ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA – The long unsolved case of the horrific murders of Joan Rogers and her two teenage daughters in Florida in June 1989 has finally been resolved. Oba Chandler, the man convicted of the murders, maintained his innocence until his execution. The bodies of Rogers and her daughters were found in Tampa Bay, tied to concrete blocks using yellow polypropylene rope. For three years, the case went unsolved until a breakthrough led to the identification of a suspect using handwriting analysis.
Chandler was charged after a woman recognized his handwriting from a police billboard. The exhaustive search for Chandler is detailed in a recent episode of the Fox True Crime podcast. Hal Rogers, Joan’s husband, was quickly cleared of suspicion after an emotional interview. Detectives were also able to identify other suspects, but none of them led to any advancements in the case.
In a surprising turn, Chandler’s phone records placed him on the water on the night of the murders, which convinced the district attorney to press murder charges along with other circumstantial evidence. Chandler admitted on the stand to writing out the directions but continued to maintain his innocence until his execution.
In a chilling twist, Chandler was later connected to another woman’s unsolved murder through DNA evidence. The Coral Springs Police Department announced that DNA from the post-mortem rape kit of another victim matched Chandler’s. With this new evidence, the case of the Rogers family’s murders and Chandler’s involvement in other crimes was brought to a close.
The families of the victims felt a mixture of emotions after the revelations, grateful for some closure, yet distressed at having to revisit the tragedy years later. The case is a grim reminder of the long and arduous road to justice for the victims and their families.