NH resident found guilty in stabbing death of brother-in-law

A New Hampshire resident accused of stabbing their brother-in-law at a Boston hotel in 2021 has been found guilty, prosecutors announced Friday.

A Suffolk County jury found Ren Rodgers, 28, of Hollis, guilty of second-degree murder for the fatal stabbing of Christopher Kellar, 21, on Feb. 20, 2021. 

Rodgers was born a male, but now identifies as female, according to prosecutors.

On the night of the murder, Rodgers, who then identified as male, traveled with his wife to Boston along with his wife’s brother, Christopher Kellar, and Kellar’s girlfriend.  

Investigators say the two couples rented a room at Hotel Indigo located at 280 Friend St., where they planned to spend the night and celebrate a birthday.

That night, Kellar and Rodger’s wife had an argument, which led to Kellar leaving the hotel room. The dispute continued when Kellar returned to get a phone charger, and the pair began pushing each other. That’s when Rodgers stabbed Kellar, “leaving the knife protruding from his back,”  prosecutors said.

Rodger’s wife and Kellar’s girlfriend quickly called 911 and rendered aid until emergency responders arrived. According to investigators, after being taken into custody, Rodgers said words to the effect of “no one touches my wife.” Kellar was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. 

Rodgers is set to be sentenced on Dec. 17 in Suffolk Superior Court. 

Morgan Rousseau is a freelance writer for Boston.com, where she reports on a variety of local and regional news.