Shooter pleads guilty to 2022 double homicide in Waynesburg
Cortland Rogers expected to be sentenced to life in prison
A Waynesburg man accused in a double homicide in the borough in February 2022 pleaded guilty Tuesday to two counts of first-degree murder and will spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Cortland James Rogers, 31, accepted the plea offer from the state Attorney General’s office once aggravating circumstances of the case were removed, meaning he would not face the death penalty had he gone to trial and been convicted.
Rogers appeared before President Judge Lou Dayich in Greene County Court of Common Pleas for a hearing that took about two hours Tuesday afternoon. In addition to the two counts of criminal homicide, Rogers also pleaded guilty to felony charges of aggravated assault, criminal conspiracy and two counts of kidnapping.
Rogers and Shawna Smith were accused of fatally shooting Kevin Lamar Williford, 54, and Judy Butler Hunter, 47, whose bodies were discovered by the landlord inside their South Morris Street apartment on Feb. 14, 2022.
Waynesburg police believe Williford and Hunter were shot days earlier due to the conditions of the bodies when they were found. Investigators previously said the killings were over jewelry and unpaid drug debts.
The same day the bodies were discovered, Rogers and Smith were accused of attacking and restraining two other people at a Wood Street residence. During that attack, witnesses said Rogers admitted to killing Williford and Hunter earlier, and he had Williford’s driver’s license with him, along with a gun believed to be used in the slayings.
The guilty plea by Rogers on two counts of first-degree murder means he will likely be sentenced to two consecutive life sentences in a state prison.
“The AG’s office agreed to withdraw the aggravating circumstances, which took the death penalty off the table,” said attorney Joseph Zupancic, who represented Rogers in the case. “Cortland has taken responsibility for the two shootings.”
Rogers is being held without bond at the Greene County jail while he awaits formal sentencing by Dayich, which could happen in January.
Smith, who is facing the same charges in connection with the double homicide and kidnapping cases, is still awaiting trial, which is scheduled for Jan. 8. The death penalty has been withdrawn from Smith’s case, but she is still facing serious charges that could lead to a lengthy prison term if convicted. She is being held without bond at the Greene County jail.