Accused Machete Killer Shrugs Off Attorney

A man accused of killing two people and seriously injuring three during a series of machete and gun attacks was arraigned Tuesday, telling the judge he didn't think a lawyer "was really going to help."

Christopher Erin Rogers Jr. is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and three counts of first-degree attempted murder. He faces up to 99 years in jail for each charge.

Rogers is accused of killing his father in Palmer with a machete Sunday and seriously injuring his father's girlfriend, then driving about 40 miles south to Anchorage and shooting three people, killing one and seriously injuring the other two. Police arrested Rogers after a brief car chase through rush-hour traffic Monday.

Friends and family members of Rogers's victims were in court for Tuesday's arraignment. Many say he appeared to show no remorse, reports CBS News affiliate KTVA-TV.

Rogers, 28, was being held on $1 million bail and was due in court for a pre-indictment hearing Thursday. He told Anchorage District Court Judge Brian Clark he couldn't afford an attorney, and was assigned a public defender.

"I talked to (a lawyer), but I don't think it's really going to help," Rogers told the judge.

In the courtroom, many thought Rogers was flippant during the hearing.

"His demeanor and actions are pretty much what I expected. He's enjoying the attention at the moment, but I think at some point reality is going to hit him that this life from now on," said Dana Murphy-Hoffman, Rogers family friend told KTVA-TV.

Rogers is the lone suspect in the deaths of his father, Christopher E. Rogers Sr., and Jason Wenger, 27, a graduate student in the creative writing program at the University of Alaska Anchorage, police said.

Rogers is also charged with seriously injuring Liz Rumsey, 33, Tamas Deak, 43, and his father's girlfriend, Elann Moren, 55.

Authorities believe Rogers had no prior connection to Wenger, Rumsey or Deak.