ANNAPOLIS, Md. — A convicted murderer in one of the most notorious criminal cases in Maryland history could be released early, despite strong opposition from victim rights advocates.
Jerry Lee Beatty, 59, made his case to a Judge in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court to reduce his life sentence under the Juvenile Restoration Act, a bi-partisan law passed in 2021 last week.
The law allows defendants convicted as minors to file a motion requesting a sentence reduction after serving at least 20 years of incarceration. It also bans children and teens from receiving a life sentence without the possibility for parole.
Beatty was 17 at the time when he and 26-year-old Jack Jones kidnapped, raped and murdered 22-year-old Stephanie Roper, a college student whose car broke down on a rural Maryland road in Prince George's County in April 1982.
Investigators say the pair offered to give her a ride, then sexually assaulted her and took her to an abandoned house in St. Mary's County. Roper made an unsuccessful attempt to escape before she was murdered, her body later dismembered and set on fire.
The case made headlines due to the "horrific" nature of the crime, according to Executive Director of Maryland Crime Victims Resource Center Kurt Wolfgang.
Prosecutors sought the death penalty, leading to a change in venue for both defendants. Beatty's case was heard in Anne Arundel County and Jones in Baltimore County.
Both defendants were ultimately sentenced to life in prison.
The case, due to the efforts of her parents Roberta and Vincent Roper, led to significant strides for victim's rights state and nationwide. But advocates, like Wolfgang, believe that the JRA undermines those advancements.
"There are crimes which when a person commits them they should never see the light of day and this is one of them," Wolfgang said.
Baltimore County State's Attorney Scott Shellenberger (D) opposed the bill when it was under consideration by the General Assembly.
"There just needs to be a point in time where I can say to a victim it's over and unfortunately you can't do that here in the state of Maryland," he said.
Former Governor Larry Hogan also vetoed the legislation, but was overridden.
Since it was enacted, 50 people have been released early according to Maryland public defender Lila Meadows.
"Children are really different and we have to think about them differently in our criminal legal system and that's what the Juvenile Restoration Act does. It recognizes that children are capable of incredible rehabilitation and that when they do that, when they are rehabilitated, there should be an opportunity for them to rejoin the community," she said.
Judges have to consider 11 factors when deciding whether or not to grant the sentence reduction, including victim impact statements and whether or not the offender poses a public safety risk.
Brian Saccenti, Beatty's attorney, provided the following statement:
"Mr. Beatty is a model example of how a young person who commits a very serious crime can mature into a caring, responsible, law-abiding adult. As an abandoned 17-year-old, he was taken in by the 26-year-old man who initiated the crimes committed against Ms. Roper that terrible night. Ashamed and remorseful, Mr. Beatty has spent the 42+ years of his incarceration dedicating himself to becoming a better person. At 59, he is now a college graduate with a history of positive work experiences, ongoing sobriety, and a deep religious faith. While he will always live with the shame and remorse of his crimes, Mr. Beatty exemplifies the redemption and transformation that led the Legislature to overwhelmingly pass the Juvenile Restoration Act."
"I am very hopeful that anyone who commits such offenses finds some internal reconciliation and rehabilitates themselves, but that has nothing to do with if they should step on free soil," Wolfgang said.
Meanwhile, Meadows says many who have been released under the JRA are making positive changes in their community such as becoming violence interrupters.
The ultimate goal being to end the cycle of violence and preventing people from becoming victims in the first place, Meadows says.
"They think about 'what would it have taken to divert me from this path as a kid? What didn't I have that I needed?'" she explains. "They're out there in the community and they're providing those things to young people now that they wish they had."
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A judge has yet to rule on Beatty's petition. It could take several weeks or even months, according to Wolfgang, due to an ongoing State Supreme Court case.
In Baltimore County, there have been 16 eligible cases, seven were denied, three never applied and five were granted but only four were released from prison. According to the State's Attorney's Office two of the four have pending violations of probation.
There is one pending decision for Benjamin Garris' request. Garris was 16-years-old in 1995 when he escaped from a hospital, where he stabbed a nurse to death and led investigators on a three-week manhunt.
He was convicted of first-degree murder.
Shellenberger says his office opposed his release.
