Bakersfield woman accused of murdering Clovis 'gentle giant'

CLOVIS, Calif. (KFSN) -- Clovis police believe they solved their fifth murder of the year by arresting a Bakersfield woman.

Mary Sanchez is accused of killing Steven Rogers, with whom she had a dating relationship, according to police.

Nicole Rogers tells Action News her dad was a 'gentle giant' or a 'surprise softy' who, because of his name, was predictably sometimes known as Mr. Rogers or Captain America.

She made the call to police that led to his discovery six days ago.

Clovis police forced their way into Steven Rogers' home Saturday after his daughter hadn't heard from him in several days.

Once inside, they found exactly what she feared.

"Mr. Rogers lived in that home by himself and based on our preliminary investigation, he had been dead for several days," said Sgt. Jim Koch of the Clovis Police Department.

Rogers was 67 years old and a cancer survivor, but his daughter says he still had a lot of life and relatives who lived well past 100.

He recently retired after working in the oil industry, in human resources for a medical company, in pool cleaning, and as a business consultant.

Rogers was athletic, a former baseball player who loved the ocean.

He loved camping too. His favorite spot was the Crystal Springs campground in Sequoia National Park and he recently made a memorable camping trip with his kids and grandkids.

"To get everybody here together, to actually have everybody in one place and to get to go on that hike or go on that walk, that is my absolute favorite memory of him," Nicole Rogers said.

She knew there was trouble in her father's relationship with 57-year-old Mary Sanchez, including accusations of Sanchez committing theft and making threats.

But Nicole says her father was in good spirits when she saw him for Thanksgiving.

He had a good time watching the Raiders game and brought his own to-go boxes for leftovers.

Nicole eventually wants to know exactly what happened and why, but for now her dad's death barely seems real.

"I'm going to miss talking to him the most," she said. "We talked a lot. He was my best friend."

Police haven't revealed the manner of Rogers's death.

But they arrested Sanchez Thursday and booked her on a murder charge.

Her bail is set at $1 million.