Editing Mark Rogowski (section)

==Hearing and sentencing==
Rogowski was charged with murder and a "special circumstances" enhancement because the murder was committed during a rape. Under California law, this warrants the death penalty or life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. His lawyer, John Jimenez, challenged the validity and content of the confession. Jimenez also moved to dismiss the rape charge, insisting the decomposed body showed no signs of forcible rape, but the judge denied that request.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Times |first=John M. Glionna John M. Glionna is a former national reporter for the Los Angeles |last2=West |first2=based in Las Vegas He covered a large swath of the American |last3=desk |first3=writing about everything from people to politics He has also served as the Seoul bureau chief on the newspaper’s foreign |last4=earthquake |first4=where he covered the 2011 Japanese |last5=tsunami |last6=Nevada |first6=the subsequent death of North Korean strongman Kim Jong Il He has also written extensively about California He teaches a journalism course at the University of |last7=in 2015 |first7=Las Vegas Glionna left The Times |date=1991-06-18 |title=Detective Describes Alleged Murder Confession of Skateboarder : Court: Mark (Gator) Anthony is bound over to stand trial in death of Pacific Beach woman. |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-06-18-me-875-story.html |access-date=2024-04-13 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref>

Following the advice of his attorney, Rogowski pled guilty to [[first-degree murder]] and rape, thus avoiding the [[death penalty]] or life without the chance of parole. In January 1992, at the plea hearing, Rogowski submitted a four-page written statement. He claimed to accept responsibility for his acts, but also began blaming outside factors unrelated to the death, such as his previous sexual activities outside of marriage, pornography, and "not following the word of the Bible."<ref name="paper" />

Rogowski was sentenced on March 6, 1992. Five uniformed bailiffs with metal detectors were at the hearing due to a rumor that Stephen Bergsten, the father of the victim, would attempt to harm Rogowski. With the bailiffs standing between Rogowski and Bergsten, Rogowski stated "I sincerely hope that they can accept my apology for my carelessness,"<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=1992-03-07 |title=Passionate Plea for No Mercy : Courts: At the sentencing of a former skateboarding star convicted of killing a young woman, the victim's father vents his anguish and anger over her brutal murder. Mark (Gator) Anthony won't be eligible for parole until 2010. |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-03-07-me-3382-story.html |access-date=2024-04-13 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> a statement that prompted outrage from Bergsten. In his victim impact statement, Bergsten called Rogowski a coward who would "die a thousand deaths".<ref name="paper" /><ref name=":2" />

Rogowski received a 31-year-to-life prison sentence: six years for forcible rape and 25 years to life for the first-degree murder charges to be served consecutively.<ref name="paper" /><ref name="Ogunnaiake">{{cite news |last=Ogunnaiake |first=Lola |date=August 21, 2003 |title=A Skateboard King Who Fell to Earth |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/21/movies/a-skateboard-king-who-fell-to-earth.html |url-access=subscription |website=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=July 28, 2019}}</ref> After entering prison, Rogowski was diagnosed with [[bipolar disorder]].