header image

[Sign Up Now] to Receive Our FREE Daily SCVTV-SCVNews Digest by E-Mail

Inside
Weather


 
Calendar
Today in
S.C.V. History
April 23
1986 - COC board votes to allow Argentine cliff swallows to nest forever on sides of buildings [story]
swallows


A documentary claiming a Florida death-row inmate committed the murders O.J. Simpson was accused of in 1994 — and later found liable for in a wrongful death civil trial in 1997 — has drawn the ire of members of the victim’s family who live in the Santa Clarita Valley, as well as doubts from law enforcement officials.

Glen Rogers, who’s sentenced to be executed on Florida’s death row, is alleged to have made the claims during a Discovery Channel documentary due to air Wednesday. Rogers is also on death row in California.

“We’ll look into it just like we would if it were anyone else,” said Commander Andrew Smith of the Los Angeles Police Department. “Often times, people come forward and say they’re the killer, (one can) imagine all the attention someone would get if they said, ‘I’m the killer,’ in this famous case. It happens in many cases.”

O.J. Simpson was acquitted of murdering Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman in 1995, after a high-profile trial that received international coverage.

Smith referred to “a mountain of evidence” that pointed to the guilt of O.J. Simpson. “We’re certain we’ve got our guy,” he said.

Santa Clarita Valley resident Kim Goldman, the sister of Ron Goldman, said she was irked by the lack of responsibility shown by what she referred to the “‘quote’ documentary.”

“I don’t lend any credibility to him or to the story,” said Goldman, who runs the SCV Youth Project and has authored a new self-help book titled “KIM: My Life Before, During, and After the Trial of the Century.” Publication is expected in 2013.

“There are always stories, rumors and conspiracy theories,” she said of the documentary, “but this time, I feel like if somebody’s going to come out and say this. … I feel it’s more responsible for them to go to law enforcement, and not the airwaves.”

Goldman also said she didn’t want to stop the story, she just would have appreciated a courtesy notification.

“I just feel like, if nothing else, someone else could a have called us and warned us. It seems much more exploitative and sensationalistic than it does educational or necessary,” she said.

Calls to the Discovery Channel were not returned Wednesday afternoon.

Criminal profiler Anthony Meoli spent approximately 50 hours speaking with Rogers on death row, and exchanged hundreds of letters.

His conversations with Rogers are the basis for the documentary, according to Meoli.

“There was one instance where he sent me a letter that divulged three pieces of information that he alleges only the killer would have known,” Meoli said.

Meoli also said his conversations with Rogers do not absolve Simpson of guilt, but instead point to the fact that Rogers was put up to the job.

“Rogers was getting paid to make a murder look like a robbery,” Meoli said, claiming Nicole Brown Simpson spurned her ex-husband’s attempts at reconciliation, but kept a pair of $20,000 earrings she was given by Simpson, as the motivation for the crime.

“There were items inside the house that would have compensated Rogers for his work,” Meoli said.

Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Patrick Dixon prosecuted Rogers for the September 1994 murder of a woman in the San Fernando Valley. He said Tuesday there was no mention in that trial of the Brown-Goldman killings, which occurred more than a year earlier.

Dixon said Rogers’ brother, who sat through the trial and testified in the penalty phase, never mentioned the O.J. Simpson case. Clay Rogers later wrote a book and “none of this was in the book,” he said.

He said Glen Rogers’ modus operandi did not match that of the Simpson-Goldman killer other than that he stabbed his victims.

Rogers met his victims in bars, wooed them and moved in with them, Dixon said.

“Then one morning he would wake up and stab them to death,” he said.

Of all his victims, he said, Rogers spent the least amount of time with the California woman, Sandra Gallagher of Van Nuys.

Dixon said he was able to prove five murders attributed to Rogers, who has been sentenced to death in California as well as Florida.

Asked why Rogers would now claim responsibility for the high-profile case, Dixon responded that he might be trying to get sent back to California.

“He could be getting close to execution in Florida,” Dixon remarked. “They move faster there.”

MSNBC reports contributed to this story.

 

Comment On This Story
COMMENT POLICY: We welcome comments from individuals and businesses. All comments are moderated. Comments are subject to rejection if they are vulgar, combative, or in poor taste.
REAL NAMES ONLY: All posters must use their real individual or business name. This applies equally to Twitter account holders who use a nickname.

0 Comments

You can be the first one to leave a comment.

Leave a Comment


SCV NewsBreak
LOCAL NEWS HEADLINES
Tuesday, Apr 23, 2024
Hart District High Schools Recognized Best in Nation
Six comprehensive high schools in the William S. Hart Union High School District which includes Canyon, Golden Valley, Hart, Saugus, Valencia and West Ranch have been ranked among the top public high schools in the country by U.S. News & World Report.
Tuesday, Apr 23, 2024
COC Offers Four Summer Sessions for Flexible Learning Options
College of the Canyons will offer four summer sessions running from June 3 through Aug. 17, giving students a variety of options in both class format and scheduling designed to help them achieve their educational goals, from launching a new career to transferring to a four-year university.
Tuesday, Apr 23, 2024
Wilk’s Illegal Dumping Bill Approved by Committee
California State Sen. Scott Wilk, R-Santa Clarita, announced his measure to combat illegal dumping, by increasing penalties and closing a loophole which has enabled the problem for years, was approved in the Senate Public Safety Committee.
Keep Up With Our Facebook

Latest Additions to SCVNews.com
Six comprehensive high schools in the William S. Hart Union High School District which includes Canyon, Golden Valley, Hart, Saugus, Valencia and West Ranch have been ranked among the top public high schools in the country by U.S. News & World Report.
Hart District High Schools Recognized Best in Nation
College of the Canyons will offer four summer sessions running from June 3 through Aug. 17, giving students a variety of options in both class format and scheduling designed to help them achieve their educational goals, from launching a new career to transferring to a four-year university.
COC Offers Four Summer Sessions for Flexible Learning Options
California State Sen. Scott Wilk, R-Santa Clarita, announced his measure to combat illegal dumping, by increasing penalties and closing a loophole which has enabled the problem for years, was approved in the Senate Public Safety Committee.
Wilk’s Illegal Dumping Bill Approved by Committee
Super Jazz at the Ranch, a daylong jazz festival hosted by West Ranch High School, is happening Saturday, May 18. Music will fill the air as performers from throughout the region showcase their talents.
May 18: Super Jazz Festival at West Ranch High School
California State Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo, D-Chatsworth, has presented The Healthy Homework Act (AB 2999) to the Assembly Education Committee.
Schiavo Presents Healthy Homework Act to Prioritize Mental, Physical Health
The city of Santa Clarita has notified the public that the playground at West Creek Park, 24247 Village Circle Drive, Valencia, CA 91354, is currently closed for repairs on the rubberized surface.
West Creek Park Playground Closed for Repairs
The Santa Clarita Valley Media Collaborative invites local creatives, media industry professionals, students, parents, teachers and others to celebrate the next generation of media makers participating in the inaugural NextGen MediaMakers Festival on Saturday, May 18 from 2-5 p.m. at the Canyon Country Community Center.
May 18: NextGen MediaMakers Festival Invites Creatives, Students, Experts to Celebrate Media
1986 - COC board votes to allow Argentine cliff swallows to nest forever on sides of buildings [story]
swallows
As Volunteer Appreciation Week approaches, the County of Los Angeles Department of Animal Care and Control wishes to extend heartfelt gratitude to all its dedicated volunteers who tirelessly contribute to DACC's mission of advancing the well-being of animals and people in the County.
DACC Pays Recognition to Volunteers
The Canyon Country Farmers Market will be celebrating their two-year anniversary Wednesday, April 24.
April 24: Canyon Country Farmer’s Market Celebrates Two-Year Anniversary
The Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Auxiliary presented a $35,000 check Monday to the Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Foundation for the foundation’s Patient Tower Capital Campaign.
Henry Mayo Auxiliary Fulfills $600K Patient Tower Pledge
The Acton/Agua Dulce Arts Council has announced a call for entries for "Creature Feature," a juried art exhibition, with a theme of any living creature.
Entries Needed for ‘Creature Feature’ Art Show
The Acton/Agua Dulce Arts Council has announced a call for entries for a juried exhibit open to all photographers, both professional and amateur.
Acton/Agua Dulce Arts Council Announces Call for Photographers
Recently I had the opportunity, along with spcaLA President Madeline Bernstein and Inland Valley Humane Society & SPCA President Nikole Bresciani, to meet with NBC 4 reporter Kathy Vara to discuss the current challenges facing animal sheltering organizations.
Marcia Mayeda | Current Challenges in Animal Sheltering
As city manager for 12 years now and a longtime resident of Santa Clarita, I am always proud to see how our community continues to grow.
Ken Striplin | Visit Skyline Ranch Park – Santa Clarita’s Newest Amenity
The city of Santa Clarita’s Film Office released the list of six productions currently filming in the Santa Clarita Valley for the week of Monday, April 22 - Sunday, April 28.
Filming in Santa Clarita Includes Six Productions
Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital is recognizing its valued volunteers during National Volunteer Week April 21-27.
Henry Mayo Celebrating National Volunteer Week
The regular meeting of the Saugus Union School District Governing Board will take place Tuesday, April 23, with closed session beginning at 5:30 p.m., followed immediately by public session at 6:30 p.m.
April 23: Saugus Union to Discuss 2023/24 Personnel Report
The Santa Clarita Community College District Board of Trustees will hold a self-evaluation workshop Wednesday, April 24, beginning at 2 p.m.
April 24: COC Board of Trustees’ Self-Evaluation Workshop
A Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputy, who was severely injured in October after an explosion and fire at a Pitchess Detention Center mobile shooting range, died Saturday, LASD announced Sunday.
LASD Deputy Dies Months After Pitchess Shooting Range Explosion
1974 - Gov. Ronald Reagan speaks at dedication of COC's first permanent building, the William G. Bonelli Instructional Resource Center [story]
Ronald Reagan
1994 - Sand Canyon homeowner Eddie Murray sets MLB record for switch-hit home runs in games (11 times) [story]
Eddie Murray
SCVNews.com