Buncombe Murder Suspect Found Dead in Barricaded Camper After Standoff

Christopher Robin Rogers, 61, charged with the second-degree murder of his friend Marco Loretto, was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head inside a camper on North Turkey Creek Road in Leicester after he refused to come out when Buncombe County Sheriff's Office deputies arrived to arrest him on March 6.

Loretto, also 61 and an Asheville resident, had been reported missing Feb. 24 by a friend who said he had not seen or heard from him in nearly a week. Detectives with the BCSO Criminal Investigations Division searched for him on March 4 and around 11:15 a.m. discovered human remains near Elk Mountain Scenic Highway in North Asheville. A preliminary autopsy by the N.C. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, announced March 9, identified the remains as Loretto and determined he died from a gunshot wound to the head, making him the county's first homicide victim of 2026.

Investigators said Rogers had moved onto property at 804 Elk Mountain Scenic Highway and was driving Loretto's vehicle when authorities contacted him during the missing-person investigation. Rogers told investigators he had not seen Loretto in weeks. The connection between the two men ran deeper than proximity: initial investigation indicated Loretto and Rogers were friends. According to Sheriff Quentin Miller, Loretto had reached out to the sheriff's office as far back as Feb. 6, asking how to evict Rogers and expressing fear and apprehension about him.

When deputies went to serve Rogers' arrest warrant at the camper at 852 North Turkey Creek Road, they already knew the situation was dangerous. "When we arrived to serve the warrant, we had information that Rogers was inside the camper with a gun and was refusing orders to come out when we gave him the orders," Sheriff Miller said. "We deployed a Special Response Team and our Crisis Negotiation Team to respond to a barricaded suspect. Once the SRT members entered the camper, they discovered Rogers deceased with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head."

The BCSO Special Response Team and Crisis Negotiation Team were both deployed to manage what the sheriff's office classified as an armed barricaded subject. Rogers refused to comply with commands throughout the standoff before SRT members made entry and found him dead.

BCSO District 2 Capt. Chris Stockton acknowledged the toll the case carried for multiple families. "Our hearts go out to those who have suffered loss as a result of these events," Stockton said. "This diligent investigation led to the discovery of Mr. Loretto's remains along with other physical evidence that told the story of how he died." Stockton also thanked partner agencies who assisted in the response: the Reems Creek Fire Department, Asheville Police Department, and Weaverville Police Department.

The investigation into the full circumstances surrounding both deaths remains ongoing.