Roger Elam

Roger Elam Case

UPDATE: Although we successfully stopped Roger Elam’s parole several times, the Ohio Parole Board granted Elam parole and released him on September 28, 2015. Per Roberta’s Law he will be under supervision for five years. We continue to believe Elam’s release places an incredible risk to the community. We thank everyone who submitted a petition to keep Roger Elam in prison.

Roger Elam Case Details

Roger Elam’s victims were a nine-year-old boy and the boy’s mother. Elam coerced the boy to come to Elam’s home. After they arrived, Elam forced the boy to perform fellatio on him. When he was finished, Elam forced the nine-year-old child to perform cunnilingus on Elam’s own girlfriend. The boy reported that Elam strangled him and told him he would kill him if he “hollered.” Despite that, the boy screamed. While the boy’s mother attempted to locate him, she heard him screaming. She entered Elam’s residence and Elam struck her in the head with a nightstick. The child further disclosed that Elam told him that if he got out of jail, he would kill him.

Roger Elam was found guilty by jury of Felonious Assault, Rape with a specification of force or threat of force, Kidnapping and Complicity to Sexual Battery. Elam received a life sentence for raping the boy and an additional two-year prison term for causing the child to engage in sex acts with Elam’s girlfriend. Those sentences were to run consecutively (back to back). Elam received an additional three to fifteen years for assaulting the boy’s mother. That sentence was to run concurrently (at the same time) with the life sentence.

Elam was examined by the Center for Forensic Psychiatry in 1985. He blamed the child victim for what had transpired. He claimed the nine-year-old boy entered his home without permission and child performed cunnilingus on Elam’s girlfriend of his own accord. He denied engaging in any sex acts with the boy.

To make matters worse, Elam somehow convinced a judge that he was not a sexual predator. This means when he was set free, no one in the community would be notified of his release.

No Parole

Roger Elam’s conduct was perverted and violent. He made it clear to his nine-year-old victim that if released from incarceration, he would kill him. Releasing Roger Elam at any point would pose a tremendous risk to Elam’s victims and would demean his cruelty to them. In addition, releasing Elam would endanger the entire community, especially young children. To further the interests of justice and to protect society, we believe Roger Elam should be required to serve the full LIFE sentence he was given after being found guilty by a jury of his peers. We urge the Ohio Parole Board to give Elam the maximum ten-year continuance until his next parole hearing,

To view Roger Elam’s page on the Ohio sex offender registry, click here.