Mark Rogowski
|
Mark Rogowski is an American skateboarder who rose to fame in the 1980s. His career ended in 1991 when he raped and murdered 22-year-old Jessica Bergsten, the best friend of his former girlfriend Brandi McClain.
Rogowski was a gifted skateboarder as a child. He fluorished in the early 1980s as a talented athlete, winning his first major contest, the Canadian Amateur Skateboarding Championships in Vancouver in 1982 at the age of 16. However, his career started to wane in the mid-1980s when his business company, Vision, started to file for bankruptcy. Rogowski also wanted to marry his girlfriend Brandi McClain after four years of being in a relationship, only for her to decline. This later turned their relationship into toxic abuse by Rogowski, as he would threaten, attack and at one point even lock her in a closet. They later broke up, where McClain returned to her parents' home in San Diego, California.
Following the end of their relationship, Rogowski began a severe alcoholic period. He later attempted to blackmail her new boyfriend, stalk her in her home, and raid her property of any gifts her new boyfriend gave to her. He then hooked up with McClain's best friend, Jessica Bergsten, whom he managed to beat, abuse, rape and eventually murder her.
Rogowski confessed to the murder on April 11, 1991. He was arrested 3and was sentenced to a 31-year to life prison sentence. He attempted to be granted parole in 2016 years later, but was unsuccessful.
Trivia edit
- Rogowski's life was chronicled in Helen Stickler's 2003 documentary, Stoked: The Rise and Fall of Gator.
- Rogowski starred as a stunt double for the 1989 film, Gleaming the Cube. He also guest starred in the music video for Tom Petty's hit Free Fallin.