Athletes - Mark Rogowski

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	Athletes - Mark Rogowski

Mark 'Gator' Rogowski (born 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 in a young woman's rape and blugeoning death.

Skater becomes a star

Gator was one of a group of proteges of ex-Zephyr team skater and documentarian Stacy Peralta, alongside Tony Hawk and Steve Caballero. Gator was a pompous, 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, Gator was introduced to skate betties Jessica Bergsten and her good friend Brandy McClain. Gator soon began a long term relationship with Brandi, and together they shared a wild, party lifestyle, and the two appeared together in countless skate-gear advertising videos and Tom Petty's "Free Fallin'" music video.

Downhill slide

Gator's popularity began to wane as the vert skating of the 1980s gave way to street skating in the 1990s. Gator began to struggle with the harsh reality of being a former "icon". 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, Gator had mounting problems with alcohol and drugs.

When his addictions began to take control, his mental issues began to show. When he had began getting into his Christian studies (due partly to an accident in Germany, and mostly to an ex-surfer turned street minister who lived near him in California), as always, he dove in head first, and alienated his girlfriend Brandi (who soon left him, due to his new found beliefs in celibacy before marriage), his fans, and his fellow skaters.

Conviction

After Brandi had left him, Mark became obssessively jealous: breaking into her home to steal the things he had given her, calling her new boyfriend's home with threats, calling her home with threats, and just being a terror (stalker) in this woman's life. By this time he viewed Brandy, like all women to him, as his personal property, which after her leaving left him in turmoil.

One fateful night Gator got a call from Bergsten out of the blue, saying she wanted him to show her the party scene where he lived, as she was moving to California. Bergsten was reported missing, and after a short while her body was found, although badly decomposed due to the harsh California desert weather.

According to Rogowski, as she was putting on her shoes behind a couch, 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 (it's been speculated to be 2-3 hours). He said he had done the worst things sexually he could think of as he was venting all of his misplaced anger into her. After hours of rape and torture he had placed her dying body into his surf board bag because she had begun to get louder. He next decided to strangle her to death to keep neighbors from getting suspicious from the noise. Then he drove out to the desert to dump her body.

After the body had been found, Mr. Rogowski was brought in for questioning, and cracked. The police had searched his home, and found evidence (which had been attempted to be hidden) of massive blood loss, so great that actual floor boards were removed from his home because so much blood had pooled up, and soaked entirely through the carpet and floor boards. He had said that Jessica had ruined his relationship with Brandy, as Jessica was the "mold Brandy was made out of", and due to his mindset had basically lost all, and any control.

Mark 'Gator' Rogowski, is now serving a 31-year prison sentence in the state of California penal system for the rape and murder of Jessica Bergsten. He is up for parole in 2010.

Contest history

Placed in top 5 in 1980 Van's/Offshore Amateur State Finals (California) in boys 11-13 division.

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Athletes - Mark Rogowski

Skater becomes a star

Downhill slide

Conviction

Contest history

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