Mark Rogowski
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Mark "Gator" Rogowski (b. 1966 in New York City) was a figurehead of professional skateboarding in the late 1980s and early 1990s. His career ended when he was convicted of assaulting, raping and murdering a young woman. His life was chronicled in a 2002 documentary called Stoked: The Rise and Fall of Gator.
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[edit] Skater becomes a star
Rogowski was one of a group of proteges of ex-Zephyr team skater and documentarian Stacy Peralta, alongside Tony Hawk and Steve Caballero. He was a charismatic, flamboyant personality who received fame and fortune during skateboarding's return to popularity with the advent of vert skating. He had endorsement deals with Gullwing and Vision, and his business card read: "Skate Boarder Extraordinaire".
At a 1987 skate show in Arizona, Rogoswki was introduced to Jessica Bergsten and her good friend Brandi McClain. He soon began a tumultuous long-term relationship with McClain. Together they shared a freewheeling lifestyle, appearing together in countless skate-gear advertising videos and Tom Petty's "Free Fallin'" music video.
[edit] Downhill slide
Rogowski's popularity began to wane as the vert skating of the 1980s gave way to street skating in the 1990s. He converted to a strict Evangelical form of Christianity and changed his name to "Gator" Mark Anthony, saying Rogowski was the name of his father, whom he never really knew. At the same time, he had mounting problems with alcohol, especially after McClain left him.
Rogowski said he had considered seeking psychiatric help at the time, but the born-again Christians he was involved with discouraged this.
[edit] Conviction
After McClain left him, Rogowski became obssessively jealous: breaking into her home to steal the things he had given her, calling her new boyfriend's home with threats, and threatening her directly. She reported him to the police, who produced a report but did little to follow up.
One night, Ragowski got a call from Bergsten (whom he had not spoken to in years) out of the blue, saying she wanted him to show her around San Diego, as she was moving to California. They spent a day together, shortly after which Bergsten was reported missing.
According to Rogowski, as she was putting on her shoes behind a couch and preparing to leave on March 21, 1991, he had come up behind her and hit her in the head with The Club (a metal auto theft device which locks the steering column). After knocking her semi-unconscious by way of multiple strikes to her face and upper skull, he dragged her to his bedroom on the 2nd floor and raped her for hours. Afterward, he placed her in a surfboard bag because her cries of pain were growing louder and he was concerned about the neighbors hearing the noise. He placed his hand over her mouth until she stopped breathing. He then drove out to the desert to bury her body in a shallow grave.
A few weeks later, her body was found, but because of the state of decomposition, her identity remained unknown. Plagued by guilt, Rogowski confessed what he had done to his "spiritual advisor", an ex-surfer turned born-again Christian, who encouraged him to confess his crime to the police - which Rogowski did, waiving his legal rights. The police searched his home and found evidence of blood loss, soaked through the carpet padding and into the floorboards in two fairly small spots adjacent to where her head had rested. In his confession, Rogowoski conveyed that he hurt Bergsten to get a misplaced sense of revenge on McClain, calling Bergsten the "mold Brandi was made out of." Upon entering prison, he was diagnosed with a severe case of bipolar disorder.
Rogowksi pleaded guilty and received a 31-year prison sentence in the state of California penal system for the rape and murder of Jessica Bergsten.
[edit] Contest history
- Placed in top 5 in 1980 Vans/Offshore Amateur State Finals (California) in boys 11-13 division.
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- Brooke, Michael (1999). Concrete Wave: The History Of Skateboarding. ISBN 1-894020-54-5.
