Summary

A COURT RULES THAT BOOK PROCEEDS FROM THE U-F MURDER CASE MUST GO INTO THE STATE'S VICTIM RESTITUTION FUND.

Source CONUS Archive
Record ID 174721
Story Slug Crime Money
Location Gainesville, FL
Format PKG*
Date 12/02/1999
Archive Time 6:58
TRT 1:33
Supers File / December 5, 1997 Starke, FL Rod Smith / State Attorney Dianna Hoyt / Christa Hoyt's Stepmother Ann Garren Christa Hoyt's Gary Mattingly / Reporting
Video Description PEOPLE IN COURT; SMITH SOT; PEOPLE IN COURT; HOYT SOT; PEOPLE IN COURT; VICTIM'S PARK; GARREN SOT; VICTIM'S PARK;
Description A COURT RULES THAT BOOK PROCEEDS FROM THE U-F MURDER CASE MUST GO INTO THE STATE'S VICTIM RESTITUTION FUND.
Script LEAD: THE STATE OF FLORIDA WINS ANOTHER VICTORY AGAINST DANNY ROLLING. FIRST... THEY CONVICTED AND SENTENCED HIM TO DEATH FOR THE GAINESVILLE MURDERS. NOW... PROSECUTORS HAVE SUCCESSFULLY ARGUED THAT THE STATE SHOULD GET THE ROYALTIES FROM A BOOK ROLLING AND HIS FORMER FIANCEE WROTE ABOUT ROLLING'S LIFE. REPORTER GARY MATTINGLY HAS THE DETAILS. --------------------------TAKE PKG----------------------------- TWO YEARS AGO.... A CIRCUIT COURT JUDGE AGREED WITH STATE PROSECUTORS THAT FLORIDA SHOULD GET MORE THAN 15 THOUSAND DOLLARS. THAT MONEY WAS GENERATED BY THEN-FIANCEE SONDRA LONDON. THE COURT MAINTAINS SHE WAS ACTING ON THE CONVICTED KILLER'S BEHALF WHEN SHE EARNED MONEY FROM BOOKS AND STORIES ABOUT THE 1990 MURDERS. HOWEVER... THE STATE NEVER COLLECTED THAT MONEY. BUT JUDGE ELZIE SANDERS ORDERED THE MONEY OUT OF ESCROW AND GIVEN TO THE STATE. SOT: "The law means what it is. You cannot create a subterfuge by which you or a friend can commit a horrible crime and profit from it." LONDON WAS NOT PRESENT FOR THE HEARING BUT DID JOIN THE PROCEEDING BY TELECONFERENCE. LONDON DENIES SHE MADE ANY MONEY OFF ROLLING SINCE HIS CONVICTION. NEVERTHELESS... SOME OF THE VICTIMS' RELATIVES ARE HAPPY TO SEE WHAT THEY CALL PROFITEERING STOP. SOT: "This was taken away from her and maybe she will be stopped and that's what we're really wanting is that this kind of thing that's put out... profit being made off of crimes by the criminals is stopped. It's victimization all over again." WHILE THE MONEY NOW BELONGS TO THE STATE IT IS TURNING TO THE VICTIM'S FAMILIES TO DECIDE WHAT TO DO WITH IT. SOME ARE SUGGESTING THAT ENHANCEMENTS BE MADE TO GAINESVILLE'S VICTIMS PARK... NAMELY RECREATING THE 34TH STREET WALL THAT NOW SERVES AS A REMINDER OF THOSE TRAGIC DAYS IN 1990. SOT: "It's a part of them. So if we could like duplicate it over at the the victim's park.... that would always be a reminder of the love that somebody had for our kids." ------------------------------- END PKG----------------------------- TAG: AS PART OF YESTERDAY'S RULING... THE 15-THOUSAND DOLLARS WILL BE TEMPORARILY TRANSFERRED TO A CRIMES COMPENSATION FUND. SONDRA LONDON MUST PROVIDE AN ACCOUNTING OF ALL ASSETS RESULTING FROM DANNY ROLLING'S STORY. AND... SHE MUST PROVIDE THAT ACCOUNTING EVERY SIX MONTHS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.
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