Ohio man who fled to South Carolina after stabbing wife pleads guilty, sentenced

A man who fled to South Carolina after stabbing his wife to death admitted his crime Monday before the case went to trial.

Charles Rocker, 56, pleaded guilty to one count of murder in Franklin County Common Pleas Court. Judge Chris Brown sentenced Rocker to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 15 years.

As part of a plea agreement in the case, a second charge of murder and charges of domestic violence and tampering with evidence were dismissed, court records show.

Rocker fatally stabbed his wife, 58-year-old Lisa Rocker on Oct. 24, 2022 before driving to South Carolina.

A relative went to the Rockers' home on the 4800 block of Carbondale Drive that evening to check on Lisa Rocker. That relative found her unresponsive in the garage and believed her husband killed her, according to court records.

Paramedics who responded to the scene pronounced her dead. An autopsy determined she had been stabbed several times.

Charles Rocker went to Charleston, South Carolina, where police said he stole a vehicle. South Carolina police pursued him, and he swerved off of the road and crashed before being taken into custody.

Police there said he made statements that he was trying to kill himself because he was wanted for murder in Ohio. He later admitted to killing his wife in an interview with Ohio detectives who went to South Carolina to interview him, according to court records.