The Chilling Case of Charles Rothenberg: A Father’s Attempted Murder of His Son

Charles Rothenberg is serving a life sentence for the 1983 motel attack that nearly killed his six-year-old son. After giving the boy sedatives, Rothenberg doused the bed in kerosene and set it alight. His son survived but suffered burns over 90% of his body. A native of New York, Rothenberg first received 13 years behind bars for the fire. Upon release, he was convicted on weapons charges in California and sentenced to an additional 25 years. He has also faced credit card fraud, armed robbery and threats against a prosecutor. Rothenberg married in the mid-1970s and divorced amid claims of domestic violence. His crimes and their aftermath inspired a TV movie based on his ex-wife’s memoir. His only child, David, passed away in 2018, and Rothenberg’s net worth remains undisclosed.

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