EP. 209 - MARYLAND: The Torture Murder of 22-Year-Old Stephanie Roper

In today's bonus episode of the show, we examine an incredibly brutal, and strikingly random act of violence that unfolded in a small community in the heart of Maryland. Stephanie Roper was only 22 years old on the fateful April night when her car broke down on the side of the road. And what happened next, was straight out of a nightmare- Listen to our new show, "THE CONSPIRACY FILES"!: -Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5IY9nWD2MYDzlSYP48nRPl -Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-conspiracy-files/id1752719844 -Amazon/Audible - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/ab1ade99-740c-46ae-8028-b2cf41eabf58/the-conspiracy-files -Pandora - https://www.pandora.com/podcast/the-conspiracy-files/PC:1001089101 -iHeart - https://iheart.com/podcast/186907423/ -PocketCast - https://pca.st/dpdyrcca -CastBox - https://castbox.fm/channel/id6193084?country=us - Stay Connected: Join the Murder in America fam in our free Facebook Community for a behind-the-scenes look, more insights and current events in the true crime world: https://www.facebook.com/groups/4365229996855701 If you want even more Murder in America bonus content, including ad-free episodes, come join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/murderinamerica Instagram: http://instagram.com/murderinamerica/ Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/people/Murder-in-America-Podcast/100086268848682/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MurderInAmerica TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theparanormalfiles and https://www.tiktok.com/@courtneybrowen Feeling spooky? Follow Colin as he travels state to state (and even country to country!) investigating claims of extreme paranormal activity and visiting famous haunted locations on The Paranormal Files Official Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheParanormalFilesOfficialChannel - (c) BLOOD IN THE SINK PRODUCTIONS 2025 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Colin Brown?

  Warning: The following podcast is not suitable for all audiences. We go into great detail with every case that we cover and do our best to bring viewers even deeper into the stories by utilizing disturbing audio and sound effects.

• 0:12Courtney Brown?

  Trigger warnings from the stories we cover may include violence, rape, murder, and offenses against children.

• 0:18Colin Brown?

  This podcast is not for everyone. You have been warned.

• 0:22Courtney Brown?

  Our story starts in 1982, about 30 minutes outside of Washington DC, in the town of Brandywine, Maryland. In the early morning hours of April 3rd, a 22-year-old college student named Stephanie Ann Roper was driving home after a night of fun with her friends in DC. It was dark out. She was the only person on the road at the time, and tragically, along the way,

• 0:51Courtney Brown?

  Stephanie swerved her orange Dodge off the road, perhaps to avoid hitting an animal. But when she did, she went into a ditch and accidentally hit a tree stump. When she tried to start her engine again, it wouldn't turn over.

• 1:09Courtney Brown?

  And in the days before cellphones, Stephanie found herself stranded on a desolate road in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by dense forest. Her only options were to wait in her car until someone stopped to help, or she could walk and try to find the nearest phone so she could call her parents. But just as she was weighing her options, she saw headlights coming down the road. The car even slowed down when they saw her. Stephanie breathed a sigh of relief as she had finally found some help. But tragically, this was not a good Samaritan.

• 1:52Courtney Brown?

  And after getting into their vehicle, she would never be seen alive again.

• 1:59Courtney Brown?

  So this is the story of Stephanie Roper. But it's also about a family who stopped at nothing to make sure that victims of homicide had a voice. I'm Courtney Brown.

• 2:12Colin Brown?

  And I'm Colin Brown.

• 2:14Courtney Brown?

  And you're listening to Murder in America.

• 3:17Colin Brown?

  Stephanie Ann Roper was born on January 18, 1960, in Montgomery County, Maryland. She was the first child of Vincent and Roberta Roper. The couple had met on a blind date in 1957 and were immediately smitten. By the next year, they were married, and two years after, Stephanie was born. And as soon as they saw her, they fell in love. Stephanie was a beautiful baby with big brown eyes and a smile that stole their hearts. And over the years, their family would grow. After Stephanie, they had Sharon, then Brian, Daniel, and finally, Peter. And according to Vincent and Roberta, Stephanie was a great big sister, and they had a very kind and happy home.

• 4:00Colin Brown?

  Now, during their childhood, Vincent worked in the Navy. He served his country for more than 30 years before his retirement as captain. But as we know, military families usually have to move around a lot, and that was definitely the case for the Ropers. Over the years, they moved all around to places like Hawaii, California, Rhode Island, and even London.

• 4:28Courtney Brown?

  Now Stephanie Roper was beautiful, intelligent, and artistically gifted. During their time in London, the Roper family lived at this old farmhouse surrounded by apple trees. Stephanie would sit outside for hours sketching portraits of the landscape. From a young age, she was inspired by artists like Georgia O’Keeffe. Art was her favorite thing in the world, something she got from her mother. Roberta had gone to college for art education, so the two really bonded over it. They loved doing crafts together. Roberta also said that Stephanie was very mature for her age, and being the oldest,

• 5:11Courtney Brown?

  she was a very responsible child. In those early years, when her siblings were all really young, Stephanie was a huge help around the house. With Vincent away at sea, she would help clean up and take care of her brothers and sisters. Roberta recalled that back in London, quote, "I was running around frantically trying to get everything done, and I’m calling to Stephanie, ‘Stephanie, do this, Stephanie, do that.’ And finally, she puts her hands on her hips. ‘I’m only 12 years old, I’m still a kid. Can I go outside and play?’ she asked.

• 5:52Courtney Brown?

  In an interview with The Washington Times in 1993, Roberta admitted, quote, "I remember that glimmer was there from the earliest days. I had to compare her to the other kids because all my children are precious to me. I used to joke with Stephanie. I’d tell her, ‘You didn’t prepare us for the other kids. The others were normal. She was not. She had that rare ability to do a lot of things and do them extremely well, yet not make people envious. She brought out the best in people.’ And that’s exactly how her friends described her as well. They would later say that anytime she started a conversation with someone, she made them

• 6:36Courtney Brown?

  feel heard and important."

• 6:40Courtney Brown?

  But she could also be really introspective. She kept a journal and often wrote down her innermost thoughts and feelings. But more than anything, Stephanie was such a bright light in their lives. Roberta would later say, quote, "I was once asked if there was a word, a single word, a single word that would describe Stephanie, and that word is sunshine, because she was sunshine in an often gray, dreary world."

• 7:14Colin Brown?

  By the mid 70s, Vincent found out that he was going to be stationed in Washington, DC, and this time it was permanent. So the family left London and made their way back to their home state of Maryland. They ended up purchasing a Dutch colonial home on five acres of land in the affluent area of Prince George's County. From there, the kids started getting accustomed to their new life. Roberta even decided to complete her college degree and worked part-time as an art teacher at a local school. Up until this point, she had been a full-time stay-at-home mom, but now that her children were getting older, she wanted to do something for herself. But Roberta was still very active in her children's lives.

• 7:56Colin Brown?

  She worked on the PTA board, she volunteered with the Girl Scouts, and she taught Sunday School at Holy Rosary Catholic Church. By all accounts, the Ropers were a close-knit, middle-class, all-American family. According to Roberta, these were the good days. She said that their lives were enchanted, and they were.

• 8:20Courtney Brown?

  Stephanie Roper was very intelligent, and throughout her schooling, her teachers were always very impressed with her. Not only did she make good grades, but she was also a natural leader. Her mom would later say, quote, "I was sure she'd do something good in this world," end quote. By 1978, Stephanie graduated from Sutland High School, and from there, she wanted to continue her education in art. She and her parents looked around at different colleges, and ultimately, she decided on Frostburg State College in Western Maryland. It seemed like the perfect fit for her. It was affordable, a smaller school with a good art program,

• 9:04Courtney Brown?

  and it was a three-hour drive from her parents' house, so not too close but not too far. That summer, Stephanie spent time with her family and friends preparing for the journey ahead. She was so excited to further her artistic abilities, and hopefully, if all worked out well, she could turn it into a career. She would later write in her journal just how much art meant to her, writing, quote, "I think drawing is a way to think out loud. It's a cleansing process. For me, it is much the same as writing a personal letter to a friend," end quote. Now, towards the end of summer in 1978,

• 9:50Courtney Brown?

  Stephanie packed up her things, said goodbye to her home, her parents, and her siblings, and she started her freshman year at Frostburg State.

• 10:02Colin Brown?

  Like any parent sending their oldest child to college for the first time, Vincent and Roberta felt all of the emotions. They were so proud of Stephanie. They knew that she would get good grades, make a lot of friends, and excel in her studies, but they were also nervous. For the first time, Stephanie would be on her own. They couldn't be there to check up on her and make sure she was safe. But that's just a part of parenting. Stephanie was at the age where it was time to let go and let her figure out life on her own. And during that first semester, Stephanie really proved herself. She studied hard and quickly immersed herself in college life. Not only did she make really good grades, but she was also very involved at her school. She worked for the student newspaper and helped organize activities.

• 10:47Colin Brown?

  She served as co-president of the Student Arts Association and was treasurer of the French Honor Society. And she never forgot to call home and check in with her parents. She often wrote letters to them, too. At the end of the letters, she always signed them with a drawing of a heart with a rainbow bursting from its center. Underneath it, she wrote, "I send you a rainbow and my heart." Stephanie also continued writing about her experiences in her journal. In one entry, she stated, “The most wonderful aspect of being able to draw is that through constantly seeing and staying aware, the seeing that you forget returns to you in fragments as in a dream. I’d like to keep the good dreams, the pleasant shapes, patterns, and objects that equal nature’s beauty and evoke pleasing emotions,

• 11:32Colin Brown?

  to have a handmade world around you, a refuge.” Other entries focused on deeper topics like humanity, poetry, and intolerance. “One person can make a difference,” she wrote, “and every person should try.”

• 11:47Courtney Brown?

  Stephanie’s college experience went by fast. Before she knew it, freshman, sophomore, and junior year were already behind her. In 1981, she was a senior, and her hard work had really paid off. That year, she was able to showcase her art alongside other artists at various exhibitions. By the time the fall semester was over, Stephanie went back home to spend the holidays with her family, and it was clear that she was really excited for her future. After college, Stephanie had plans to work as a professional illustrator, and the only thing standing between her and that job was that final semester of college.

• 12:32Courtney Brown?

  Now, the biggest obstacle that upcoming semester was her final art project that would be showcased in an exhibition around graduation. So when the spring semester started, she immediately went to work to make sure it was perfect. Her good friend Karen Breen said that for months, she and Stephanie pulled all-nighters at the Fine Arts Building on campus while working on it. Karen would later say, “Stephanie was a very spiritual person. It was no secret, and yet she didn’t go around and preach her feelings. She would live it. I learned so much in that precious time we shared, by listening, by sharing,

• 13:15Courtney Brown?

  by observing the unique and special person she was.” End quote.

• 13:23Colin Brown?

  Stephanie had started out her semester strong, but that's not to say that it wasn't stressful for her. After months of hard work, she was anxious and frustrated. In March, she wrote in her journal, "I want to be true to my art." It seems as if she had hit a rut in her art. So she did what a lot of college kids do when they're feeling overwhelmed. She went back home to visit her family during her spring break. Once there, she confided in her mother that she just needed a week to relax and get away from her work in order to recharge her battery, which is exactly what she did. That week, Stephanie spent quality time with her parents and siblings. It felt like old times, sitting around, eating dinner together,

• 14:05Colin Brown?

  laughing, and just enjoying each other's company. It seemed to be exactly what she needed. Now, towards the end of that spring break, Stephanie knew that once school started back up, she would immediately have to go back to work to finish the semester strong.

• 14:22Colin Brown?

  So that Friday, she decided to go have some fun with a childhood friend of hers named Lisa Thomas. The two had even been roommates in college at one point, and they wanted to celebrate the end of their final spring break. So, on the afternoon of Friday, April 2, 1982, Stephanie approached her parents and told them she was leaving for the night to go hang out with Lisa. And she said she would probably spend the night at her house and to not wait up on her. So, from there, they said their goodbyes.

• 14:52Colin Brown?

  Now, the following day, Stephanie and her parents had plans to buy some supplies for her upcoming art project. But little did they know, that would never happen. In fact, as Stephanie left their home in her orange Dodge Omni, that would be the very last time that they would ever see their daughter alive.

• 15:16Courtney Brown?

  By the following morning, Roberta went about her day like she always did. She got up, ate breakfast, she started planning for her son's birthday party that was coming up. And then she got ready for her and Stephanie's errands they were supposed to run later that afternoon. But as the time ticked by, Stephanie still hadn't returned home. Which wasn't a big deal at first. After all, Stephanie had gone out to some bars the night before, so she was probably just sleeping in at Lisa's house. Surely, it wouldn't be long until she walked through the front door. But with each passing hour, Roberta grew more and more concerned.

• 16:01Courtney Brown?

  Stephanie should have been back by now. And it wasn't like her to run this late without calling. So finally, by that afternoon, Roberta picked up the phone and called her friend Lisa.

• 16:16Courtney Brown?

  When Lisa answered, Roberta still wasn't freaking out just yet. And she asked her if Stephanie was still over at her house. But what Lisa said next made her heart drop. "Stephanie left my house at around 3 a.m. this morning. She didn't have that much to drink, so she decided to drive back to your house," Lisa said. Roberta started to panic. Just to make sure, she looked outside and Stephanie's car was not there. She looked in Stephanie's room, but she wasn't there either. So what happened to her? Immediately, Roberta called the Prince George County Police Department.

• 17:00Courtney Brown?

  But like we've seen time and time again, they weren't too concerned about a college student who didn't come home on spring break. An officer even told her, quote, "She hasn't even been missing for 24 hours. We can't come out and do a report," end quote. But it's here where Roberta began to beg. She knew that Stephanie was not a runaway who didn't want to come home. She was missing. And fortunately, I guess after hearing the desperation in Roberta's voice, they decided to look into things.

• 17:37Colin Brown?

  The name Stephanie Roper started floating around the police department that afternoon. As it turns out, Stephanie had actually worked as a counselor for their safety patrol camp one year, so some of the officers knew her. They also confirmed that Stephanie wasn't the type of girl that would run away. She was a good kid. So from there, several officers formed a team and started searching the woods near her neighborhood and going door to door for interviews. A report was taken and Stephanie Ann Roper was officially classified as a missing person. Now, after speaking with Roberta and Stephanie's friend Lisa, officers decided to search the roads that connected their homes. And soon enough, they ended up on Floral Park Road.

• 18:20Colin Brown?

  As the officers made their way down, they suddenly came across an orange Dodge on the shoulder, only half a mile from Lisa Thomas's house. When they got out of their patrol cars, they saw that the vehicle was in bad shape, with most of the tires blown out and a broken axle. But Stephanie wasn't in the car. From there, the officers started searching around. They looked in the nearby woods and even in Stephanie's trunk, but no luck. And in their minds, the only real possibility here was that Stephanie had been picked up by someone. But if someone with good intentions stopped to help, she would have shown up by now. When Roberta Roper found out about Stephanie's car, she immediately feared the worst.

• 19:01Colin Brown?

  And from there, she and her husband put up a $10,000 reward for any information leading to Stephanie's whereabouts. But as the sun set in Maryland that evening, no one had come forward. Day after day would pass with no sign of Stephanie. Roberta, Vincent, and Stephanie's four younger siblings felt like the world had stopped spinning. Eventually, Stephanie's school would start back up after spring break ended and she didn't show up to class, which just confirmed everything they had already feared, that Stephanie was likely dead. But someone out there knew something. And soon enough, there would be a break in the case.

• 19:43Courtney Brown?

  It was Easter Sunday, April 9, 1982. That morning, at a nearby church in town, dozens of people piled into the building for the most popular service of the year. The pastor of this church delivered his service and then stayed around to greet his congregation like he did every week. But then suddenly, a young man approached him with a disturbed look on his face, saying,

• 20:12Colin Brown?

  “Can we talk privately?”

• 20:14Courtney Brown?

  It was 18-year-old Steven Anison. The pastor could tell that something was disturbing the young man, and he needed to get it off his chest. So they stepped into one of the back rooms. Once Steven sat down, he told the pastor that he needed to confess. But it wasn’t something he had done. It was actually something that someone had confessed to him. Steven told the pastor that about a week back, on the night of April 3, his brother-in-law, 17-year-old Jerry Lee Beatty, confessed to him that he and his friend Jack “had done a very bad crime.”

• 20:58Courtney Brown?

  So Steven asked him what it was. Jerry said that he and Jack had raped and murdered that missing girl, Stephanie Roper. And Jerry even gave him all of the gruesome details. Steven told the pastor that over the next few days, the confession kept him up at night. He grappled with what he should do. After all, Jerry was his brother-in-law. Sharing this secret could ruin their family. But the night before, Steven saw Stephanie’s picture flash across the TV screen, and he knew in that moment, he couldn’t hold it in any longer. So, he came to church this morning to confess.

• 21:42Courtney Brown?

  Now, as the pastor is hearing this, he can’t believe it. He had heard a lot of horrible confessions in his day, but nothing like this. In addition, Stephanie Roper’s disappearance had been the talk of the town.

• 21:59Courtney Brown?

  The pastor looked at Steven sympathetically and told him, "You have to go to the police with this." But Steven was scared, reluctant. However, once the pastor offered to go with him, Steven agreed. And from there, they went directly to the police department.

• 22:20Colin Brown?

  Steven was brought to an interrogation room where he gave the detectives the exact same story he told the pastor. And luckily, Steven had an idea of where the crime had taken place. His brother-in-law Jerry mentioned something about an old abandoned shack. And Steven knew the address of one that Jerry and Jack used to frequent. So, at around 8:00 PM, investigators made their way to the location. After finding the shack, they looked inside, but there was no sign of Stephanie. So, from there, they searched the surrounding area. The investigators used flashlights as they walked along the Patuxent River. And soon enough, someone came across a flooded-out stump hole. As they shined their flashlight,

• 23:03Colin Brown?

  it illuminated the image of a body that had been stuffed inside. After nine days, Stephanie Roper had been found.

• 23:12Colin Brown?

  Around 2:00 AM on Monday, April 10, several police officers arrived at the Roper residence.

• 23:20Colin Brown?

  And when Vincent and Roberta heard that knock, they knew exactly what it meant. But they wanted answers. What happened to her? How did she die? Was she sexually assaulted? Although the officers confirmed that Stephanie had been sexually assaulted, they didn't want the Ropers to hear the graphic details. At least not yet. There was still a lot they had to figure out. But the officers did tell them that there had been an arrest in the case. Hours earlier, after Steven Ananson and the pastor came into the police station, they brought in his brother-in-law Jerry Lee Beatty and his alleged accomplice, Jack Ronald Jones. And almost immediately, they confessed. But the details of what happened were far more sinister than anyone could have imagined.

• 24:04Colin Brown?

  So, let's go back to the night of April 3, 1982.

• 24:13Courtney Brown?

  It was the last weekend of spring break, and Stephanie Roper was excited for a night of fun with her friend Lisa Thomas. After arriving at Lisa's house in the nearby town of Clinton, the girls got into Lisa's car and they made their way to Washington DC for a night of fun. They ended up stopping at a bar called Foggy Bottom. It was a college hangout spot known for its cheap drinks and loud music. It's where all of the college kids went for a good time. From there, the girls met up with some friends at another popular bar called The 21st Amendment. And for the next few hours, they all socialized, danced, and had a few drinks.

• 24:57Courtney Brown?

  Now, they knew that they had a 30-minute drive back home, so they knew not to get drunk. And at 2:30 a.m., they said goodbye to their friends and decided it was time to go. Along the drive back to Clinton, Stephanie decided that since she hadn't had that much to drink, she was just going to drive back to her parents' house that night, instead of spending the night with Lisa. Now, they ended up getting back to Lisa's house a little after 3 a.m. And from there, Stephanie said goodbye, got into her car, and started the drive back to her parents' house. It was supposed to be a fairly short trip home, roughly 25 minutes.

• 25:42Courtney Brown?

  For most of the drive, she would be going through the rural parts of Maryland, along small roads with thick forests on either side. And she had made this drive so many times before. However, this time, it would be much, much different. As Stephanie made her way through the town of Brandywine, she suddenly swerved off the road.

• 26:07Courtney Brown?

  Possibly trying to avoid a crossing animal, but when she did, she overcorrected, veering off into a ditch. Now fortunately, she was able to gain control of the car and she steered it off onto the shoulder. From there, she tried to restart her engine, but it wouldn't turn over. So Stephanie gets out of the car to look at the damage. And when she does, she sees three blown tires. She was now stranded in the middle of nowhere. Now in 1982, people didn't have cell phones to call for help. So her options were to either wait there until help arrived, or she could walk several

• 26:50Courtney Brown?

  miles to the nearest phone. But as she was sitting there, trying to figure out what to do, she suddenly hears a car in the distance. Upon seeing their headlights, Stephanie was hoping that they would stop to help her. But instead, they drove right past. The woman in this vehicle would later come forward and say that she had seen Stephanie's car on the shoulder, but because it was dark out on this winding road, she didn't feel comfortable stopping. Stephanie was likely frustrated, but soon enough, another car would drive up, and this time, they stopped to help.

• 27:34Courtney Brown?

  It was a Mercury sedan, and inside were two young men. Seventeen-year-old Jerry Lee Beatty and the driver, 26-year-old Jack Ronald Jones.

• 27:45Colin Brown?

  Jerry and Jack would later say that they had just left a pool hall in Mechanicsburg and were driving back to Jack's house when they saw a disabled Dodge on the side of the road. Jerry turned to Jack and asked if they should help. He later testified. "So I told Jack, you know, I asked Jack, 'Do you want to help? You know, stop and help the person off the road and give him a ride somewhere if he needed?'" So, from there, Jack pulled over, put his flashers on, and they stepped outside of the vehicle. Jerry would later say that at first, they thought the driver was a male, but then they saw Stephanie, a pretty young girl, all by herself, and that's when everything changed.

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• 28:56Courtney Brown?

  Stephanie quickly told the men her situation. Jack and Jerry even helped push the car further off the road so someone wouldn't hit it. Stephanie was very thankful for their help and it's here where she asked if they could drive her back to her friend Lisa's house, which was only half a mile down the road. Jack and Jerry agreed. From there, Stephanie hopped into their car and gave them directions to Lisa's house. While she sat in the backseat, she was obviously very upset about the car accident and instead of telling her parents about it right away, she figured she would just go to Lisa's house and deal with it in the morning.

• 29:38Courtney Brown?

  Soon enough, as she looked out the window, she saw the exit to Lisa's house up ahead. "Turn right here," she told them. But to her horror, Jack kept driving. Then, he turned off the Mercury's headlights. Jerry later testified, quote, "She said, 'Stop, let me out, please.'" And Jack said, "In a minute, I'll pull down here and I'll pull off to the side of the road and let you out." But he kept going, end quote. By this point, a light rain started to fall as Stephanie grew frantic. Jack continued to drive until he found a secluded construction site.

• 30:24Courtney Brown?

  After parking the vehicle, seventeen-year-old Jerry got into the backseat. And it's here where he raped Stephanie. During the assault, Jack lit a cigarette and watched them in the rearview mirror. Sadly, once Jerry was finished, Jack would do the same. Throughout the assault, Stephanie was crying, begging the men to just let her go.

• 30:50Courtney Brown?

  But I think she knew, deep down, that she wasn't going to make it out alive. According to Jerry, Stephanie was so frantic, she began crying out to her friend Lisa. She cried out for her mother, and then finally to God. She even bargained with the men, telling them, "Just let me go. I'll never tell anyone, I promise." She even offered to give them money. But they had no plans to let her go. Once the sexual assaults were over, Jack got into the driver's seat and drove south for thirty miles down Route 30.

• 31:32Courtney Brown?

  Eventually, he entered the town of Oakville and drove down another dirt road before stopping at an abandoned shack near the river. Apparently, both men knew the area well, as Jack's home was less than a mile away. It was the perfect location, surrounded by thick woods, so they knew that no one would be able to hear her screams. After parking the car, they ordered Stephanie out and brought her inside the shack where she was raped a second time. But Stephanie wasn't going down without a fight.

• 32:10Courtney Brown?

  At one point, she kneeed Jerry in the groin, but in response, he beat her mercilessly. Stephanie was left huddled in a corner as the men started discussing what to do with her. But Jerry made a mistake. He referred to Jack by his nickname "Bump", and according to them, after that, Jack knew that he had to kill her since Stephanie had overheard his nickname. But I think they had planned to kill her all along, which is why they brought her to that location in the first place. Jerry said that Jack pulled him outside and said,

• 32:50Colin Brown?

  "Do you know what we're going to have to do? We're going to have to shoot her."

• 32:54Courtney Brown?

  From there, Jack walked to the trunk of the Mercury and pulled out his 22-caliber rifle. But when they returned to the shack, Stephanie was gone. They could hear the sounds of leaves crunching under her feet as she ran away half naked. Stephanie was running as fast as she possibly could. She knew that this was her only chance at survival. But sadly, Jerry caught up to her and tackled her to the ground. He would later say the following.

• 33:28Colin Brown?

  She didn't say nothing until I caught her. Then she was asking me if I was going to shoot her. She asked me if I would let her go, and I told her no, I couldn't do that.

• 33:37Courtney Brown?

  Once again, Stephanie begged for her life. She even started talking about her family and her upcoming art project that she had to get done. Jerry said the following.

• 33:49Colin Brown?

  And she started talking about a painting. She said she wanted to go home and finish a painting she was doing. And I asked her what it was, but she never told me.

• 33:58Courtney Brown?

  Once back at the abandoned shack, Stephanie watched as Jack walked up to her, holding a can of gasoline in one hand, and a heavy towing chain in the other. He also had an evil look in his eye. Angry that Stephanie had tried to run away, he gripped the chain in his hand and swung it, hitting Stephanie directly in the head. The blow was so hard, her skull was fractured. And for a few moments, no one spoke. There was complete silence.

• 34:34Courtney Brown?

  Stephanie was barely conscious when she stood up and tried to run away again. She staggered down the hill back towards the woods as Jack grabbed the 22 caliber rifle. According to Jerry, he ran in front of Stephanie and quote, "hollered something at her before raising the gun and firing a single shot into her skull." From there, Jack ordered Jerry to grab the can of gasoline. The men also grabbed her pants that were still inside the shack, and they threw them over her body. Jack then doused her in the gasoline. He lit a match and threw it down.

• 35:19Courtney Brown?

  Jerry said, quote, "She was burning and I started to get sick," end quote. Jack wanted to make sure that there was no trace of Stephanie left behind. So they burned her body for hours. Towards the end, she was burned beyond recognition, but it was taking longer than expected. They also feared that if found, investigators would still be able to identify her. So that's when they grabbed a knife and cut off her hands. They also wanted to remove her head, but at the last minute, decided against it. And from there, they dragged what was left of her body to a flooded stump hole near

• 36:03Courtney Brown?

  the river, and then they stuffed her inside.

• 36:07Colin Brown?

  By the time they were finished, the sun was coming up over the horizon. So the men packed up their things and drove a mile down the road to Jack's house. Along the way, in the passenger's seat, Jerry turned to Jack and said, "I ain't never did nothing like this in my life before." And Jack responded, "I ain't neither." Now, they had actually picked a pretty secluded spot to hide Stephanie's body, and they might have even gotten away with it if it wasn't for Jerry. As we know, that very night, Jerry told his brother-in-law everything. And soon enough, their crime would catch up to them. Seventeen-year-old Jerry had been brought in for questioning first, and like we mentioned, he pretty much confessed immediately, which prompted his arrest.

• 36:51Colin Brown?

  Shortly after that, Jack Jones had also been arrested at the home he shared with his wife and young son. Both men were charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping, and rape. Detective Thomas Bowers said that during their confessions, there was no remorse in their voices, either of them. I mean, they talked about it as much the same way that you or I might talk about deer hunting. Are you ready to have your mind blown? I want you now to imagine that in front of you was a locked door, symbolizing all that you know. Everything you've been taught in your time on Earth. The lies your government has fed you. With my podcast, The Conspiracy Files, I now give you the door's key. And, once you've listened to the show, you finally unlock this door and step inside.

• 37:35Colin Brown?

  Beyond the door is another dimension. A dimension of false narratives. A dimension of hidden evidence. A dimension of truth, lies, and murders. You're moving into a land of both shadow and substance of deadly secrets and explosive ideas. You've just crossed over into... The Conspiracy Zone. I'm your host, Colin Brown. Join me now on this journey into the world of secret pedophile rings, government cover-ups, and suspicious suicides. On my new show, The Conspiracy Files. Available now on all streaming platforms.

• 38:07Courtney Brown?

  Now, like we mentioned, after Stephanie's body had been found, investigators went to the Roper residence to give them the news. Sadly, they had learned about Stephanie's murder on the morning of their son's 10th birthday. Their house had already been decorated for a party they were throwing him that day. And now they were learning that their daughter's body had been found. But instead of canceling their party, they decided to let everyone come over. After all, they needed their community now more than ever. Now, keep in mind, they still didn't know any of the details about what happened to Stephanie. All they knew was that she had been raped and murdered. But during their son's birthday party,

• 38:52Courtney Brown?

  when the news popped up on the TV screen, there was a live broadcast with a reporter standing right outside the abandoned shack. He announced, quote, "I'm standing in front of the abandoned house where Stephanie Roper was kidnapped, raped, and murdered." The reporter then went into the graphic details of what she had endured for five long hours, saying that the men, quote, "beat her, raped her, hit her with a logging chain, shot her in the head, and then burned her corpse after cutting off her hands." End quote. And that's how the Ropers learned about what happened to their daughter. By watching the local news, surrounded by their friends and family.

• 39:39Colin Brown?

  One of the lead investigators would later say, “We fully intended to go back after the funeral and prepare them for the trial where it was all going to come out. We didn’t know they were going to release it.” End quote. Now, during the search of Jack’s Mercury sedan, investigators located marijuana, PCP, and a box of 22 caliber bullets—the same type of bullet that was found in Stephanie’s skull. Investigators also learned a lot about the men responsible. Seventeen-year-old Jerry, born on March 31, 1965, was a troubled kid with an eighth-grade education. He was known around town as a drifter, who liked to hang out at pool bars instead of getting jobs.

• 40:20Colin Brown?

  And then one day, he crossed paths with Jack Ronald Jones, another man with absolutely no ambition. Both Jack and Jerry had been laid off from their jobs when they met each other, so they bonded over that. They also bonded over their shared love of rum, marijuana, and PCP. Now, there was a near 10-year age gap between the two, but they quickly hit it off. In fact, several months before the murder, Jerry had been living with Jack in the home that he shared with his wife and six-year-old son. It clearly wasn’t a good arrangement, as the men just sat around at home doing drugs all day. Then, on April 3, 1982, they committed one of the worst murders the state of Maryland had ever seen.

• 41:04Courtney Brown?

  Now, even though both Jack and Jerry recounted the same story of what happened that night, there were inconsistencies when it came to who did what. Jerry said that Jack pulled the trigger. Well, Jack said it was Jerry. Now, as for who cut off Stephanie’s hands, neither of them wanted to admit to it. So, they were going to bring it to trial. As the prosecution geared up for that, Stephanie’s family was doing their best to cope with their immense grief. And luckily, they had a ton of support. Their neighbor had even set up the Stephanie Roper Family Assistance Committee, where people offered to help them in whatever ways they could.

• 41:48Courtney Brown?

  And soon enough, there were over 1,000 people on the committee.

• 41:53Colin Brown?

  Now, once the trials geared up, Vincent and Roberta were more than ready to get justice for their daughter. They drove to the courthouse every day, which was an hour and a half drive from their home. But it was all very unorganized when it came to communication with the victim's family. For instance, there were times when Roberta and Vincent would drive the hour and a half to court just to learn that the hearing had been postponed. No one had ever informed them of that. In another instance, the judge granted the men a change of venue. Jerry's hearing would now be in Anne Rundle and Jackson Baltimore County. But again, no one updated Stephanie's parents about the change. And it's here where their relationship with the courts began to sour.

• 42:34Colin Brown?

  They were told that there was no law that they had to be informed about these changes. And that's when her parents knew that they were up against a broken system.

• 42:43Speaker 03

  We, well, our daughter was murdered in one county, but the crimes began in two others. She was kidnapped in Prince George's County, raped in that county, taken to a second county, eventually taken to a third county. So the third county had jurisdiction. And, and we went down, attended, wanted to attend and be part of every proceeding. And our first brush with reality was a meeting with the prosecutor. And when I, I asked if he had a program of victim assistance, he laughed and said, "Well, I guess that's me." And it was abundantly clear that anything we wanted to know, any role we had to play would be our responsibility.

• 43:25Speaker 03

  We accepted that, but there were frequent times when I journeyed an hour and a half to this location for what was billed as a hearing, a preliminary hearing, only to discover it had been postponed and nobody had bothered to call. We, we were very naive. I had never even been in a traffic court in 1982. We were determined to learn as much about the process, the criminal justice system as possible.

• 43:59Colin Brown?

  Stephanie's parents were outspoken about these issues within the court system. They believed there should be more consideration for the victims and their families who are already going through an unimaginable loss. So they often spoke with the press about these problems. They even held these public meetings where they invited the prosecution and legislatures to hear their concerns. They were hoping to come to an understanding and hopefully make changes so that victims' families were more supported, but it ended up working against them. Stephanie's family, friends, and supporters made it known that they were going to show up to court every single day once the trial started. And because this case was so big, they were expecting to have a big courtroom. But then the courts moved it where they were in one of the smallest courtrooms.

• 44:44Courtney Brown?

  Five months after Stephanie's murder, Jack Ronald Jones went on trial on September 20th, 1982. Both Vincent and Roberta were set to testify. While on the stand, Roberta spoke about Stephanie's last family meal. She identified a piece of fabric from the jacket she wore on the night of the murder, and she identified her daughter's 1978 Orange Dodge Omni in a photograph. But this next part is shocking. After her testimony, Roberta was told that since she and her husband testified, they wouldn't be allowed to sit through and listen to the rest of the trial.

• 45:25Courtney Brown?

  It was a "rule on witnesses" request that the judge had granted. Roberta said that after testifying, "We had to leave the courtroom and we weren't allowed back until closing statements. We had no idea that because we were witnesses, we would be excluded from the bulk of the trial. I guess we were too dumb to ask."

• 45:50Courtney Brown?

  Now, this was very strange because it's not like Vincent and Roberta were these huge witnesses that were going to help get a conviction. It's theorized that the defense didn't want them as witnesses because they knew the jury would feel sympathy for the grieving parents. Roberta admitted, quote, "They just didn't want her to seem real, just a name on a piece of paper," end quote. She also stated that when she was on the stand, the defense objected to anything she said that was remotely emotional. They felt as if they had been silenced. And once their testimonies were over, they were forced back out into the hallway and

• 46:32Courtney Brown?

  were not allowed to listen to any evidence presented in their daughter's murder trial.

• 46:36Speaker 03

  We ended up being the first witnesses for the state. Had nothing of real value to offer the court. The only thing we could do was really set the stage to recall the last family meal we shared with our daughter Stephanie, that she drove a family car, and that was it. No one asked if there was cause for us to be excluded, but the rule on witnesses was imposed. The prosecutor never advocated for our right to remain in the courtroom. The judge never questioned whether there was a reason to remove us.

• 47:20Colin Brown?

  Now, during Jack's trial, Jerry served as a key witness to the prosecution. In exchange for his testimony, Jerry hoped to avoid the death penalty and agreed to testify against his friend. Shortly before he took the stand, police officers gave Jerry a polygraph test regarding the events that happened on the night Stephanie was murdered, and surprisingly, he passed. Now, during the trial, there was no denying that both Jack and Jerry were involved due to their confessions. However, Jerry pointed the finger at Jack when it came to the actual murder, and of course, Jack did the same to Jerry. On the stand, Jerry admitted that it was never his intention to murder Stephanie, and

• 48:03Colin Brown?

  he believed that the two were going to let her go. He claimed that he was under the impression that they were going to let her go up until the moment Jack stood in front of her and pulled the trigger. Over the course of the next few weeks, several witnesses were called, including Detective Thomas Bowers of the Maryland State Police. In Jack's signed statement to police, he admitted that he fired the weapon, but did not know that it hit Stephanie, saying, "I didn't know she was shot." As for the other details, Jack told police, "I wasn't trying to kill her, I just didn't know what to do. It's just what happened. I was scared then, and I am scared now." Jack also admitted that he hit Stephanie with a logging chain and burned her body because,

• 48:45Colin Brown?

  once again, he was scared and didn't know what else to do. According to his original statement, Jack stated that he didn't feel he hit her hard enough with the chain to cause a skull fracture. He said, "When I hit her with the chain, I didn't think I'd hit her that hard. I think I was just trying to knock her out and just leave." Details provided by the Assistant State Medical Examiner, forensic psychiatrist, and police witnesses were extremely graphic. They described finding Stephanie's charred and dismembered body submerged in that stump hole. Due to the state she was found in, there was no doubt that her final hours were filled with immense torture, pain, and suffering. The prosecution argued that Jack was the leader of the two, and the primary instigator,

• 49:30Colin Brown?

  and the evidence seemed to back that up. Now, Jack claimed that the gun used in the murder was one that he was borrowing from a friend to go deer hunting with. And while painting out the scene for the jury, the prosecution actually referred to Stephanie as a deer. They said that after being hit in the head with that chain, Stephanie, a "disoriented doe," ran down the hill trying to escape. C. Clark Rayly told the jury, "The very day the young fawn is killed, Jack and Jerry had a macabre, inhuman discussion of mutilating her remains to prevent identification. If you have not committed the most heinous crime, no thought is given to such inhumane things."

• 50:11Courtney Brown?

  Now, the defense claimed that although Jack confessed to the crime, his heavy drug use impaired his judgment, and that he didn't mean to murder Stephanie that night. The defense presented Jack's wife, who said that he was "a very good person", and quote, "who enjoyed playing baseball and riding his bike with his son." She went on to say that he was having a lot of issues before the murder, saying, "Jack was very, very upset, and was having a great deal of difficulty sleeping. He was very, very sorry for what he had done, and for what he had also done to his family", end quote. The defense also brought forth his father,

• 50:55Courtney Brown?

  who talked about Jack's drug use, saying, "I could never talk to Jack. I'd start to talk to him about it, but it would always end up in an argument of some sort", end quote. His father went on to say that Jack had a rough childhood, and that he made some mistakes, but deep down, he was a good person. After leaving home, he even joined the Brandywine Volunteer Fire Department, and received two awards for responding to the most calls. Now, they said these things to defend his character, as if he didn't rape, torture, murder, burn, and dismember someone.

• 51:36Colin Brown?

  The defense also brought forth the jailhouse minister, who said that Jack was a good man who had committed his life to the Lord Jesus Christ. Dr. Brian Crowley, a psychiatrist, told the jury, "I don't believe he will pose a threat to society for a long period of time, if ever", end quote. Meanwhile, outside the courtroom, Roberta and Vincent were pressing their ears against the doors, trying to hear what was being said. Roberta would later say, "People would come out and give us reports from time to time, but we also had to hear others judge Stephanie as they left the courtroom. They would say things like, 'Why was she out so late? How much did she drink that night? What was she wearing?'"

• 52:18Colin Brown?

  This was incredibly hard for Roberta. She would later say, quote, "What difference would that make? Even if Stephanie was a prostitute or homeless, which she wasn't, that shouldn't have happened to her. With crimes like these, everyone is looking to blame the victim," end quote. For the next six and a half weeks. But finally, on October 14th, 1982, after only 10 hours of deliberations, the jury found Jack Ronald Jones guilty on three counts of kidnapping, rape, and murder. He now faced the death penalty.

• 52:52Courtney Brown?

  During the sentencing phase of the trial, the judge called Roberta to the stand to read her victim impact statement. She was so excited to tell the jury all about her daughter, the life she led, and the impact that her death had on their family. Now, at the time, the state of Maryland had just started allowing loved ones to read victim impact statements, but it was not required. And while Roberta stood up to take the stand, Jack's defense attorney objected. He stated that an emotional statement from a victim's mother would only cloud the jury's thoughts, and surprisingly, the judge agreed.

• 53:37Courtney Brown?

  Before Roberta was able to read her statement, she was told to step down. She was absolutely devastated, even more so because her daughter's killer got to read his statement to the jury. In fact, Jack cried on the stand, saying that he felt deep remorse and couldn't understand, quote, "Why something like this could happen," end quote. Roberta said, quote, "We listened to our daughter's convicted killer weep, beg the court for mercy. We heard from his wife, his father, a jailhouse minister, his child's teacher, all begging

• 54:18Courtney Brown?

  the court to treat him with leniency and mercy, and no one could speak for Stephanie," end quote. By the end of the trial, Stephanie's life had barely even been talked about. The jurors knew more about her killer than they did her.

• 54:35Colin Brown?

  Finally, on October 14th, 1982, at 1:47 PM, Jack Ronald Jones stood one last time before the jury left for deliberations. He said, “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, my life is now in your hands. I’d just like to say one thing. If there were any possible way for me to undo the wrongs I’ve done, I would do so. Not for me, but for Stephanie Roper and her family. Thank you.” End quote. And with that, the jury decided to spare his life. Jack was sentenced to life in prison for murder, life in prison for rape, and 20 years for kidnapping. Now, in Maryland at the time, an inmate with a life sentence was eligible for parole after

• 55:20Colin Brown?

  approximately 15 years, but on good behavior, Jack could be out of prison in 11 and 1/2. Stephanie’s father was absolutely shocked by this information, saying, “You can knock off a 7-Eleven and get 12 years.” Roberta said, “For us, that was kind of the final blow. We came home and faced children who wanted to know why their sister’s life was given so little value. We didn’t have any answers for them. We immediately tried to get some counseling. Unlike today, there were not counselors who were familiar with dealing with homicide families. We went to good people who were compassionate and caring, but told us they had never counseled families of homicide victims.” End quote.

• 56:03Colin Brown?

  Now, a few weeks later, Jack’s accomplice, Jerry Lee Beatty, actually pleaded guilty to the same charges: first-degree murder, kidnapping, and rape. Due to his plea, he avoided a jury trial and ultimately received the same sentence as Jack: life in prison for murder, life in prison for rape, and 20 years for kidnapping. Once again, he too would be eligible for parole after only 12 years. But luckily, there were a lot of people in Maryland that were furious with this outcome. The judge and Jack’s attorneys were under a lot of scrutiny in the media. Many people even wrote letters to local newspapers. One read, “To the editor, I was outraged at the jury’s decision on Jack Ronald Jones.

• 56:47Colin Brown?

  He will be eligible for parole in 12 years. He took Stephanie Ann Roper’s life in a very cruel manner, so I believe that he should have received the death penalty.” If he gets out of prison in 12 years, he could do the same thing again. I believe that he isn't worth the taxpayers' money to stay alive. Someone like him can never be reformed or rehabilitated. End quote. Another angry citizen wrote, "How can a panel of five men and seven women give the sentence they did? To think that a man could be back on the streets in only 12 years after what he did, I don't know what has happened to our society. Maybe Jones should have been taken back to Floral Park Road at the beginning and have the same thing done to him that he did to Stephanie right up to the end,

• 57:31Colin Brown?

  which would include the burning." End quote.

• 57:34Courtney Brown?

  As disappointed as Stephanie's family was with how the entire trial went about, they now had to move on with their lives. But it was hard. Roberta said, "It was like our entire family was underwater and trying to rise out. But we were afraid to grab on to one another for fear of taking them down deeper. The crime created a hole in all of our lives that could never be filled." End quote. And we've talked a lot about her parents, but Stephanie's younger siblings were very affected by this as well. Roberta said that the loss of their sister caused them to withdraw

• 58:18Courtney Brown?

  from things that they once loved. She told The Washington Post, "I can't prove this to you. It's just a parent's belief. But I think the kids looked at Stephanie and thought, 'Well, here's a sister who lived her life the right way, who excelled in practically everything she did. A beautiful person, a wonderful artist, an outstanding student, an athlete, a born leader who cared about people. And I think they looked at her and thought, 'What good did it all do? Did her life matter in this system of ours? No. What mattered most were the rights of the people who destroyed her.'" End quote.

• 59:05Colin Brown?

  But throughout her journey of grief, Roberta said that the Serenity Prayer really helped her get by. “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things that I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” The Serenity Prayer teaches us that you can’t change the past, and to have peace within your life, you have to accept what has been. For Roberta, she knew that she couldn’t bring Stephanie back, nor could she change the way the courts handled the trials. But the prayer also teaches us that you can make a change going forward, and that’s exactly what Roberta set out to do. Knowing that their daughter’s killers could be out on parole in 12 years, the Roper family started a petition against their lenient sentences.

• 59:49Colin Brown?

  And within just two months, it ended up garnering nearly 93,000 signatures. No one in Maryland wanted to see these guys back in society. So with the public outcry, the prosecution actually filed more charges against the men.

• 1:00:05Courtney Brown?

  Now, the men had already been charged for raping Stephanie in that abandoned shack. But if you remember, they also raped her at that construction site, which was in a different county. So from here, they faced additional rape and kidnapping charges for that county. Ultimately, both Jerry and Jack would be found guilty of their charges, and they were sentenced to an additional life sentence that was to run consecutively with their other sentences. But this wasn’t necessarily a home run. This time around, instead of being eligible for parole after 12 years, it was 23, which

• 1:00:49Courtney Brown?

  was better, but it still wasn’t great. So from here, Stephanie’s family decided to gather up all of their supporters from the Stephanie Roper Family Assistance Committee and push for a change in the system. One of its members was a law student. Who helped draft a bill that would be presented to the Maryland General Assembly. In it, they asked for the victims' families to have a liaison to help keep them informed of legal proceedings, dates, and change of venues. They also asked the courts to make victim impact statements mandatory.

• 1:01:29Courtney Brown?

  In addition, they wanted to remove alcohol and drug use as a mitigating factor for murder, and they asked to remove the possibility of parole when it came to capital murder trials. But even throughout this process, they faced a lot of roadblocks.

• 1:01:47Speaker 04

  Roberta, thinking about your pioneering area of victim assistance, starting the foundation, what was the greatest challenge that you and Vince and your colleagues faced in affecting change?

• 1:02:00Speaker 03

  Achieving credibility. I was characterized as an emotional mother who wanted revenge. Syndicated columnists wrote articles about us that saying that Stephanie was once a beautiful young woman, and now she was the name of an ill-begotten cause, and that her parents were either exploited by people or had an act for public relations. When I called the author of this column, and I said, "Are you a parent?", and he did what many people do when you ask them that. He made this knee-jerk reaction, "Well, if it had happened to my child, I would have", and I said, "But we're not doing that.

• 1:02:43Speaker 03

  We're not suggesting to take the law, that anyone should take the law into their own hands. Have you seen the bills that we have proposed? No." And it was very, very difficult to not to be distracted from our, not to become what our opponents were characterizing us as, and to maintain focus. But to, the credit of everyone we'd been involved in, we were able to maintain a proper focus. To always see the cup half-full, not half-empty.

• 1:03:21Speaker 03

  And anyone who was involved in the legislative process knows it is about compromises, always accepting less than what you deserve and need, not resorting to negative advocacy. It's very tempting when you know your proposal is reasonable, rational, right, when you've presented the evidence, when you've shown what other states have achieved, when you've shown that this will improve the way the criminal justice treatment system treats everyone. But, you know, I was told that I was going to make a victim of the Constitution.

• 1:04:03Speaker 03

  We were told we were creating a monster. I mean, they went on and on. So achieving credibility and maintaining a vision and not departing from that vision was the greatest challenge. It was also our greatest achievement.

• 1:04:20Colin Brown?

  In February of 1983, a spokesperson for the Roper Committee stood before the Maryland General Assembly and stated that they weren't not out for revenge. Instead, they wanted to change capital murder trials to where the sentence resulted in either the death penalty or life without parole. Roberta said, "We have suffered a nuclear holocaust. We've been victimized twice, first by the acts against our daughter and then by a judicial system that made a travesty of justice. We are committed to being the voice of victims. Our motive is justice. We victims are left on our own to attempt to repair what crimes have destroyed. What we cannot repair, we are forced to endure. How do we explain to our children our loss?

• 1:05:04Colin Brown?

  All we can do is try to change the laws. I don't consider what we are doing as vengeance. There is nothing I can do to bring Stephanie back, and there's nothing I can do to change what happened to our family. But I believe there are laws that can be changed."

• 1:05:19Colin Brown?

  But of course, there were a lot of people who didn't agree with the Ropers. Georgie Burns from the Maryland Public Defender's Office stated, "It bogs down the system and hurts everyone in it." Prince George's Circuit Court Judge Vincent J. Femia said, "I don't want to hear from these people. I keep asking the question, why? To what end are they emoting? Is it to influence a judge's sentence? If so, I take great umbrage. Is it to make them feel better? Well, I suggest it's not the function of the criminal justice system to make victims feel better."

• 1:05:51Courtney Brown?

  All of this criticism was very hard on Roberta and Vincent. For a while, they had to stop reading the newspapers entirely because it was so hard on their mental health. But they had to keep reminding themselves of their goal. A goal to fight for their daughter's legacy and to advocate for victims' rights. Luckily, in May of 1983, three of the five bills were signed into law. First was the removal of alcohol and drug use as mitigating factors in capital crime. This meant that if someone was under the influence when they committed a crime, they were responsible for those actions. The second bill that was passed

• 1:06:36Courtney Brown?

  was raising the minimum sentence of capital murder to 25 years instead of 15. And then, the final law that was passed allowed victims' family members to read their impact statements in court. Before, it was permitted, but, as we saw in this case, it wasn't always allowed. Now Vincent and Roberta were extremely proud of the changes they made in the court system. It took a lot to get there, but finally, they did it.

• 1:07:08Colin Brown?

  Eventually, they turned the Stephanie Roper Committee and Foundation into the Maryland Crime Victims Resource Center. Roberta would later say that the work has been hard but rewarding. She said, quote, "There's some level of comfort in taking Stephanie's name off the organization. Changing the name is a reflection of where we came from and where we are going. It's not just about Stephanie anymore, and it's not just about us. It's about all victims of crimes. These people have the courage to rebuild a life that's been shattered and find hope," end quote. Now, we're going to talk more about this organization at the end of this episode, but while Vincent and Roberta were paving the way, their daughter's killers remained in prison.

• 1:07:50Colin Brown?

  Everyone was terrified that the men would be released on parole, but luckily, for the time being, that wouldn't happen. They remained in prison throughout the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s, with no sign of freedom on the horizon, which is likely why, around this time, Jack Ronald Jones died by suicide while in prison. In March of 2012, his accomplice, Jerry Lee Beatty, made several profiles on prison penpal websites. On one of them, Jerry requested money, saying, "I really am asking for a second chance. My family has either died or left me after 25 years of imprisonment. I need finances for attorneys, art supplies, and some everyday essentials."

• 1:08:32Colin Brown?

  Jerry, though, is still alive, serving out his sentence, and according to his attorneys, he's been a model prisoner, earning his GED, becoming a Christian, and he even enrolled in Coppin State College, where he earned a bachelor's degree. Now, Jerry was only 17 years old when he committed this crime, and as we know, there have recently been some changes in the law when it comes to giving life sentences to minors. The Juvenile Restoration Act, which the state of Maryland passed in 2021, makes it to where you can get sentence reduction after serving at least 20 years, if you were a minor when you committed the crime. So, it's possible that Jerry could one day be back out in society.

• 1:09:14Colin Brown?

  In the meantime, Jerry's been up for parole a number of times, and Stephanie's family is always right there to remind the parole board of the damage this man has caused. Luckily for them, his parole has been denied each time.

• 1:09:28Courtney Brown?

  The Roper family had to learn that this was a lifelong process. The chapter didn't close once Stephanie's killers went off to prison. But in the decades that have passed, they've found it in their hearts to forgive. Roberta said, quote, "Long ago, my husband forgave both Jones and Beatty. Not that we forget, or excuse, or don't hold them accountable, but we are not going to let them control our lives and take anything else from us, steal our happiness, our joy." End quote. Instead, they focus on keeping Stephanie's name alive.

• 1:10:11Colin Brown?

  The governor of Maryland, Martin O'Malley, decided to honor Stephanie Roper by renaming a portion of Maryland Route 4, the Stephanie Roper Highway. Her school, Frostburg State University, also honored her by dedicating their art gallery to Stephanie. It's now called the Stephanie Ann Roper Gallery. As we know, Stephanie loved making art. It was a part of her. Her art partner, Karen Lachobreen, wrote a poem for Stephanie shortly after her death. It read, "I saw you right before the sun had set. The wind was breathing softly. The sky held a brilliance of color and light. In its strong silence, you spoke to me and told me stories of the beauty and essence that only your strong spirit could hold.

• 1:10:56Colin Brown?

  Memories lay deep in your soul. They drift but never go away. Memories a collection of your dreams that yet remain. Dear friend, your smile is still dancing. There's laughter in your eyes. Your goodness is rich and everlasting, like the sun right before it sets."

• 1:11:15Courtney Brown?

  Roberta and Vincent said that in the beginning, the pain was so unbearable. There were days when they thought it would never get better. But eventually, they learned to live with their grief. It took Roberta decades to finally visit the site where Stephanie had been raped, tortured, and murdered. But when she did, she felt like a part of herself healed. She said, quote, "There's some sense of resolution, some sense of finality. There's never any closure, but I'm at peace," end quote. She would later reflect on her journey of grief, saying, quote, "Of all the losses

• 1:11:59Courtney Brown?

  that crime victims suffer, the greatest loss is hope."

• 1:12:05Courtney Brown?

  And I point out that even if the person responsible for the crime is arrested, stands trial, and is convicted of all the crimes and receives the appropriate punishment, that doesn't change your reality. You still have to reinvent yourself because you're never the same. It's a recreation, and you have the choice. You have to decide what it is you want to do. And I encourage them to find something that they can pour their energy and their passions and their abilities into, whatever it is. End quote.

• 1:12:42Courtney Brown?

  For the Ropers, they poured their energy into the Maryland Crime Victims Resource Center. Both Roberta and Vincent served as executive directors until Vincent's death in 2013.

• 1:12:58Courtney Brown?

  Today, Roberta is still a big part of the organization, but in her older years, she's taking the time to enjoy the rest of her life, surrounded by her family. And I wanted to end this episode by reflecting on the wonderful person Roberta Roper is. She took a horrible situation, one of the worst things that can happen to someone, and she turned it into something really beautiful. She saw the broken system that she was thrust into against her will, and she decided to make a difference. The victims of these horrific crimes don't get to use their voices once they are gone.

• 1:13:43Courtney Brown?

  And despite the hurdles she faced, Roberta paved away. Her hard work not only gave a voice to her daughter Stephanie, but for every victim of homicide.

• 1:13:57Colin Brown?

  And thanks to Roberta, the Maryland Crime Victims Resource Center has supported the passage of over 70 laws in Maryland. And in recent years, they've also been advocating for laws surrounding stalking victims and cyberbullying. The group is a nonprofit committed to supporting and advocating for victims of crimes in the state of Maryland. They ensure that all victims are treated with dignity and respect.

• 1:14:27Colin Brown?

  Hey everybody. Thank you for listening to this week's episode of Murder in America. This is a story that Courtney and I really wanted to share and a story that we felt was important to continue talking about. We also felt like this is a story that's inspiring and shows the need for justice that exists in so many of these cases where oftentimes it is never found. If you want to support the show and you like what we're doing here, please consider joining us on Patreon. On Patreon, you can get early ad-free access to all of our episodes. So if you don't like the ads, you can join us over there. And you can also get access to bonus episodes of Murder in America, full-length bonus episodes of the show done by Courtney and I, that are sometimes even longer than the episodes

• 1:15:11Colin Brown?

  released on our main feed, edited the exact same. So if you love the show and you want more of it, Patreon is a great way to help support what we do here. Also, don't forget to follow us on Instagram @MurderInAmerica to see photos from every single case that we cover, and leave us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or wherever you listen to the show. All of those reviews really help and we love hearing from y'all. And thanks to Roberta, the Maryland Crime Victims Resource Center has supported the passage of over 70 laws in Maryland. And in recent years, they've also been advocating for laws surrounding stalking victims and cyberbullying. So today, in honor of Stephanie Roper and her family, we will be making a donation to the Maryland Crime Victims Resource

• 1:15:55Colin Brown?

  Center, a nonprofit committed to supporting and advocating for victims of crimes in the state of Maryland. They ensure that all victims are treated with dignity and respect. Anyways, guys, we will be back next week with another episode of the show. Thank you for tuning in once again. I'm Colin Brown, and I'll catch y'all on the next one.