Believing his girlfriend of five months engaged in affairs with other men, Rodney Lyn Oglesby worked himself into an October 2005 tizzy. It didn’t help that one night after Karen Corbin’s shift at Wal-Mart she refused to return to the couple’s home, a room at the Crest Motel on seedy West Lincoln in Anaheim. Corbin’s act of defiance was understandable. A calm Oglesby had called her at work to say that her gray and white striped, three-month-old kitten had hissed at him and, in retaliation, he’d broken the kitten’s neck.
(Later, the killing would lead to the following priceless exchange in court between a prosecutor and Anaheim police officer Cheryl Lynn Murphy: Prosecutor: Did you find the cat inside the Dumpster? Murphy: Yes. Prosecutor: Can you describe what the cat looked like? Murphy: It looked dead.)
When Corbin arrived home the next morning by bus, Oglesby decided he knew the reason for her absence. She’d stayed away to sleep with another man, he insisted. He also described how he’d shaken her kitten to death and left its corpse to grow cold on the floor before tossing it, and its toys, in the trash.
“He was angry,” Corbin testified. “He was mad. He tore up the room.”
A frightened Corbin went to the motel manager’s office hoping he’d call police. He said no. That’s when 5-foot-6, 181-pound Oglesby showed up, ordered her back to their room and began pulling her by the arm in the parking lot. She sat down on the ground. Oglesby pretended to walk away, spun around and kicked her in her left eye. The blow was so powerful it fractured her face bone and caused severe bleeding. He then dragged her by her hair, tearing out huge clumps, repeatedly punched her face and called her a bitch.
The lunchtime scene prompted several bystanders to call 911. One, a neighbor named Cisco, ran to Corbin’s rescue and said, “That’s enough!” Oglesby responded by accusing Cisco of sleeping with his girlfriend too, cursed more and attempted to flee responding police on a bicycle.
During court proceedings, Oglesby—sent to Alabama prisons twice in the 1990s for committing felonies, including burglary—employed the insanity defense. He has a “a significant and severe organic impairment in his brain,” declared his court-appointed lawyer. But after multiple psychiatric evaluations (at public expense), Judge Gary Paer ruled the 42-year-old competent enough to face charges. Oglesby accepted a plea deal. For multiple acts of stupidity including domestic violence and cruelty to an animal, he’s spending six years in a California prison.
(Every Wednesday at OCWeekly.com, discover the depths of human depravity in Orange County, California.)
-- R. Scott Moxley
May 7, 2008 12:01
WOW! Congrats again to the OC Weekly.... as week 2 announces another monster, Rodney Lyn Oglesby, to share the spotlight with Gustavo Palmas Reyes, one living in Orange County must wonder why the Orange County District Attorney's Office failed to provide public disclosure and facts relating to these citizens.
In the interests of justice, safety and equality, what is the criteria to issue a public relations press release? Both of these monsters received little to no press coverage.
May 8, 2008 00:45
I love stories from the Lincoln whore motels!
CAN'T WAIT FOR NEXT WEEK!
May 8, 2008 10:19
Mr Oglesby is truly a lucky boy to be a guest of the state of California. Here in Texas, animal cruelty like that is felony good for 10 yrs and and that level of domestic violence would be good for another 10. Plus, Texans are allowed to respond to that level of violence with deadly force and some of us are armed. So, Rodney - come on down and visit.
May 8, 2008 17:41
I'm sure it's daddy's fault.
May 10, 2008 13:47
So you are publicizing terrible behavior each week for what reason? If it bleeds it leads? Why is this again? I guess the question is are you upset about killing the cat or the brutal attack or the girl?
May 10, 2008 16:09
Yes, please make all news nice and sweet and wrapped in a bow for fragile people