Ex-cop gets 38 years in prison for kidnapping, obstruction after fatally shooting a man while on duty

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (TCN) — A former police officer has been sentenced to 38 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to multiple charges, including kidnapping and civil rights violations, for killing a man in 2021 while he was on duty.

In a news release, the Department of Justice announced that Patric J. Ferguson, 34, was sentenced Dec. 1 in connection with the kidnapping and fatal shooting of 30-year-old Robert Howard while he was on duty as a police officer on Jan. 5, 2021. Ferguson and his co-defendant, Joshua M. Rogers, then conspired to cover up the killing by dumping Howard’s body in the Wolf River in Memphis.

On Jan. 6, 2021, a woman reported her boyfriend, Howard, missing, WMC-TV reports. According to the outlet, Howard and his girlfriend had briefly broken up and gotten back together. During the time they were broken up, the woman dated Ferguson, who was reportedly unhappy that she and Howard resumed their relationship. 

Howard’s body was found a few days after he was reported missing.

At the time of Howard’s death and Ferguson’s arrest, WMC-TV reported that Howard was taken from his home and that Ferguson forced him into his patrol car. Ferguson then drove them to another location, where he fatally shot Howard. 

An investigation revealed that Ferguson had performed searches on his phone related to crime scene cleanup and the destruction of DNA evidence. He had also purchased cinderblocks, chains, and padlocks from a hardware store. 

Surveillance footage showed Ferguson shooting Howard. A search warrant led investigators to bloody towels in his car and a gun at his home. At this time, Rogers admitted he had helped Ferguson move the body on Jan. 7, 2021, and sold his vehicle to a scrap yard.

Ferguson still faces state charges of first-degree murder and evidence tampering; a state trial date has not been set and he has not entered a plea. He will appear again in court on March 30, 2026. 

Rogers pleaded guilty May 8 to obstruction charges related to the shooting cover-up and is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 17. 

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