Oba Chandler
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Oba Chandler (11 October 1946–) is a convicted murderer currently on death row in Florida for the murder of a woman and her two daughters.
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[edit] Crimes
Chandler was convicted of killing 36-year-old Joan ("Jo") Rogers, and her daughters, Michelle (17) and Christe (14), on June 1, 1989. They were on a Florida vacation; it was the first time they had left the state of Ohio and their family farm. Authorities believe the women became lost and encountered Chandler, who gave them directions and offered to meet them again later to take them on a sunset cruise of Tampa Bay. The women's bodies were found floating in Tampa Bay on June 4, 1989, with cement blocks tied to their necks. Autopsies indicated the women had been thrown into the water while still alive. The case remained unsolved for several years, and Chandler would not be indicted for the murders until 1992. His handwritten directions and palmprint on a brochure found in the Rogers' vehicle, along with a description of his boat written by Jo Rogers, where major clues leading to him as a suspect. He was tried and found guilty in 1994, and sentenced to death. He remains on Florida's death row. Authorities believe that two weeks prior to the murders, Chandler lured a Canadian woman on to his boat, raped her, then dropped her off back on land where a friend was waiting for her. He was not charged or tried for this crime. However, the victim testified during his trial for the murders, as there were many similarities between his attack on her and the Rogers women.
[edit] Personal
Chandler was one of five children whose father committed suicide when he was 10 years old. He has a lengthy criminal history in addition to the murders for which he is now on death row. This history includes charges of kidnapping, burglary, armed robbery and counterfeiting. He has been married numerous times and has fathered eight children with seven different women. A daughter of Chandler's and her husband testified at his trial for the murders regarding incriminating statements he had made to them.
[edit] Media concerning the case of Oba Chandler
The Discovery Channel made a one-hour episode on the murders of the Rogers family and Oba Chandler in their series Scene of the Crime: The Tin Man. The case was also one of three in an episode of the Discovery channel series Forensic Detectives.
In 1997, a series of articles entitled "Angels & Demons" written by Thomas French was published in the St. Petersburg Times. The series told the story of the murders, the capture and conviction of Oba Chandler, and the impact of the crimes on the Rogers' family and community in Ohio, most notably their husband and father, Hal Rogers. The articles won a 1998 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing.
Death Cruise by Don Davis also covered the case.
