Former Housekeeper Of Slain Eastside Couple Pleads Guilty To Federal Charges

The woman who discovered Gary and Helen Wells brutally stabbed to death in their Terramont Drive home last October pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal fraud charges. 

U.S. Attorney Bill Nettles said Shirley Rogers, 52, pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of fradultently using another person's debit card without permission and one count of using another person's name and personal identification number to complete the debit card fraud. 

Judge G. Ross Anderson will sentence Rogers at a later date. 

According to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, during and before September 2012, Rogers had been employed as a housekeeper for a family in Greenville, later confirmed to be the Gary and Helen Wells.    

Near the end of August, 2012, the victim’s bank sent to her at her home address a new debit card in the victim’s name. 

A personal identification number was also provided.       

On Sept. 7, 2012, the new debit card was activated from a mobile telephone used by Rogers.  A week later a phone inquiry into the checking account balance associated with the debit card was made from a home telephone number used by Rogers, and between Sept. 7 and Sept. 17, using the victim’s name and PIN, the card was used in at least 15 transactions through commercial enterprises that do business in interstate commerce for more than $1,000 in goods and services. 

There are surveillance videos in at least five of the transactions in which the participant appears to be Rogers. A bank employee also witnessed Rogers return the card to Helen Wells and admitting she had used it.      

The maximum penalty Rogers can receive on the count of fraudulently using the debit card is a fine of $250,000 and/or imprisonment for 15 years, plus a special assessment of $100, and on the identity theft count, a mandatory term of imprisonment for two years consecutive to any other term of imprisonment imposed for the other count, plus a special assessment of $100.      

On Oct. 3, 2012, just two weeks after Rogers returned the stolen debit card to Helen wells, Rogers discovered the the Wellses dead in their 10 Terramont Drive home. The two had been stabbed to death. Rogers was never named a suspect in the murder. Jonathan Rhodes was later arrested and charged with the murder.