree murder.
Prosecutors said the killing stemmed from an earlier confrontation in which Simmons allegedly called Rogers a racial slur and Rogers slapped him.
“Madison still held a grudge,” the arrest affidavit stated.
Simmons’ trial began on August 19. As jury deliberations started, state prosecutors and Rogers’ family agreed to offer Simmons a 40-year sentence, which he accepted.
“We are so very grateful to the family of the victim in this case,” Nacogdoches County District Attorney Andrew Jones said. “They have been beyond patient and understanding. Thanks to the Nacogdoches Police Department for their hard work on this investigation. It was a complicated case with a lot of digital evidence. And I know both sides are grateful to the jury for their service and for sitting and listening to the evidence.”
A GoFundMe page created for Rogers’ funeral expenses described him as a man remembered for his “sweet disposition, his smile, and overall kindness.” The fundraiser has collected nearly $5,000 in donations.
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