Roger Dean case - why did his wife and daughter stay in the house? - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Oldschooler81 · 07-26-2010, 08:54 AM

I'd think it would be pretty creepy and heartbreaking to live in the same house where he died on the driveway outside. Not only that, but I'd have thought his wife DJ would've moved afterwards for protection. On that note, I wonder why it took the extortionist 5 years to come back and demand money...and why he killed Roger before getting it in the first place?

Tammy looked young, but adult at the time (like 30), maybe she moved back in after her dad died to help her mom out? They never mentioned anyone else being home the morning the intruder came into the house, so I'm guessing she didn't live there in '85.

Of course the "new" events happened in 1990 and I think it was a '91 or 92 episode that hasn't been updated. Does anyone know what's happened in the years since? I hope they're doing okay, I wonder if the guy ever contacted them again. Despite the weirdness of the case it's one of those that stayed with me the most. I felt really bad for them, esp losing all those other relatives earlier. Even if Roger was involved in some shady stuff, for the most part he was probably a nice guy and I'm sure his wife and daughter loved him.

XCalibur · 07-27-2010, 10:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oldschooler81

I'd think it would be pretty creepy and heartbreaking to live in the same house where he died on the driveway outside. Not only that, but I'd have thought his wife DJ would've moved afterwards for protection. On that note, I wonder why it took the extortionist 5 years to come back and demand money...and why he killed Roger before getting it in the first place?

Tammy looked young, but adult at the time (like 30), maybe she moved back in after her dad died to help her mom out? They never mentioned anyone else being home the morning the intruder came into the house, so I'm guessing she didn't live there in '85.

Of course the "new" events happened in 1990 and I think it was a '91 or 92 episode that hasn't been updated. Does anyone know what's happened in the years since? I hope they're doing okay, I wonder if the guy ever contacted them again. Despite the weirdness of the case it's one of those that stayed with me the most. I felt really bad for them, esp losing all those other relatives earlier. Even if Roger was involved in some shady stuff, for the most part he was probably a nice guy and I'm sure his wife and daughter loved him.

I've wondered the same things you have myself. I do know that the Deans' antagonist was making threats against both the mother and the daughter, I don't know if he ever made good on them. Strange nothing at all has surfaced about this case since the early 90's, not even an update on how the mother and daughter are doing. Makes me think that perhaps the mother and daughter went into hiding, maybe even changed their names and moved out of the public eye after the UM broadcast. Probably a smart thing to do to try and get away from the past. I figure if the guy had killed either one of them something would have probably surfaced about it somewhere by now.

There have been rumors I've read here and there that Roger Dean was involved in a lot of underhanded stuff that could have lead to this. Very foolish and selfish to put your family in danger with stuff like that, although we don't know all the circumstances and probably never will so I guess its not good to judge to much. He payed for it after all.

The mother was pretty old so I'm figuring she may be dead now.

Oldschooler81 · 07-28-2010, 11:07 AM

Yeah, I'm sure if anything happened to them, they would've mentioned it in reruns. Since there were never any updates, I'd guess you're right about them keeping a low profile.

No question Roger didn't deserve what happened to him, but I'm sure he wasn't totally innocent either. I wonder what he was involved in the first place that led up to this, or how he knew his killer (even weirder how he apparently HIRED the dude to come to his house). Maybe they had a disagreement that morning and he decided to kill Roger instead. DJ mentioned there'd been some marriage problems in the more recent years, but didn't have anything bad to say about him. Could've just been greed, like how they mentioned he took $30,000 from his company without his wife knowing.

I'd guess Roger was 45, maybe late 40s in 1985 based on the pics of the real guy, so I bet his wife is close in age. Not "old old" today, but getting up there a bit. Tammy was young enough at the time to have the big 80s hair (strange to think she's middle aged today).

Oldschooler81 · 09-05-2010, 02:39 PM

Just had another thought... does anyone know if this case has ever been profiled on another show, like on A&E or Discovery Health? It seems like a perfect fit for something like Cold Case Files, just because it's so bizarre and mysterious with seemingly no resolution. I'm sure there's details we don't know and some UM left out too, it would make an interesting book or movie.

dynoguy88 · 09-05-2010, 07:12 PM

For many people, it doesn't matter what tragic event happened at their house. That to them is their home and nobody will ever take it away from them. When I was in high school, there was a classmate of mine who died when his house caught fire. He was asleep in his bedroom as the fire spread upstairs and by the time he woke up, it was too late for him to escape. After he died, I thought it would be much too painful for his parents to continue living in that house but they didn't want to move. They fixed the upstairs and they still live there 14 years later.

Of course, this could all be moot. It's possible D.J. moved to a different house after Roger was killed. The killer could have easily looked up her number and address in the phone book.

According to the segment, D.J.'s son and both of her parents had already died in car accidents by the time Roger was killed in 1985. I think Tammy moved back in with her mother because they were the only family members left and they needed each other. The only puzzling thing is, the killer mentioned in his letter having met Tammy several times before while she worked as a model. Maybe the people Roger was doing shady dealings were introduced to Tammy at one time or another by Roger himself. I don't know. I always got the impression that Roger wasn't expecting this man he was meeting the morning of his death to actually kill him.

This happened in Littleton, Colorado. It's easy to remember this segment because that's where the Columbine massacre happened 9 years later.

wiseguy182 · 09-06-2010, 01:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dynoguy88

I don't know. I always got the impression that Roger wasn't expecting this man he was meeting the morning of his death to actually kill him.

This happened in Littleton, Colorado. It's easy to remember this segment because that's where the Columbine massacre happened 9 years later.

I don't. By all accounts, Roger's activities that morning were different than his routine. I got the feeling he was expecting this man. That's not to say I think he was expecting to be murdered necessarily, but I think he expecting something with this man.

This happened in 85. Columbine was in 1999 I believe. That would be 14 years.

Oldschooler81 · 09-06-2010, 04:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dynoguy88

For many people, it doesn't matter what tragic event happened at their house. That to them is their home and nobody will ever take it away from them. When I was in high school, there was a classmate of mine who died when his house caught fire. He was asleep in his bedroom as the fire spread upstairs and by the time he woke up, it was too late for him to escape. After he died, I thought it would be much too painful for his parents to continue living in that house but they didn't want to move. They fixed the upstairs and they still live there 14 years later.

Of course, this could all be moot. It's possible D.J. moved to a different house after Roger was killed. The killer could have easily looked up her number and address in the phone book.

According to the segment, D.J.'s son and both of her parents had already died in car accidents by the time Roger was killed in 1985. I think Tammy moved back in with her mother because they were the only family members left and they needed each other. The only puzzling thing is, the killer mentioned in his letter having met Tammy several times before while she worked as a model. Maybe the people Roger was doing shady dealings were introduced to Tammy at one time or another by Roger himself. I don't know. I always got the impression that Roger wasn't expecting this man he was meeting the morning of his death to actually kill him.

This happened in Littleton, Colorado. It's easy to remember this segment because that's where the Columbine massacre happened 9 years later.

I agree with this. Sorry about your friend too, and along the same lines, you could argue the point that staying in the house could help just as much preserve and honor a loved one's memory. Tragedies have a way of bonding people even more, and I bet Tammy did move back in with her mom for that reason.

Yeah, I get the impression Roger just hired this guy to "steal" the $30,000 and make it look like a robbery, maybe because he felt guilty about taking it... but they got in an argument and he decided to kill Roger. Apparently DJ couldn't quite hear what they were talking about, which was crucial imo.

I just rewatched my copy and I can't get a good enough look at most of the letter, but I think you're right about all that. If he met Tammy through Roger before he died, that would explain how he knew stuff about her.

dynoguy88 · 09-06-2010, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wiseguy182

This happened in 85. Columbine was in 1999 I believe. That would be 14 years.

I was talking about 9 years after the extortion letters started arriving in 1990.

Oldschooler81 · 09-21-2010, 04:19 AM

On one of the other threads about this case, someone mentioned they felt the extortionist WASNT the guy who killed Roger, but just someone who knew a few details about the case, trying to get money from them. Does anyone else think both suspects are the same guy or not?

When I was 12 and first saw this segment, I tended to take things more at face value, when how the local cops and FBI "had no doubt" the letter writer in 1990 was Roger's killer. But of course mistakes can be made anywhere.

Just bizarre how the gunman basically walked into their house to only kill him without getting anything out of it, and possibly waited 5 years to contact them again.

07-26-2010, 08:54 AM	#1
Oldschooler81 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: May 03, 2009 Location: Northern CA Posts: 457	Roger Dean case - why did his wife and daughter stay in the house? I'd think it would be pretty creepy and heartbreaking to live in the same house where he died on the driveway outside. Not only that, but I'd have thought his wife DJ would've moved afterwards for protection. On that note, I wonder why it took the extortionist 5 years to come back and demand money...and why he killed Roger before getting it in the first place? Tammy looked young, but adult at the time (like 30), maybe she moved back in after her dad died to help her mom out? They never mentioned anyone else being home the morning the intruder came into the house, so I'm guessing she didn't live there in '85. Of course the "new" events happened in 1990 and I think it was a '91 or 92 episode that hasn't been updated. Does anyone know what's happened in the years since? I hope they're doing okay, I wonder if the guy ever contacted them again. Despite the weirdness of the case it's one of those that stayed with me the most. I felt really bad for them, esp losing all those other relatives earlier. Even if Roger was involved in some shady stuff, for the most part he was probably a nice guy and I'm sure his wife and daughter loved him.

07-28-2010, 11:07 AM	#3
Oldschooler81 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: May 03, 2009 Location: Northern CA Posts: 457	Yeah, I'm sure if anything happened to them, they would've mentioned it in reruns. Since there were never any updates, I'd guess you're right about them keeping a low profile. No question Roger didn't deserve what happened to him, but I'm sure he wasn't totally innocent either. I wonder what he was involved in the first place that led up to this, or how he knew his killer (even weirder how he apparently HIRED the dude to come to his house). Maybe they had a disagreement that morning and he decided to kill Roger instead. DJ mentioned there'd been some marriage problems in the more recent years, but didn't have anything bad to say about him. Could've just been greed, like how they mentioned he took $30,000 from his company without his wife knowing. I'd guess Roger was 45, maybe late 40s in 1985 based on the pics of the real guy, so I bet his wife is close in age. Not "old old" today, but getting up there a bit. Tammy was young enough at the time to have the big 80s hair (strange to think she's middle aged today).
	Last edited by Oldschooler81; 09-05-2010 at 02:36 PM.

09-05-2010, 02:39 PM	#4
Oldschooler81 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: May 03, 2009 Location: Northern CA Posts: 457	Just had another thought... does anyone know if this case has ever been profiled on another show, like on A&E or Discovery Health? It seems like a perfect fit for something like Cold Case Files, just because it's so bizarre and mysterious with seemingly no resolution. I'm sure there's details we don't know and some UM left out too, it would make an interesting book or movie.

09-05-2010, 07:12 PM	#5
dynoguy88 Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Apr 01, 2000 Location: Michigan, USA Posts: 3,675	For many people, it doesn't matter what tragic event happened at their house. That to them is their home and nobody will ever take it away from them. When I was in high school, there was a classmate of mine who died when his house caught fire. He was asleep in his bedroom as the fire spread upstairs and by the time he woke up, it was too late for him to escape. After he died, I thought it would be much too painful for his parents to continue living in that house but they didn't want to move. They fixed the upstairs and they still live there 14 years later. Of course, this could all be moot. It's possible D.J. moved to a different house after Roger was killed. The killer could have easily looked up her number and address in the phone book. According to the segment, D.J.'s son and both of her parents had already died in car accidents by the time Roger was killed in 1985. I think Tammy moved back in with her mother because they were the only family members left and they needed each other. The only puzzling thing is, the killer mentioned in his letter having met Tammy several times before while she worked as a model. Maybe the people Roger was doing shady dealings were introduced to Tammy at one time or another by Roger himself. I don't know. I always got the impression that Roger wasn't expecting this man he was meeting the morning of his death to actually kill him. This happened in Littleton, Colorado. It's easy to remember this segment because that's where the Columbine massacre happened 9 years later.

09-21-2010, 04:19 AM	#9
Oldschooler81 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: May 03, 2009 Location: Northern CA Posts: 457	On one of the other threads about this case, someone mentioned they felt the extortionist WASNT the guy who killed Roger, but just someone who knew a few details about the case, trying to get money from them. Does anyone else think both suspects are the same guy or not? When I was 12 and first saw this segment, I tended to take things more at face value, when how the local cops and FBI "had no doubt" the letter writer in 1990 was Roger's killer. But of course mistakes can be made anywhere. Just bizarre how the gunman basically walked into their house to only kill him without getting anything out of it, and possibly waited 5 years to contact them again.