Thanks so much for your tips. This one was submitted to me from a reader. Upon researching it further and confirming that this was the basis, I am now posting it. Thanks so much guys!!!
Plot: A mother (Patty Duke) goes to Chicago to try to find her son (Robert Floyd) who has suddenly quit contacting her and can't be reached.
Reality: On September 6, 1992, in the early morning hours, Michele Roger brutally murdered David A. Richmond, her lover. Roger stabbed Richmond while he was sleeping, because she wanted to terminate their relationship. After stabbing him at least 2 additional times while they struggled, Roger, not knowing whether he was alive or not, left their home to go to her parents, where they cleaned her up and discussed what to do over coffee. Roger and her father returned to the condo to find that Richmond was "no longer alive".
During the daylight hours of the 6th of September, the Roger family removed Richmond's body by wrapping it in bloody carpeting cut from their bedroom floor. The body was then burned, the remains mixed with cement, and the the hardened result dumped into the Atlantic Ocean, from their boat, by Mr. Roger and his son.
Michele Roger is currently serving a 17 year sentence in the Florida Correctional System, for the murder of David Richmond. Roger is eligible for release from prison in the year 2006.
Agnes Roger, Michelle's mother "claimed" she saw David put his finger in her nostrils, pull her hair, and bite on her lips.
In 1999 Michele won clemency and had her 17 year sentence commuted to probation.
"She hopes to raise dogs for the visually impaired and wants to study to be a veterinary assistant," her mother, Agnes Roger of Oviedo, wrote in a letter to then-Gov. Lawton Chiles in September. "My daughter will be living at home with me and my husband." (Orlando Sentinel, Rene Struzman 1999)
I can not believe she was released back into society. If there was never any proof of abuse she should still be in prison. Anybody can claim abuse after the fact, it's called lying to save her own ass. The person who granted her release should be in prison for being stupid.
ReplyDeleteWell, I sure there were people who testified that the couple had a abusive relationship that when both ways. So she likely wasn't lying.
ReplyDeleteYes, she actually WAS lying. Her claims of being abused didn't surface until two weeks before her going on trial. She had to come up with something and this is what her and her lawyer, Mark O'Mara, decided would be her defense. There were never any claims of abuse until then. NEVER!
DeleteI've watched the movie dozens of time and am appalled that her parents only received probation. I believe David was the victim of abuse not her. How dare she use that defense when there r millions of us legitimate battered women? What fools do we have that represent us in this country where a murderer ends up w/probaton instead of life?
ReplyDeleteMen can be physically and mentally abused by women !!! Why is the punishment so different ?? All a man has to do as you see in the movie is turn his back ! My son turned his back to gather up his clothes and she kicked him into a table !! Yeah she was arrested my son got staples I'm his head and moved back in here w parents now we can't see our grandson
DeleteI'm so sorry about you not seeing your grandson but rest assured that one day in spite of the poison that he may have been fed, he will want to see his father's side of the family and find out what love truly is, god bless.
DeleteThe whole family should have had prison sentences they were all responsible - is not suffocating some-one with a pillow an act of murder?!! and not reporting a murder a crime??! they got off scot-free - probabtion and clemency my arse!!!
ReplyDeleteThis is clearly a miscarriage of justice. I don't see how this person could be set free.
ReplyDeletetrue i agree they ddnt see who was the real victim here i feel sorry for david and his mother i think they shudav lukd in2 it more and seen who was the real victim here what a shame
ReplyDeleteI knew David. He was a considerate person. He came to the hospital the day my son was born. I will always remember him for that act of kindness. I hope his family has found some peace over the years. The David I knew was not an abusive man.
ReplyDeleteI have just watched the film today for the first time & cannot believe the sentence the woman & her evil family got. they should have been given the death penalty......
ReplyDeleteI feel sorry for those poor animals that she ( the murderer ) will be working with when she qualifies as a Vet !!!
Lovely comment from Anonymous above that you knew him x
I have watched the film several times and one sure fact is that that evil woman murdered David. Her family helped her to cause more distress to the deceased man's family by disposing of his body like trash. I am disappointed in the justice system, as I feel the family should have been given life sentences without the possibility of parole.
DeleteUnbelievable! And what other proof was there that he abused her other than her mother's "word?" Probation for a brutal murder?!
ReplyDeleteI bet there sentences would have been very different had they not been a wealthy family. Sad but true.
ReplyDeleteI have watched this film a couple of times now and still cannot believe that she would be released at all and as for the rest of the family getting away more or less scotfree, its a shocking crime with no justice for david or his family. I hope the killer and her family never find peace.
ReplyDeleteI show this film to adult students as a cautionary tale that both sexes can abuse. The double standard in our judicial system for people who have more money, power, or happen to be the wrong stereotype for our society to accept as being a perp needs to be fixed so that families such as the Richmonds are not victimized yet again after suffering such a terrible loss!!
ReplyDeletejust saw the film and reading up on it now. it was out and out murder. the reasson their not doing time now is money talks no doubt about it.
ReplyDeleteThis is a shame she should not be free and her family should have been in jail with herbut as you all know money makes a world of difference i sure do hope ththe next man she dates knows her past
ReplyDeleteMichele denied anything and everything about Davids disappearance all the way up to the day before the trial. On that day she and her attorney, the shameful Mark O'Mara helda sham of a press conference where she reversed hr entire story and then and.only then started with the abuse defense. I knew Michele, Michele was not the type of woman to get abused.
ReplyDeleteI was intimately involved with this case. I was involved in the year or so leading up to the trial and sat in on evefy word of testimony. Michele never showed one moment of remorse, if anything she and her family gave a smug sense of satisfaction that they seemed to be getting away with it.
A couple of very brave girls that worked with Michele gave testimony that helped seal up the prosicutions case.
All in all, it was better than nothing but the sentences were.just slap on the wrists. The Richmonds diligence along with the private investigator they hired, was the real reason that any justice was served.
I can not believe that this woman was allowed to go free after only serving 7 yrs. She should have gone down for life and that family of hers, should have got a least 5-10 yrs for their role in the cover up. I hope that they loose all of their money, end up destitute and suffer ... just like they made the Richmond family suffer. Karma always has a way of coming back to bite you on the bottom! I wouldn't let that woman near another living soul, animal or human.
ReplyDeleteI just learned about this case - I went to school with Michele in NY, elementary through high school. She was a sociopath then, so the fact that she grew up to be a murderer isn't exactly surprising.
ReplyDeleteI just seen the film with tears and felt compelled to read up on this sad story.OtIt's obvious the daughter's behaviour stems from her mother who had the final say whether the victim died or not.I really thought she would have got the same as her daughter but what a sham! My heart goes out to the victim and family. God bless
ReplyDeletei just watched the film for first time and cannot understand the so-called justice system,what the heck? the whole rogers family should be put behind bars on life sentences for covering up the scene,they are cold hearted nasty people disposing of a body like it was trash. disgusting.absolutely disgusting.
ReplyDeleteJust watched it now for the first time and the thought that she didn't get life and her family only probation is really sad. The justice system really failed in this case.
ReplyDeleteI just watched the movie for the first time and I am fuming. That was not justice at all and I cannot believe her mother only got a years probation. They should have all been jailed for life. Disgusted by it all.
ReplyDeleteDisgusted by the so called justice system. She obviously took after the mother no wonder her dad did not leave her mom.
ReplyDelete