Roger Hargrave
We all have faced rejection. Each of us deals with it in a different way. Some people cry, some eat, and some people just decide to try to set their loved ones on fire at their place of work.
Oh wait, sane people wouldn’t do that last one.
Well Roger Hargrave, proved that he was not one of the sane people. On October 10, 2005, Mr. Hargrave walked into the T-Mobile Store in Clinton, MD and poured gasoline on his wife, Yvette Cade, and in that oh so tender loving moment, chased her out of the store where he then set her on fire.
Now since we’re all aficionados of crime and criminals boys and girls, lets take a look at some of the more conventional ways of murder:
Shooting
Stabbing
Strangling
Vehicular Homicide
Beating
Notice that burning is not one of them. And why do you ask? Because generally people don’t die outright; they sometimes live long enough to ID the perpetrator, albeit in agonizing, gut wrenching pain, and if they do survive the first few hours they are in for the fight of their lives forever.
But Yvette Cade had left Mr. Hargrave. He couldn’t just go out and get another woman. He couldn’t just wallow in self misery. NOOOO!!!! He had to show Yvette she was his and that he had the power. So rather than give her a fighting chance, he chased the poor woman cornered her like an animal and 
lit her on fire.
(Writer’s note: Had the people in the store stepped in and tried to help it might have gone a little better for Ms. Cade)
So after Mr. Hargrave’s attempt at human sacrifice to Cupid and his imminent arrest and removal from society, we find that the justice system had failed on another front. Ms. Cade had gone to the county for a protection order from Mr. Hargrave for just this kind of event. Now as we know a protective order is issued when there are domestic issues and one party feels threatened. The wonderful Judge RICHARD A. PALUMBO rescinded the protection order and refused to grant a divorce. From the court transcripts we can read that he offered this little gem to Ms. Cade when she requested a divorce;
Cade: “”I want an immediate, absolute divorce”
Judge Polumbo: “I’d like to be six-foot-five, but that’s not what we do here,”
So our boy Roger goes to trial, and on April 29th, 2006 he was convicted of the Attempted Murder of Yvette Cade. During his chance to make a statement, with tears in his eyes, he apologized to Cade’s family. He said he was sorry for Cade’s condition and prayed she would accept his apology. He said he had become a Christian and hoped to counsel victims of physical and emotional abuse.
“I still can’t figure out what I thought I was doing,” Hargrave said. “I’m sorry for the pain I’ve caused. I can only explain my actions as that of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.”
Our other hero in this whole ordeal though was Judge William D. Missouri. He told Mr. Hargrave, “You never once said ‘I am sorry for what I did to my wife’, you said ‘I’m sorry for what happened to her.’ You’re avoiding responsibility for what you did.”
And with that he sentenced Mr. Hargrave to Life In Prison.
So as we come to the end of the tale Mr. Hargrave is in prison serving his life sentence, which means that he has to serve 15 years before he is eligible for parole, and it takes a unanimous vote from the parole board and rubber stamp from the governor for him to actually be paroled.
As for ex-Judge Richard A. Palumbo, he retired promptly when it came to light that he had rescinded protection orders for other women and made some rather interesting comments about them, likening them to “buses that come along every ten minutes.”
So will we see Roger Hargrave and Richard Palumbo dancing with the Devil in the pale moonlight? One can only hope…..
Special Thanks To Bob Saget for Writing This Story
Does Roger Hargrave deserve Hell?
- Yes (95%, 176 Votes)
- No (5%, 11 Votes)
Total Voters: 186
Loading ...
41 Comments »
To see that poor womans burns…what a horrific ordeal for her to go through.
I hope that every time that he comes up for parole, she is strong enough to be there at the hearing to show her scars and tell the board about how she is still serving the life sentence that he bestowed upon her.
As for the ex-Judge who referred to abused women as being like busses that come every ten minutes, i have two simple words for him. FUCKING ASSHOLE!!!
Judges such as this are useless in the American justice system. Peice of shit judges like this are the reason why domestic/family violence is so rampant in this country.
It never fails to amaze me that scumbags come out with the same old shit..’I don’t know what I was thinking…I was like Jekyl and Hyde blah blah’. If they were that confused why didn’t they get help?
And now he’s a Christian and wants to help others? Puhhleaseeeeee
Isn’t it amazing how they always make an amazing conversion in prison and then think that should get them off the hook? Why is it that people rarely have these miraculous conversions outside of prison? Oh, wait. I know. They didn’t really convert. They just want to get brownie points with society so they pretend to have “found Jesus.” In reality, they’re all the same selfish jerkwads they always were. How about finding religion BEFORE harming someone else and ending up in prison? That would be a miracle.
IMO, IF they REALLY found Jesus, they’d STAY in prison and know why they are there. They’d become model prisoners even helping / converting other prisoners who are about to be released. They’d accept the punishment for who they used to be, realize that Jesus paid a price for their sins as to rectify their relationship to God and only God; that justice still needs to be accomplished down here. They’d accept he fact that they are prisoners and Jesus wants to work with them as such.
Jesus is NOT a get out of jail free card, Jesus wants others to find him as well.
Finding Jesus should not be an act of benefit for self, but findig Jesus should be an act of love for others, namely Jesus himself and then the tough part – follow his commands.
Despite the fact that people think they ae new people, they are NOT – the Bible says (I am bad at remembering where the verse is) “The old is going and the new is coming” Not Gone and Here. So it’s a process that lasts the rest of one’s life, one is always becoming more like Christ, BUT still has scum bag thta needs to be gone. Never going to be 100% christ here in Earth, never going to be scum bag free as long as we aew in these bodies!
I remember talking about this case with my husband and reading an article about it in Reader’s Digest. It’s enough to make my blood boil. This woman went to a judge to get protection under the law and he was obviously a sexist (and maybe racist?) pig who ignored the threat she was under. She knew her husband better than anyone and if she said he was a threat, that should have been enough. And her ex-husband…how could anyone set fire to such a beautiful woman? Even with the burns, she is still a beautiful woman. I don’t buy the “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” crap. He’s a spoiled, self-aborbed, arrogant monster who never, ever deserved her or any other woman!
Both the ex-husband and the ex-judge (a lot of exes here) deserve to go straight to hell. But in the meantime, jail is a good place for the ex-husband. And every time he comes up for parole (btw, I don’t think violent offenders like this should ever be eligible for parole. Life in prison should mean life in prison!) I hope she’s there to show what he did to her. As for the ex-judge. I think he should be in prison, too. He all but said to the ex-husband, “Go ahead and light ‘er up” when he failed her, the way he failed so many other abused women. Bastard.
They’ll both burn in Hell! I think the probem with Judges is that they live lives so far removed from most people’s..they live in lovely suburbs, with their fancy houses and their fancy cars…they haven’t the first clue!! But it is up to them, because of the very nature of their jobs, to MAKE themselves aware of the kind of hard lives people lead sometimes – lives spent in real fear of pychopathic shitbags!!
And it is funny, like you said SC, how they find Jesus AFTER they commit horrific crimes. I pity Jesus, having this scum for so-called friends.
I love it when they cry during their apologies. I remember when this happened, I think. Didn’t they show the video all over the news? Well, sure is nice to see him get life in prison. I hope this woman continues to heal inside and out.
I saw this video on a talk show and it was so TERRIFYING! That bastard actually chased her outta the store to set her on fire! I am a little confused as it seems like her co-workers really could have done more, but the blame lies with him. How do u even come up with that? He’s sick and he should never get out. And if he did i would be willing to hold him down while Ms. Cade set him on fire
yeah but she probably wouldn’t strike the match. it takes a sick MF’r to do this to another human being.
As far as the co-workers go – this took them by surprise and they just could nt get their act togther fast enough.
Unless one is drilled and trained, the reaction is just not going to be there.
I think that the woman (victim here) should have tried to punish the Ex-Judge as well. I think he should have done sometime himself for this incident. If he hadn’t let him get away with it, She never would have been hurt like that. The judge or Ex-Judge is just as responsible for this happening as the man who did it.
Spousal and child abuse are no doubt the most horrendous crimes there are. Abusers really piss me off. I get so tired of hearing the bullshit excuses. No one deserves to be called names, hit, set on fire, shot, stabbed, starved – and when a person goes before a judge for a protection order, he needs to listen.
Judge Polumbo isn’t cute, he isn’t funny. I understand that some people abuse protection orders and use them to get people arrested, but the courts need to understand that it’s better to have the threat of jail than take a chance with some asshole going off the deep end.
I doubt a protection order would have helped in this case, but that doesn’t excuse the judge.
Mr. Hargrave found Jesus – so fucking what. He’s sorry about what happened – so fucking what. Bullshit, he sickens me.
If anybody is being abused in any way, please contact the YWCA, or any domestic abuse program. There is help to get you away from the abuser.
If you’re not being abused, you can donate time, money, personal hygeine products, clothes, or used cell phones to the YWCA to help get women, men, children away from abusers.
If Jesus is in prison, i dont wanna find him ….
Lol, Amy. It’s funny, if you listen to all the people that are incarcerated, you’d think that’s exactly where he’s hiding.
If you listen to all the people that are incarcerated, Jesus ain’t hiding there. He’s out in the open and saving the world, one piece of shit at a time. If these guys ever get paroled and get the right to vote, the religious right will be a shoo-in for the 2112 elections.
God save us all from the evil clutches of the Jesus freaks.
Miwist -
I do not think that by letting the prisoners out and govingthem the right to vote helps the far right as the Jesus that many of these people worship is the Jesus of the left wing.
left wing Jesus forgives, right wing Jesus forgives and demands that such never be done again.
Left wing Jesus forgives and forgets, right wing Jesus seperates the sin from the sinner, but does not change the fact that one has fucked up.
Left wing Jesus just loves, right wing Jesus says “If you love me, you’ll obey my commands”
Left wing Jesus is a big fluffy teddy bear that will accompany one to a murder scene and stil be that big fluffy teddy bear, right wing Jesus is the shepard that will scold a member of the flock.
Why do you think Islam is becoming popular in these prisons? These people do not need Teddy Bears for God, they need the God that will bring order and purpose to their lives – and if Jesus is goingto be a warm fuzzy Teddy Bear then the only peole who’ll will want him are those who’d rather live in the welfare hammock and vote for Obama!
It kind of reminds me of that Dead Milkmen tune “If you love someone better set them on fire”
“You know that it would be untrue
You know that I would be a liar
If I were to say to you
I didn’t set your house on fire
But it’s just the way I am
You’ll have to take it for a fact
Life can really burn you up
When you’re a pyromaniac
If you love somebody
Better set them on fire
I went to your house last night
Your dad called me the human torch
Got a little pissed at him
so I burned down your front porch
Now I feel a little bad
About pouring gas on your dad
But you know it’s hard to quit
And besides he started it”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fDpHSecAio
Ah. This one is local for me. I remember watching the camera video of the incident on TV. Yes and then later she went on Oprah.
I wished the guy would just kill himself because she will never have a normal life again.
BTW, you guys have been really busy.
Keep up the good work.
SIR THANK YOU SIR!!
where did my comment go?
ohh yeah it’s awaiting moderation……crazy fucking site
Sorry, I was slow on the Moderations today. It’s up now. FYI, I approve everything – Let God sort ‘em out.
What a disgusting event.
Yvette, if you happen to read this, it’s amazing that you’ve made it. I’m so sorry that your fear was ignored. You’re beautiful, despite the pain you’ve gone through and the scars he left on you. I hope you can speak to his parole board and keep him imprisoned for the rest of his life. I don’t know you, and this sounds strange, but I can read people even from pictures, and I think you’ll be okay. Thanks for standing up for yourself, it’s an inspiration. Please be strong and don’t worry too much about the future.
I agree with you latch. She is one tough lady.
I am proud to see people as disgusted by the events as I was. What threw me was the fact that people stood around and watch this happened and didn’t step in. I love to think that Mr. Hargrave will never know freedom in this life and the next.
Man, that’s seriously fucked up. She was a really pretty lady too.
I’d still date her.
Absolutely unbelievable. There are far too many monsters like her ex husband in this world. It is amazing that this woman survived. My sister wasn’t so lucky.
On December 19, 2007, my sister, Kristine Larson, was strangled to death by her ex-boyfriend and father of her son, Zachery Otis Matthews. Zachery couldn’t stand the thought of my sister moving on…it was okay for him to cheat on her repeatedly and to leave her and the child alone in their apartment without food on many occasions, etc., but it was not okay for her to move on. He had recently found out that she was starting to date someone else.
On December 19, Kristine went to pick up her two-year-old son from her dad’s house. When she got there, she was hit in the face so hard that blood spattered across the kitchen. Having successfully knocked her out, Zachery strangled her to death with a ligature that he made with a shoelace. We believe my nephew may have witnessed some, if not all, of this horrific crime.
To dispose of the evidence, Zachery loaded my sister’s body into her own car, drove it to nearby Minneapolis, parked it in an unsuspecting family’s driveway, and set it on fire. Thankfully, he wasn’t an expert arsonist, so the car and my sister’s body did not completely burn.
He was convicted of two counts of first degree murder, one count of second degree murder, and one count of tampering with a body. He now serves life in prison without the possiblity of release. We are so thankful that justice was served for my beautiful sister…we know some people aren’t so lucky.
Shit Michelle…thats…shit, i dont even know what to say. Im sorry that your sister was taken from you under such horrific circumstances.
My sister and i fight like cats and dogs, but i love her deeply. I think im gonna go call her and tell her as much…
Thanks, Amy. You actually said it perfectly. It’s shit. Yes, go call your sister and give her a big hug next time you see her…I would fight with my sister every single day if it was what I had to do to have her here alive.
hmm…ya ever get the feeling there will be more Christians in hell then in Heaven? I mean…how many death row/lifers become Christian? I know God forgives all, but damn…I’d rather be wherever they aren’t personally.
Judge Polumbo: “I’d like to be six-foot-five, but that’s not what we do here,”
What a total asshole, I almost laugh. Not being able to consumate a marriage is grounds for a divorce. Yet suspicion that your new love may attempt to burn you alive isn’t? Weird. My husband can’t get a boner – “Divorce Granted!” I have reason to believe my husband is going to egnite me – “Excuse me mam, but fuck you – sort it out.”
Kind of a backwards justice system we have here. Yes, people are lunatics but in almost every story I’ve read here, there was always a chance for prevention with all of the foresight.
She must’ve had some good loving for him to want to burn her up.
He thought of her being with another guy, and showing this new guy tricks that they shared. It was so painful that he thought he should just get rid of her.
“If I can’t have that good loving, no one can!”
Wow you would think a guy who’s weapon of choice is gasoline and a match would be on some kind of medication or in an institute. How a guy like this existed in society this long without commiting any other serious crimes is a mystery.
That guy’s head should be on a post right now.
the judge should go to hell to!
(Writer’s note: Had the people in the store stepped in and tried to help it might have gone a little better for Ms. Cade)
Excuse me,but I saw the video,and they didn’t have TIME to respond to what was happening.Not to mention they could have become victims themselves,as obviously the man was hell bent on revenge.They did however,put the fire out,or it may have been much worse.Ms Cade is lucky to have been in the presence of such brave and unselfish people.
On another note,that Judge Polumbo should have his pension revoked.Sounds to me like he was a woman hater.But that’s another subject!
In the ‘ Deserve Hell ‘ column, you should have put in Richard A. Palumbo too. Hargrave and Palumbo deserve hell together but that’s just my opinion.
You’re right Coolidge74, I should have made that an option. Polumbo is as guilty as Hargrave in this case, there’s no doubt about it. Blame it on me being new to the editor’s job and my lack of imagination at the time.
I’ve been watching your comments man, and I like your honesty and point of view. Hope you continue to come here and let us know what you’re thinking.