Jimmy Rodgers has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Dr. Teresa Sievers

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FILE Photo of convicted killer Jimmy Rodgers during his December 2019 sentencing in Lee County in the 2015 murder of Dr. Teresa Sievers at her home in Bonita Springs. Credit: WINK News.

Thursday, one of the men hired to kill Doctor Teresa Sievers learned how long he will spend in prison.

Jimmy Rodgers was sentenced to life in prison with no parole by Judge Bruce Kyle. He was facing 25 years to life after a jury convicted him of Second Degree Murder in October.

The jury agreed Rodgers carried out the 2015 murder with Curtis Wayne Wright, Mark Sievers’ childhood friend.

Judge Bruce Kyle agreed with the State, and Rodgers will be sentenced as a prison release re-offender. Teresa Sievers’ murder was committed less than a year after Rodgers was released from federal prison.


WATCH THE FULL SENTENCING FROM THE COURTROOM


After some back and forth about business records, the State called forward their first witness, a Lee County forensic expert who examines fingerprints.

We did not hear from her during the trials for either Rodgers or Sievers.

Next, Teresa’s mother spoke, providing an emotional moment as the family asked the judge and jury to give Rodgers the maximum sentence.

Now, Rodgers’ older brother, Jackie Rodgers, Sr., has been called to the stand. We saw him during the trial, but this is the first time we’ve heard from him.

He spoke of when his brother was born and how their mother had a psychotic break shortly after and was diagnosed with Schizophrenia.

He said the brothers both had “very different childhoods.” He said their mother woke up late and drank a lot. She eventually committed suicide when Jimmy was about eight or nine years old.

Jimmy Rodgers’ brother took care of him when their parents died. Tearing up to the judge, he said: “There’s few things I’ve done in life that I regret, and one of the biggest things I regret is not having the foresight to know my brother needed more than I could give him at that time.”

Rodgers’ brother had hoped Jimmy would enlist in the military after high school, but Jimmy continued to have problems. Eventually, he became a convicted felon and was hit with a felony gun charge after a home raid. Jackie said the guns had belonged to their dad and thought they were okay in the safe.

Next on the stand is Dr. Amanda Evans. She is retired from working at FGCU. Her expertise is in developmental trauma.

She was asked to look into Rodgers’ developmental trauma and said there were reports of neglect and possibly abuse.

Evans said when Jimmy was born there was an issue with the umbilical cord and he lost oxygen to the brain. When he was little, he’d have spells where he’d get so angry or frustrated he would pass out.

During her testimony, Rodgers was seen in tears. She spoke about how his father would blame him for his mother’s death, telling him often, “Why don’t you kill yourself like your mother.”

Evans said she wasn’t the least bit surprised to see Rodgers was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder but added that her role is not to excuse, but to understand how things occur and explain how someone got to where they are.

The State in their cross of Evans pointed out the records she’d seen were chosen and obtained by Rodgers’ defense team.

The State also pointed out that the costs, fines and fees of the case amounted to $113,015.

Following a brief recess, Rodgers chose not to speak on his own behalf and was sentenced to life in prison with no parole.

Judge Kyle called this one of the most horrific crimes he’s tried.

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