He was charming. That’s the thing people usually forget when they talk about Glen Rogers. We like to imagine monsters as scowling, shadowy figures hiding in the bushes, but the man known as the Cross Country Killer didn't look like that. He had long, wavy blonde hair, blue eyes, and a smile that made women in bars feel like they were the only person in the room. He was a smooth talker. A drifter. A man who could walk into a dive bar in Ohio or a lounge in California and leave with a new "girlfriend" by the end of the night.
But behind that 1990s heartthrob exterior was a different person.
The reality of Glen Rogers is far messier than the true crime documentaries usually portray. Between 1993 and 1995, he carved a path of chaos across the United States. He wasn’t a criminal mastermind. Honestly, he was a chaotic, alcohol-fueled predator who stayed ahead of the law simply because he never stayed in one place long enough for the local cops to figure out who he was. People often confuse him with other serial killers because his motives seemed so erratic. Was it about the money? Was it about a deep-seated hatred for women? Or was he just a man who realized that in the mid-90s, you could still disappear into the highway system if you tried hard enough?
The Bloody Path of the Cross Country Killer
It didn't start with a high-profile murder. It started with a family member.
In 1993, the body of Mark Peters was found in a cabin belonging to the Rogers family in Hamilton, Ohio. Peters was an elderly man Rogers had supposedly been "caring for." When police found him, he was tied to a chair. That was the first real red flag, but Rogers was already gone. He was a ghost. He spent the next few years drifting, working odd jobs, and leaning on his looks to get by.
The "Cross Country Killer" moniker really took hold in 1995. That was the year things went completely off the rails. In September of that year, Sandra Lowder disappeared in Mississippi. Then came the others. In October, the body of Linda Price was found in a bathtub in Jackson, Mississippi. Her throat had been slashed. Rogers had met her at a beer tent at a state fair. That was his MO—high-traffic public events where people are relaxed and looking for a good time.
He moved fast. Really fast.
👉 See also: Who's the Next Pope: Why Most Predictions Are Basically Guesswork
Just weeks later, Tina Marie Cribbs was murdered in Tampa, Florida. She met Rogers at a bar called Showtown USA. He told her he needed a ride. She was a mother of two, a hardworking person who probably just thought she was helping a guy out. Her body was found in a motel bathtub. Do you see the pattern? Rogers had a thing for water. He had a thing for leaving victims in hotels. By the time the Florida authorities realized who they were looking for, Rogers was already in Louisiana, then Arkansas, then California.
The Myth of the OJ Simpson Connection
If you've spent any time on the darker corners of the internet, you've probably heard the wild theory that Glen Rogers killed Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. It sounds like a tabloid fever dream. But here’s the thing: Rogers actually claimed he did it.
His brother, Clay Rogers, even participated in a documentary called My Brother the Serial Killer, where he claimed Glen had confessed to the 1994 murders. Glen allegedly told his family he was working for Nicole Brown Simpson as a handyman and that OJ had hired him to steal back some jewelry, telling him "you may have to kill the bitch."
Is it true?
Almost certainly not. The LAPD investigated these claims thoroughly. While Rogers was in the Los Angeles area around that time, there is zero physical evidence linking him to the Bundy Drive crime scene. Most experts believe Rogers was just a narcissist looking for one last bit of infamy from his death row cell. He wanted to be the biggest name in the room, even if it meant taking credit for someone else's work. It's a common trait among serial killers—the need to be "the best" at being the worst.
Why the 90s Were His Best Friend
You have to understand how different the world was back then. There were no cell phones with GPS tracking. No interconnected national databases that instantly flagged a suspect across state lines. If a guy named Glen committed a murder in Mississippi and drove to California, the LAPD wouldn't automatically get an alert on their dashboard.
✨ Don't miss: Recent Obituaries in Charlottesville VA: What Most People Get Wrong
The Cross Country Killer thrived in the gaps of the American legal system. He was a "chameleon," according to the investigators who finally caught him. He would change his hair, his beard, his name. One day he was a construction worker, the next he was a drifter looking for a party.
The hunt finally ended in November 1995 in Kentucky. It wasn't some high-tech sting operation. It was a high-speed chase. A detective spotted the stolen car Rogers was driving—which belonged to his final victim, Andy Jiles Sutton—and chased him down. When they finally pinned him, Rogers didn't look like a Casanova anymore. He looked like a man who had run out of road.
The Legal Aftermath and Death Row
The trials were a circus. Because he had killed people in so many different jurisdictions, states were basically fighting over who got to prosecute him first. Florida won.
In 1996, he was convicted of the murder of Tina Marie Cribbs and sentenced to death. Then California took their turn. In 1999, he was convicted for the murder of Sandra Gallagher and given another death sentence. The evidence in the Gallagher case was particularly brutal. He had strangled her and set her car on fire in an attempt to destroy the evidence.
As of now, Glen Rogers is still sitting on death row in Florida.
He’s an old man now. The blonde hair is gone or greyed. The charm that he used to lure women to their deaths is a distant memory. He’s filed countless appeals, trying to overturn his sentences based on claims of "ineffective counsel" or his own supposed mental illness. None of it has worked. The courts have been pretty consistent: the evidence against him was a mountain that couldn't be moved.
🔗 Read more: Trump New Gun Laws: What Most People Get Wrong
What We Can Learn from the Rogers Case
It’s easy to dismiss Rogers as just another footnote in the history of American crime, but there are some genuinely chilling takeaways from his spree that still matter today.
First, the "Stranger Danger" myth is partially true, but not in the way we think. Rogers didn't snatch people off the street. He groomed them in public spaces. He used social engineering—appearing helpful, vulnerable, or just plain fun—to lower their guard. He was a reminder that the most dangerous person in the room is often the one trying the hardest to make you like them.
Second, the case highlighted the desperate need for better communication between law enforcement agencies. The "Cross Country" part of his name was a failure of the system. If the different states had been talking to each other in real-time, the body count would have been much lower.
How to Stay Safe and Informed
While the era of the nomadic serial killer has largely been ended by technology, the psychology of predators like Rogers hasn't changed. They still look for "vulnerable" situations—not necessarily vulnerable people, but moments where someone is isolated or distracted.
- Trust the gut instinct. Almost every person who encountered Rogers and survived mentioned a moment where "something felt off," even if they couldn't name it. That's your primal brain telling you there's a threat. Don't ignore it to be polite.
- Verify before you trust. In the digital age, it's easier to check who people are. If you meet someone who seems too good to be true or has a story that doesn't quite add up, a quick search can often reveal a lot more than they're telling you.
- Understand the "Charming Predator" profile. Not all killers are loners living in basements. Some are the life of the party. Being aware that charm can be a tool for manipulation is a powerful defense.
The story of the Cross Country Killer isn't just a piece of true crime trivia. It's a case study in how a lack of systemic communication and a surplus of misplaced trust can lead to tragedy. Glen Rogers didn't just kill people; he exploited the very fabric of American hospitality and the freedom of the open road.
If you want to dig deeper into the actual court transcripts or the forensic evidence used to convict him, the Florida Supreme Court archives hold the most detailed records of his crimes. Reading the primary sources reveals a much grittier, less "glamorous" version of the story than the one Hollywood likes to tell. It's a story of lost lives, grieving families, and a man who thought he could outrun the law forever. He couldn't. The road always ends somewhere.
To truly understand the impact of these crimes, look into the victim advocacy groups that formed in the wake of the 90s violence spree. They provide the best resources for understanding how the legal system has changed to prevent another drifter from slipping through the cracks like Rogers did.