No bail for accused Post Falls killer

COEUR d’ALENE — A man accused of fatally shooting his ex’s boyfriend Sunday is being held without bail. 

Jason Rook, 47, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of 46-year-old Nathan Rogers, as well as with burglary, both felonies. The murder charge carries a maximum possible sentence of death or life in prison, while burglary is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. 

First District Judge Keisha Oxendine ordered Thursday that Rook be held without bail. 

More than a dozen people filled the small courtroom Thursday for Rook’s first appearance, watching him through the video feed from jail. Nathan Rogers’s brother, Daniel Rogers, addressed the court before Oxendine made the decision about bail. 

“None of us had been able to sleep until we found out (Rook had) been arrested,” Daniel Rogers said. “Some of us are very concerned.” 

The charges stem from Sunday afternoon, 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, according to court records, amid a scene that appeared “chaotic and violent” to investigators. 

Three security cameras inside the home captured events that occurred throughout the day, according to court records. 

Around 5 a.m., video footage appeared to show a man later identified by police as Rook entered the home through an unlocked door, dressed all in black with a mask and a handgun. Over the next several hours, police said Rook wandered through the home without a mask on. 

Police said video footage showed Rook fire multiple shots at Rogers, striking him, before holstering his pistol, removing his mask and leaving through the front door. 

Rogers’ girlfriend, who first contacted police to report the shooting, said she previously dated Rook and broke up with him about a year ago. Since then, she said Rook had engaged in harassing behavior on social media, according to court records. 

Law enforcement began searching for Rook on Sunday, after the shooting, and arrested him Wednesday night in Coeur d’Alene. According to a news release from the Post Falls Police Department, Rook surrendered peacefully and was taken into custody. 

If Rook is released on bail in the future, he must surrender his passport, remain in the state of Idaho and wear an ankle monitor, Oxendine ordered. He must also abide by several no-contact orders entered by the court Thursday.