Man pleads not guilty to Post Falls murder

COEUR d’ALENE — A man accused of fatally shooting his ex’s boyfriend has pleaded not guilty to multiple felony charges.

Jason Rook, 47, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of 46-year-old Nathan Rogers, as well as with burglary and first-degree stalking, all felonies. Rook entered pleas of not guilty Thursday. 

The charges stem from Feb. 23, when a woman reported to police that she saw someone enter her Post Falls home and believed her boyfriend, Nathan Rogers, had been shot. Police found Rogers dead inside the home from apparent gunshot wounds. 

Security footage captured inside the home appeared to show Rook enter the home through an unlocked door around 5 a.m. and wander throughout the home for several hours, according to court records. 

Police said video footage showed Rook fire multiple shots at Rogers, killing him, before leaving the home through the front door. 

Rogers’ girlfriend told police she previously dated Rook. Since her breakup with Rook, the woman said he had engaged in harassing behavior on social media. 

Law enforcement began searching for Rook the day of the shooting and arrested him three days later in Coeur d’Alene. Rook surrendered peacefully, according to the Post Falls Police Department. 

Rook is being held without bail in the Kootenai County jail. If he is released on bail in the future, he must surrender his passport, remain in the state of Idaho, wear an ankle monitor and abide by several no-contact orders entered by the court. 

In Idaho, murder carries a maximum possible sentence of death or life in prison. Burglary is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, while first-degree stalking is punishable by up to five years in prison.