A former Memphis police officer will spend nearly four decades in federal prison after admitting to kidnapping and executing a man while on patrol, then conspiring to dump the victim’s body in a river.
Patric J. Ferguson, 34, was sentenced Tuesday to 38 years for a slew of offenses, including civil rights violations, kidnapping, and obstruction of justice related to the 2021 murder of a man identified in court records only as R.H.
According to the Department of Justice, the crime was not a split-second decision but a calculated act of violence committed under the color of law.
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“This defendant committed a premeditated murder while using his position as a police officer, not to protect the Memphis community, but to perpetrate this horrendous crime and shield himself from suspicion and liability,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
Court documents outline a disturbing sequence of events that unfolded on Jan. 5, 2021. While officially on duty, Ferguson kidnapped R.H. and fatally shot him. Following the murder, Ferguson recruited an acquaintance, Joshua M. Rogers, to help scrub the evidence.
Investigators say the pair disposed of R.H.’s body in the Wolf River. To further conceal the crime, they took the vehicle used to transport the victim and sold it to a scrap metal company for destruction.
U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant for the Western District of Tennessee emphasized the damage Ferguson’s actions caused to public trust.
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“This defendant tarnished his badge and undermined this community’s faith in law enforcement,” Dunavant said. “Our office remains committed to protecting our communities from any and all abuses of power.”
While Ferguson begins his sentence, legal proceedings continue for his co-defendant. Rogers pleaded guilty on May 8 to obstruction charges for his role in the cover-up. He is scheduled for sentencing on Dec. 17.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Nashville Field Office in conjunction with the Memphis Police Department.
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