Jerry Beatty, convicted in the 1982 kidnapping, rape, and murder of 22-year-old college student Stephanie Roper, will appear for a parole hearing on Thursday, October 1, 2026 at the Maryland Correctional Training Center in Hagerstown, MD. The hearing follows Beatty's petition for a sentence reduction under Maryland's Juvenile Restoration Act (JUVRA), which allows people convicted as juveniles to seek shorter sentences after serving 20 years. His JUVRA hearing was originally scheduled in 2024. The court denied his request in February 2026. In explaining its decision, the court addressed the brutality of the crimes, the opportunities Beatty had to change the course of events, and his failure to address his mental health diagnoses. Parole is a separate process, and Stephanie's family and Maryland Crime Victims' Resource Center (MCVRC) will once again be there to make sure her voice is heard. Stephanie’s family faces a predicament that has become familiar to victims’ families across Maryland: repeated proceedings over the possible release of the person who harmed their loved one. Under JUVRA, an eligible person may seek a sentence reduction as many as three times, with another motion permitted at least three years after a denial. A new law taking effect on October 1 also bars the Maryland Parole Commission from permanently denying parole and requires future parole hearings after a denial. These separate processes can overlap, requiring families to prepare for hearing after hearing, relive the crime, and speak again for their loved ones and the safety of their communities.

Stephanie's mother, Roberta Roper, has spent the last 44 years fighting for her daughter and for crime victim throughout Maryland. The family has consistently opposed Beatty's release. Facing a parole hearing only months after the court denied his sentence reduction adds another painful burden to a family that has carried this loss for decades.