While this weekend serves as the 20th anniversary of the not-guilty verdict in the O.J. Simpson murder case, perhaps the most debated and disputed legal decision in the history of pop culture, it would behoove sports fans, as well as proponents of justice to take a look back at some other high-profile cases involving sports stars that didn’t end as well for their defendants.
Despite your thoughts on the probability of Simpson’s involvement in the murders of Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman, these following cases present compelling amounts of evidence that leave little doubt as to whether or not these five high-profile athletes deserve imprisonment. It just goes to show you that no matter how high your paychecks are, the temptation of depravity holds no preference.
Javaris Crittenton
Crime: Voluntary manslaughter and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
A former first-round pick in the NBA draft, Crittenton made the first of several bad decisions when he decided to join the Los Angeles Crips, a notorious and violent gang born out of California, during his 2007 rookie year with the Lakers. In 2009, he and teammate Gilbert Arenas pulled guns on each other following a disagreement over a card game. Crittenton was enjoying a stint on the Washington Wizards in 2011, when he claims that Trontavious Stephens, a reputed Bloods member, robbed him outside of a barber shop.
In the first of two attempts, Crittenton fired shots at a man he believed was Stephens, who actually turned out to be his brother; those shots did not find their target. A second attempt, however, from the back seat of an SUV, sent a spray of bullets towards Stephens, all managing to miss their intended target. Instead, Julian Jones — a 22-year-old mother of two — was struck and killed. The promising NBA star pleaded not guilty at first, before changing his plea to guilty. He received a 23-year prison sentence.
Aaron Hernandez
Crime: First-degree murder.
Odin Lloyd, a 27-year-old landscaper who was also dating the New England Patriots star Aaron Hernandez’s fiancee, was shot and killed on June 17, 2013, his body found in an industrial park near Hernandez’s home in North Attleborough, Massachusetts. While the motive is a little bit sketchy, what is known is that Lloyd’s pocket held a key for one of Hernandez’s rented cars. Security video, witness testimonies, and cellphone records all place Hernandez with Lloyd at the time of the murder.
Further motive for the murder could have been that Lloyd knew too much about Hernandez’s involvement with a 2012 drive-by shooting that resulted in the deaths of two men. Hernandez is currently serving life in prison.
Rae Carruth
Crime: Conspiracy to commit murder.
Carruth was a wide receiver for the Carolina Panthers in 1999, when he became involved in an ambush with his then pregnant girlfriend, Cherica Adams, that resulted in the death of the woman. Carruth used his vehicle to block Adams, when an associate of his, Van Brett Watkins, Sr., drove along side her and shot her four times. Adams, who was eight-months pregnant at the time, was able to call police and was evacuated to the hospital where she later died. Her child, Chancellor Lee Adams, survived an emergency caesarean procedure, but suffered brain damage due to a lack of oxygen.
The motives for the attack ranges from a failed drug transaction to Adams refusing to abort the baby. Michael Kennedy, Watkins’ driver in the attack, received 11 years for second-degree murder, while Watkins himself was handed 40 years in the killing. Carruth became a fugitive following the investigation and was found hiding in the trunk of a car with cash, bottles of urine, and extra clothes. For his part in the crime, he received 18 to 24 years in prison.
Mel Hall
Crime: Aggravated sexual assault, two counts of indecency with a child.
In the ’80s, Mel Hall was a fine utility player for teams like the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians. Following a productive season with the Yankees in 1992, Hall opted for a $4 million contract in Japan. His return to the MLB for the 1996 season resulted in a lackluster effort, and the veteran chose to retire following a stint with the Giants. In June 2007, Hall was arrested in North Richland Hills, Texas, stemming from charges that included the sexual assault of a 17-year-old girl, and a 14-year-old girl, two females who were coached by Hall on a youth basketball team.
Further investigation into Hall’s transgressions revealed the rape of a 12-year-old girl, as well as other incidents that went as far back as 1989. In 2009, following a bevy of witness testimonies, Hall was convicted and sentenced to 45 years of prison.
Mark “Gator” Rogowski
Crime: Assault, rape, murder.
Mark “Gator” Rogowski was one of the prominent vert skateboarders in the ’80s, becoming a phenomenon in the burgeoning sport, as well as a local celebrity for his hard-partying ways. A series of injuries, unfortunate business pitfalls, along with a newfound spiritual journey, led Rogowski down a path of madness that culminated with his girlfriend of several years, Brandi McClain, departing his side. A severe bout of alcoholism followed, one that deteriorated Rogowski’s fragile mental state.
Jessica Bergsten, an acquaintance of McClain, met up with the fallen vert skater, and what was at first a friendly encounter soon turned into murder, as Rogowski bludgeoned her, raped her, placed her body in a bag, and then strangled her to death before burying her. The skater cited his jealousy over his ex as the primary motive for killing her friend. Serving a 31-year sentence, Rogowski will be eligible for parole in 2018. A film recounting his rise and murderous fall was released in 2003.
David Meggett
Crime: Criminal sexual conduct, burglary.
David Meggett, a former high school footballer from North Charleston, South Carolina, spent a decade in the NFL as a punt returner and running back, his stints including time with the Giants, the Patriots, and the Jets. But in 2010, more than a decade removed from his time in pro football, a South Carolina court handed down a 30-year prison sentence to the now 49-year-old veteran of the league.
Meggett’s sentence was a culmination of several incidents. A 1998 three-way sexual encounter in Canada resulted in the alleged assault of a sex worker, but that charge dissipated due to a hung jury in 2000. In 2006, he resigned from his position as a parks and recreation director after being accused of sexually assaulting his ex-girlfriend. SB Nation’s disturbing, and in-depth account of that incident includes this highly unsettling excerpt:
Soon after arriving, Meggett aggressively questioned her about her plans for the evening. When he learned she would be seeing the new man, he told her he had a gun in his car.
“And that’s when he shoved me down,” her written police statement read.
Meggett used the same hold on his ex as he had used on Loveland. With the victim flat on her back, he twisted her left arm under her and held it with his left hand, while keeping his right hand free to unbuckle his pants and hers.
After it was over, her phone rang. Meggett answered it, to silence. He surmised it was the other man, and said into the phone, “Whoever this is, I’m gonna kill you.”
Then he turned to the victim and said, “I don’t know if OJ did it, but I understand how he felt.” Then he head-butted her. Doctors saw red marks on her forehead head and neck when she went to the hospital.
He resigned as recreation director after the allegations became public. One town employee described the episode as “a real black eye on the town.”
Displaying an obvious pattern of sexual abuse towards women, a 2007 incident led to a conviction of misdemeanor sexual battery, this one leading to two-years probation for the former NFL star, the court designating the term to be served in South Carolina. Meggett’s final act of sexual predatory came in 2009, when he once again forced himself onto a college student at her home in North Charleston. A South Carolina court sentenced the serial rapist to 30 years in prison, but while the scars he inflicted on his victims will long remain, Meggett’s blight on society no longer has quarter.
