An acquaintance of a man mistakenly arrested in the shooting death of a Fort Worth high school student told police the man had committed the crime and a witness identified him in a photo lineup, according to a court document.
Bruce Terrell Rogers was arrested last Wednesday on capital murder charges in the death of 17-year-old Eric Forrester. Police dropped the charges on Friday.
Roger's arrest warrant, which was released Tuesday, explains how evidence led detectives to arrest him in the high-profile case, even though police now admit he had nothing to do with the crime.
The tipster, whose name is blacked out in the document released by police, contacted officers the day after the slaying and claimed Rogers had asked him to participate in a home burglary in south Fort Worth. The acquaintance said Rogers was armed, “was hurting for money and needed to hit a lick (steal someone else’s property),” the warrant said.
The man said he decided not to participate in the crime but claimed Rogers later told him on the phone that something had gone wrong and he needed to get out of town.
Police gave the man a lie detector test and he passed, the warrant said.
Detectives also showed a photo lineup to Forrester’s sister, who saw two men running from the scene. She pointed to Roger’s picture, saying she was 65 percent sure it was him, the document said.
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Other evidence also seemed to point to Rogers. Witnesses who saw the two fleeing the scene told police one of them was wearing a "blue padded vest." Rogers' acquaintance, the tipster, said Rogers sometimes wore vests, the warrant said.
On Saturday, detectives arrested two 16-year-old boys in the slaying and cleared Rogers of any involvement.
Rogers remains jailed on an unrelated robbery charge. In an interview the day after his arrest, he strongly denied killing Forrester but admitted to robbing a man who had given him a ride in Crowley.
Previous Coverage:
- Teens Charged in HS Student's Death Appear in Court
- 2 Teens Arrested in High School Student's Slaying
- Police Drop Charges in High School Student's Slaying
- Slaying Suspect: "I Did Not Kill Eric Forrester"
- Police Make Arrest in High School Student's Slaying
- Friends Mourn Death of Teen Shot By Home Intruder
