Mar 21, 2021

Pa. court denies appeal of woman convicted of murder in boyfriend's cult-related death

Joy Howe
WFMZ
February 26, 2021

Barbara Rogers is staying in jail.

She was convicted two years ago for shooting and killing her boyfriend, 32-year-old Steven Mineo, in their Coolbaugh Township apartment in 2017.

At the time, the case went viral because of the unusual motive. The couple was part of an online cult founded by a woman named Sherry Shriner, who broadcast online, preaching to her followers about aliens and the end of the world.

Shriner, who the district attorney says has since died, was an author of several books, with titles that include "Interview with the Devil: My Conversation with Lucifer" and "Aliens on the Internet."

Rogers and Mineo reportedly became avid listeners of Shriner's podcast. But the relationship between the couple and the cult leader soon soured.

According to the Monroe County district attorney, Shriner became suspicious of Rogers, accusing her of being a reptilian witch and warned Mineo his life was in danger. When Mineo defended his girlfriend, he was ostracized.

In 2017, when a 911 call came in from Rogers, police found her over Mineo's body. She'd shot him point blank with a gun, and she told officers the stress of the cult feud became too much, and he'd wanted to die.

Rogers was convicted of homicide and sentenced to 15 to 40 years. She appealed, but this week, the Pennsylvania Superior Court upheld the sentence. While the court said the circumstances were certainly unusual, the opinion was that she knew what she was doing.

https://www.wfmz.com/news/area/poconos-coal/pa-court-denies-appeal-of-woman-convicted-of-murder-in-boyfriends-cult-related-death/article_01fe1676-77a0-11eb-8c49-97a3bc54edd8.html

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