In news that we didn’t thing we would hear in our lifetime, the San Diego Board of Parole Hearings has ruled that Mark “Gator” Rogowski is fit for parole. Gator has been in jail for the past 27 years for a despicable crime that doesn’t need to be recounted again here. ABC News San Diego is reporting that the panel took into consideration his remorse for the crime, lack of criminal history, good behavior in custody, and rehabilitation programs completed while incarcerated. It also put significant weight on a new law passed in 2018 that gives added leniency to youthful offenders who commit crimes before the age of 26. The panel has an additional 120 days to finalize the decision before it goes before the governor for review. We’ll definitely be keeping an eye on how this unfolds in the first quarter of 2020. Stay tuned.
UPDATE 04.29.20: Last Thursday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom officially denied Gator’s parole, sighting that: “Mr. Rogowski appears to still have only a superficial understanding of what triggered him to inflict prolonged sexual violence on his victim and then kill her,” and that Rogowski “poses an unreasonable danger to society if released from prison at this time.” Gator will not be eligible for another parole hearing until June 2021. You can read the full story in an article published by the Los Angeles Times on Monday.