Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Lawyer of client: ‘She is lucky to be alive’
“I feel safe now.” That is how the attorney for a woman whose estranged husband allegedly went on a murderous rampage Wednesday, shooting at her outside the house they had shared for years as an unhappily married couple and ultimately killing his aging parents at their home at an East Goshen retirement community described his emotional state Friday.
Steven H. Rubin, a family law attorney with offices in West Goshen, said he had been alerted by police on Wednesday night that Bruce D. Rogal, whom he had sat opposite during sometimes bitter proceedings in the divorce sought by Catherine Christian, Rogal’s wife of 24 years, had assaulted Christian and his parents and was at large. Rubin said he and his son, who was in the car with him driving, checked the news on a cell phone and saw, to their terror, what had happened.
“They (the police) told me not to go home,” Rubin said in a telephone interview. “I didn’t. I was horrified. I thought my life was in danger, to be honest. If he was out there killing his parents, and he was angry and shooting at (Christian), I’m sure I was considered an enemy.”
The news that Rogal was dead, however — shot by police who had chased him before he rammed his car into the $220,000 home he lost in the divorce settlement or by his own hand — put his mind at ease, Rubin allowed.
Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan on Thursday announced that the investigation into the deadly shootings at the Bellingham retirement community and the death of Rogal, 59, of Glenmoore, is ongoing. No updates were expected over the weekend, however.
Hogan said that Rogal, an unemployed contractor who grew up in the West Chester area, shot and killed his parents, William and Nancy Rogal, at approximately 6:15 p.m., after earlier attempting to kill his estranged wife in West Bradford earlier in the evening, at approximately 5:30 p.m.
The murders and attempted murder set off an intensive manhunt for Rogal. The media put out warnings, identifying information, and photographs of Rogal to the public. The Chester County Regional Emergency Response Team responded to Rogal’s home to search for him. Pennsylvania State Police troopers eventually observed the suspect driving his 2002 Honda Odyssey on Strasburg Road around 1 a.m. Thursday. Rogal led the police on a high speed chase back to his wife’s home, where he had shot at his wife earlier in the evening. Shots were exchanged during the pursuit.
Rogal’s vehicle eventually crashed into his wife’s residence. Police approached the vehicle and discovered that Rogal was already dead in the driver’s seat of the vehicle, with other firearms still in the vehicle.
A press release Thursday stated that the investigation into Rogal is ongoing pending review of multiple crime scenes, autopsies, interviews with the involved state troopers who discharged their weapons, and additional investigative tasks. There is also an ongoing investigation with family members into the circumstances leading to Rogal’s attempted murder of his wife and the murder of his parents.
In the release, Hogan speculated that the rampage appeared to have been triggered by a divorce decree that he said Rogal had received that day. But it remained unclear Friday whether Rogal had even seen the order, signed Tuesday by Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey R. Sommer.
Rubin said in the interview that he had still not seen a copy of the order or divorce decree, and that neither had his client, Christian. In addition, the order was more favorable to Rogal than to Christian, ordering her to pay
him $49,830 in a division of marital assets. His request for alimony was denied.
Sommer’s order and opinion that was filed in the county Prothonotary’s Office indicates that it was sent by mail to Rubin and to Rogal, who was acting as his own attorney in the case, on Wednesday, the day of the rampage. “I don’t know how Mr. Rogal became aware of it.”
“From what I’ve read, I gather he was upset because of the divorce decree,” Rubin said. “But I don’t know why, if he got what he wanted (in the division) he would be upset and killed people. None of this makes sense.”
There was the possibility that he had seen a notice of the decree on-line, or had stopped into the Prothonotary’s Office to check on the case status, the final proceeding having taken place only a few weeks prior. “It is possible, but you never know.
“There might be no connection,” Rubin said. “Maybe he just went crazy or had a psychotic breakdown. I don’t know.” Even though Christian had taken a Protection From Abuse order against Rogal in 2015 after a violent outburst that left her face bruised, it had expired in 2017 with no further problems. During the hearing on the distribution of funds before Special Master Rochelle Grossman in February, Rogal had acted erratically, but not violent, Rubin said.
“Mr. Rogal is a bitter husband who is very angry at his wife,” Rubin said during the proceeding. On Friday he added, “He was a violent person but he hadn’t done anything to threaten her until this happened.”
Rubin said he spoke to Christian the night of the incidents while she was at the police station. “She seemed upset that he was dead,” he stated. “But she was shot at, and she is lucky to be alive, in my opinion. She said she’s okay, but I don’t know how she could be. “
To contact staff writer Michael P. Rellahan call 610-696-1544.
To contact Staff Writer Michael P. Rellahan call 610-696-1544.