FIVE DESPICABLE PEOPLE WE SHOULDN'T FORGET

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1. JEREMY STROHMEYER

On May 25, 1997 eighteen year old Jeremy Strohmeyer followed seven year old Sherrice Iverson into the women's bathroom of the Primadonna Hotel and Casino, forced her into a stall, then molested and strangled her to stifle her cries.  Once finished, he noticed she was still breathing, so he twisted her neck until he heard a popping noise and left her there to die.

2. DAVID CASH JR.

David Cash Jr, then 17, was Strohmeyer's friend and was with him in the casino of at the time of Sherrice Iverson's murder.  In fact, he walked into the women's bathroom and peered over the stall to find Strohmeyer choking seven year old Iverson with one hand and fondling her with the other.  He didn't intervene.  Instead, he left the bathroom and waited for Strohmeyer to emerge, after which his friend confessed to molesting and killing the girl.  Cash was never charged in the crime as he didn't actually do anything wrong.  However, his failure to intervene on the young girl's behalf was decried by the public and helped to put into effect "good samaritan" laws that would force an innocent bystander to be held partly accountable in the event they failed to speak up in the midst of a crime in progress.

3. CHARLES ROTHENBERG

On March 3rd, 1983 six year old David Rothenberg was sleeping in a hotel room near Disneyland when his father Charles Rothenberg, 42,  doused the room with three gallons of kerosene, lit a match and left his son to die.  Young David was burned over 90% of his body and given only 24 hours to live.  His father was convicted of attempted murder and was sentenced to 13 years in prison.  He was released in 1990 after serving just 6 1/2 years.  Subsequent criminal activity resulted in his being sentenced to 25 years to life under California's three strikes law.  His son David was forced to undergo excruciating treatments and literally grew out of his skin every year.  He is still alive -- though severely disfigured -- and lives in Provo, Utah.

4. CHARLES H. KEATING

Charles Keating was responsible for one of the biggest savings and loan scandals in the last century.  Despite his squeaky clean public persona and moral standing, Keating engaged in "one of the most heartless and cruel frauds in modern memory." As head of Lincoln Savings & Loan, he instructed customers to sell their federally insured certificates of deposit in exchange for the riskier, higher yield bond certificates of American Continental -- knowing full well the bonds were insolvent.  Meanwhile, he enriched himself on the backs of these people and by the time the whole mess imploded, the bondholders held losses of upward of $288,000,000.  He was convicted and sentenced to ten years in prison (the maximum sentence allowed).  He is still alive at the age of 88.

5. ROBERT BLAKE

In May of 2001, actor Robert Blake known for his role as televsion's Baretta and classic movies such as In Cold Blood and Electra Glide in Blue, took his then wife, Bonnie Lee Bakely, to Vitello's Italian Restaurant in Studio City.  Shortly after dinner, Bakely was shot in the head while sitting in their car.  Blake was charged with the murder, but was acquitted in 2002.  He was subsequently held liable in the wrongful death suit and was ordered to pay 30 million dollars.  Blake filed for bankruptcy and told the press he was going to buy a camper and go "cowboying."  Little has been heard from his since and many believe he is criminally responsible for the murder of his gold-digging wife.