Victim testifies in sledgehammer case
After seeing his wife fall unconscious in the doorway of his bedroom, Rick Rogers said he jumped on her attacker.
They wrestled to the floor about 4:41 a.m. on May 19, 2003, where Rogers said he stared directly into the eyes of his daughter's boyfriend, 17-year-old Jonathon McMeekin. He was then hit repeatedly from behind by an unseen attacker.
Rogers told a Lake County jury Thursday that his next recollection was waking up in the hospital three days later, scared that McMeekin or one of his relatives was going to come back and finish the job.
“I knew one (of the attackers) was Jon McMeekin,” he said. “I saw him face-to-face after I had taken him down to the floor.”
He testified during the trial of his ex-wife, Sandra Rogers, who is accused of assisting McMeekin in the attempted murder of Rick Rogers and his new wife, Angela Gloria.
Sandra Rogers, who is charged with conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder and home invasion, had spent 10 years in prison after accepting a plea deal in 2004. She received a 30-year sentence.
That deal was thrown out last year after Lake County Judge John Phillips ruled she was tricked into admitting her role in the crime, paving the way for the trial.
Prosecutors say Sandra Rogers struck Rick Rogers from behind with a sledgehammer.
Defense attorneys contend Sandra Rogers was not the person who delivered the blows. Defense attorney Gillian Gosch has said Rogers' daughter, Robin Rogers, assisted her ex-boyfriend.
McMeekin is serving a 17-year prison sentence after pleading guilty in the attack. He is expected to testify against Sandra Rogers.
Robin Rogers, now 24, also was called as a witness Thursday. Her testimony is expected to continue Friday.
Rick Rogers testified that his relationships with his wife and daughter has been strained after the attack, adding Gloria still has panic attacks and that “screaming (in the house) happens on a nearly daily basis.”
“Angela didn't want Robin in the house after the attack,” he said. “But she was still my daughter. I loved her.”
Months before the 2003 attack, Rick Rogers said, he received custody of his then-14-year-old daughter because Sandra Rogers had allowed McMeekin to move into their home and sleep with his daughter behind closed doors.
“I did everything in my power to stop it,” he said.
Robin Rogers testified she had been dating McMeekin since she was 12, and he lived with her for about a year before her father finding out.
“Jon moved into my bedroom and slept there every night,” Robin Rogers testified.
She also testified she was allowed to consume alcohol at her mother's apartment, and she had no rules for attending school or curfew.