It was August 2014 when the polished, British-accented veneer of a local celebrity finally cracked. Scott Rogers was a man who seemed to have everything in Baton Rouge. He had the popular weekend talk show, Around Town. He had a seat at the judge’s table for the local jambalaya cook-offs. He even had his own church and a three-page Senate resolution praising his "good deeds."
Then, a single gunshot in a St. Gabriel home changed the narrative forever.
When deputies arrived at his residence, they found Scott Rogers Baton Rouge La personality dead from a gunshot wound to the head. His son-in-law, Mathew Hodgkinson, lay nearby with a self-inflicted wound, clinging to life. It looked like a tragic murder-suicide attempt. But as Iberville Parish Sheriff Brett Stassi quickly discovered, the tragedy was merely the final act of a decades-long deception that stretched from the English countryside to the heart of Louisiana.
The Man Baton Rouge Thought It Knew
If you lived in Baton Rouge in the early 2010s, you couldn't miss Scott Rogers. He was charismatic. He was helpful. He was everywhere. He moderated debates and hosted the Christmas parade. People liked the accent; they liked the energy. He ran a film studio in the Cortana Mall and presented himself as a pillar of the community who cared deeply about at-risk youth.
But the "pillar" was hollow.
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Behind the scenes, the domestic life of Scott Rogers was a tangled web of lies. Sheriff Stassi eventually revealed that Hodgkinson wasn't just Rogers' son-in-law; he was his long-time lover. The marriage between Hodgkinson and Rogers’ daughter, Kimberly, was allegedly a sham designed to keep Hodgkinson in the country. It was a "topsy-turvy" household, according to investigators, one filled with high stress and growing desperation as federal agents began closing in.
A Dark Past Follows Him Across the Atlantic
Before he was the face of Around Town, Scott Rogers was Richard Scott Rogers in Bury St. Edmunds, England. There, he ran the Academy of Dancing and Performing Arts. It was a prestigious school, but by the mid-1990s, it was under a dark cloud.
- 1992 Arrest: Rogers was arrested for "unnatural acts" with a 13-year-old student.
- The 1993 Trial: A jury found him innocent of one charge, but they couldn't reach a verdict on others. The judge eventually dismissed the remaining charges.
- The Cult Allegations: Local councils in England warned parents that the school felt like a cult, with Rogers pressuring kids to choose him over their own parents.
Basically, he did what many predators do when the heat gets too high: he ran. He fled to Texas in 1996 and eventually landed in Louisiana around 1999. He didn't come alone. He brought his daughter and two of his former students, including Hodgkinson.
The Federal Investigation That Sparked the End
You've got to wonder how someone with that kind of baggage survives a background check for an adoption. Honestly, that’s exactly what the feds were asking. At the time of his death, Scott Rogers had an adopted 10-year-old son and was fostering a 2-year-old.
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The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services had already pulled the kids from the home just two weeks before the shooting. A tip had alerted authorities that Rogers might have lied on his adoption and immigration paperwork.
The pressure was immense. On the day Rogers died, his daughter and the other man who had moved from England with them were scheduled to testify before a federal grand jury. They were ready to talk. Rogers knew it. According to the Sheriff, Rogers had even proposed a "group suicide" earlier that week, but the second man balked and went into federal protection instead.
What Really Happened in St. Gabriel?
The evidence points to a desperate pact. Hodgkinson left a voicemail at WAFB the day before the shooting, saying the show was canceled due to a "family catastrophe."
When the triggers were pulled, it wasn't a random act of violence. It was an exit strategy. A blood-spotted note found in the home read: “They broke our happy loving home. They do not get to take Scott too.” Hodgkinson survived for eight days on life support before Rogers' daughter—his "wife"—authorized the hospital to let him go. The investigation into fraud and immigration violations died with them, but the impact on the victims in England and Louisiana remains.
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The Reality of Local Celebrity
The Scott Rogers case serves as a chilling reminder that community standing isn't the same as character. Many in Baton Rouge felt betrayed. They had invited this man into their homes via their TV screens. They had donated to his causes.
Rannah Gray, a local author who wrote Familiar Evil about the case, spent years documenting how Rogers managed to hide in plain sight. He used his connections with law enforcement—he was even a chaplain and reserve deputy—to shield himself from suspicion. It’s a classic playbook for someone who wants to remain untouchable.
Actionable Lessons from the Scott Rogers Story
While this story is a decade old, its lessons are still relevant for anyone in the Baton Rouge area or elsewhere.
- Vetting is Vital: The fact that a man with pending (though dismissed) child molestation charges in another country could adopt children in the U.S. points to massive gaps in the system. If you are involved in child advocacy, always push for deeper international background checks.
- Question the "Perfect" Image: High-profile community boosters aren't always what they seem. Nuance matters. If someone is building a "cult of personality" around themselves, it’s worth a second look.
- Support for Survivors: The victims in England finally felt seen after Rogers' death, but their trauma lasted for decades. If you suspect abuse or groom-like behavior in a local organization, reporting it to federal authorities (like the FBI or Homeland Security) can sometimes bypass local social circles that might be biased.
- Watch the Documentation: The HBO Max documentary Lying King: The Scott Rogers Story provides an even deeper look into the evidence if you’re interested in the forensic side of the investigation.
The story of Scott Rogers is a reminder that secrets have a way of coming full circle. For Baton Rouge, it remains a scar on the city's media history, proving that the most charismatic voices can sometimes be the most dangerous.