The NFL is bountiful in many ways and in the second edition of Serial Killer Sunday we will discuss when true crime meets the gridiron in the form of another league affiliated serial killer.
The first edition of Serial Killer Sunday discussed Randall Woodfield. He is usually the first in the NFL you will hear about and is covered often. But Randy was the typical remorseless psychopathic serial killer who both hates and loves his mom way too much and takes that out on womenkind (Ed Kemper, Ted Bundy, David Berkowitz, Fred and Rose West, Mary Bell, etc.) This article will cover the far more complex individual that is the often overlooked member of the NFL’s serial killer roster.
The serial killer origin story
In this case, there isn’t one. Few things are known about Robert Rozier Jr’s upbringing other than that he was born in Alaska, and was raised in California. The young man attended college in Washington and California despite an incredibly low high school GPA of 1.32, and no diploma. Robert was described as a military brat, and an talented athlete in both high school and college.
Gridiron gigs:
Rozier was a bit of a athletic prodigy. In high school at Cordova High in California, the teen was crowned the “all-league, all-conference, all-Northern California” player as a defensive end. After a short stint at Grays Harbor College in Washington to sort out not having a diploma, Robert was recruited by Berkeley. He was described as “the best athlete of the team” by his team captain there. This is the one quote any former teammates, friends or family expressed publicly about Rozier.
Rozier was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 9th round as the 228th pick overall in 1979. He played in 6 games, as an defensive end. He was allegedly let go due to problematic behaviors and moved on to the Canadian Football League in 1980, playing for two different teams that year. Rozier then returned to the states to sign with the Oakland Raiders, a team known for collecting troublemakers. He was a Raider for approximately two weeks.
Check it
There’s little detail about what the rumored crimes were that had Robert pink slipped by the Cardinals – just drug use and “petty” crimes.
However, it is known that Rozier’s short career in the CFL was peppered with bad checks. $20-30 thousand worth. He was issued 32 warrants for fraud in Canada as of 1986. Back in the day checks used to be a main form of payment before credit cards became the norm in the early 2000’s. Most checks for regular every day purchases weren’t verified on site. The account information was read off the check and the store reached out to the bank. This often took at least a few days, hence the use of a “check book” to keep track of your account balance. It was easy to bounce checks, although not typically for that amount.
Conversion and crime
In 1982, Robert discovered the Temple of Love in Miami. After serving a six-month jail sentence for unspecified crimes, Rozier moved in Yahweh ben Yahweh’s temple. There he was renamed “Neariah Israel” which can be translated as “Child of God.”
Yahweh ben Yahweh was the leader of The Nation of Yahweh – a belief system that still exists today.
Mr. Yahweh was born into a family of 15 children, raised by his Pentecostal preacher father. After being in the military, and law school, Yahweh became a member of the Nation of Islam in the early 1960’s. He was removed from the group in the late 1960’s due to alleged embezzlement and unseemly physical acts against children. Yahweh ben Yahweh decided to change directions and become a prosperity preacher for about 10 years until he was sued for fraud by his congregation and his business partner was the victim of a homicide.
At this point, Yahweh ben Yahweh moved to Miami and recruited members into his new creation: the Nation of Yahweh. He declared himself the Son of God and spiritual head of the Nation.
Mr. Yahweh’s belief system has a main tenant that African Americans are the original Israelites and should return to Israel as God’s chosen people. The Nation of Yahweh should not be mistaken with other Black Hebrew Israelite Groups. It is important not to attribute the beliefs of the Nation of Yahweh to the many groups that Mr. Yahweh pulled inspiration from and formed into his own religious movement.
Described as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Nation allegedly has anti-Semitic views and other racially motivated prejudices, including a worrying sense of supremacy. Yahweh’s inner circle, the brotherhood, allegedly were required to take a person of European descents life and bring back a body part to become a member of this elite group.
This is where we find Robert Rozier, entering the brotherhood in 1986.
His debut taking of life occurred when he followed a drunk man home and attacked the man and his roommate. His next endeavor included finding and ending the life of a man passed out in his car in a bar parking lot with another member of the group. They collected an ear to bring back to Mr. Yahweh, lost it, and had to return for the other one.
Ultimately. Rozier was arrested at an apartment complex for discharging his firearm into two residents in late 1986. While being interrogated by the police, Robert confessed to 7 deaths, and was ultimately convicted of 4. Rozier was unwell when he was arrested, claiming he was 404 years old and couldn’t remember life before he joined the Nation of Yahweh.
Mr. Rozier received a sentence of 22 years, which he only served 10 years of due to testifying against Yahweh ben Yahweh in court. He was paroled and given a new identify by the witness protection program.
Next steps
Post-prison sentence, Robert kept his nose clean and was violence free. He even expressed remorse for his actions. Rozier shared that he has embraced death free spiritualism and entrepreneurial pursuits – he owned his own auto detailing business and worked in web design while raising two children.
Unfortunately, Rozier wasn’t able to stay on the straight and narrow for long. Three years later in 1999, Robert was caught bouncing checks again. It started with $66 for car repairs, and upon police investigation turned into a trail of $2,200 worth of bad checks.
What would be a misdemeanor was treated as a felony due to the then new three strikes law in California, and Robert was sentenced to 25 to life.
Rozier is currently in prison right now at Mule Creek State Prison. If that facility name sounds familiar it’s because Scott Peterson is currently in that facility and other infamous characters like Lyle Menendez, Suge Knight, and Tex Watson have lived there in the past. Robert was eligible for a parole hearing this year, but was denied. He can retry in 2027.
That’s all she wrote on Robert Rozier.
What about Yahweh?
The Nation of Yahweh did many good things for the Miami community. Many restoration projects in low-income, African American communities in the Miami area were facilitated by the Nation. Yahweh ben Yahweh was given a Humanitarian Award in 1987 for his work in the community, and was even awarded a holiday ‘Yahweh ben Yahweh Day‘ in 1990 by the then Mayor. Yahweh also stimulated the Miami economy by creating a multi-millionaire empire. The group owned hotels, grocery stores, apartments, schools, buses, and Rolls Royce vehicles.
These good deeds were overshadowed by the dark side of the Nation of Yahweh by 1992. There was a trail of earless dead white men, firebombing, and the head a person who didn’t appreciate the group separated from their body with a dull machete. Eventually this led officials to the group.
Between the debauchery that was nearly exclusive to the brotherhood, and truth bombs about the “Son of God” revealed in the 1992 trial (a alleged pension for taking life, defrauding underage girls, and federal racketeering) turned most of the members away. Yahweh was sentenced to 18 years in prison, and served 9 years for his transgressions, before being paroled in 2001. He was barred from speaking with his former Nation of Yahweh followers, and died quietly in 2007 of prostate cancer.
The group still exists today although the numbers are significantly depleted, and almost all the assets are gone. The group no longer says the controversial parts out loud, but the belief system is allegedly very much the same. Mr. Yahweh is still considered the Messiah to the group.
Yahweh ben Yahweh was considered incredibly controlling of his congregation. The leader dictated everything down to clothing worn and who could sleep with who. Former member Khalil Amani writes a very visceral and uncensored version of his time with the group. He described the brainwashing Yahweh was so good at, and the leaders’ Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde nature. Amani also shares his esteemed position in Yahweh’s inner circle where he was labeled a “spiritual son” and “elder,” that awarded him his own temple to run in New Jersey. His full article can be found here. This offers a unique perspective on the group that Robert Rozier was a member of during his serial killing journey.
