On April 3, 1982, 22-year-old college student, Stephanie Roper was murdered. She was leaving a friend’s home late at night when her car broke down. Two men, Jack Ronald Jones and Jerry Beatty approached her. The two men kidnapped Stephanie and took her to a discrete location in the woods where they raped, sodomized, tortured, and eventually murdered her for five hours. At one point, Stephanie tried to escape and the men shot her in the head, killing her. In order to prevent identification of Stephanie, they then doused her body with gasoline and burned her. The two men then dragged her body into the woods and disposed of her body in the swamp. The two men were apprehended after one of them bragged to others about his part in the crime. Both men were found guilty of kidnapping, rape, and felony murder. They were tried in different counties, but both were sentenced to two concurrent life sentences with parole eligibility after serving twelve years.

The community came together to assist Stephanie’s family to help them through the funeral and the trials. In October 1982, the group became known as the Stephanie Roper Committee and Foundation, Inc. The first office was opened and volunteers stepped up to become the staff. The goal of this organization is “to ensure that victims of crime receive justice and are treated with dignity and compassion through comprehensive victims’ rights and services”. In the Fall of 2002, with the support of the community, the Committee and the Foundation merged to become the Maryland Crime Victims’ Resource Center, Inc

The Crime Victims’ Rights Act of 2004 was named, partially, for Stephanie Roper. Stephanie’s parents were not notified of trial continuances, were excluded from proceedings, and were not allowed to give victim impact statements. The Act grants victims the previously mentioned rights as well as more. Such as “The right to be reasonably heard at any public proceeding in the district court involving the release, plea, sentencing, or any parole proceeding” and “The right to be treated with fairness and with respect for the victim’s dignity and privacy”

The organization offers a multitude of services for victims of crime. Some of these services include legal assistance, court accompaniment, financial assistance, counseling, and support groups.

The MCVRC also ensures that the victims know that they have rights and helps the victims understand these rights. The rights of victims in Maryland vary depending on whether the case is prosecuted in District Court or Circuit Court or if the offender was a juvenile. The MCVRC provides two flowcharts depicting the criminal justice process for adults and juveniles.

The MCVRC provides training intended to educate organizations on victim laws and the best practices to protect the rights of victims. The organization offers this training to government agencies, nonprofits, for-profits, victim service organizations, and community organizations.

There are several ways you can support this organization. The MCVRC is a non-profit organization that offers free services, so if you would like to make a monetary donation, it would assist the organization to continue to offer these free services. Another way to show support is to become a volunteer. Some volunteer opportunities include court accompaniment, office assistant, and assistance with community events.

If you would like to contact the MCVRC I will be providing the contact information for the main office: 

Ph: 301-952-0063

Ph: 877-842-8461

Fx: 240-929-0526

1001 Prince George’s Blvd., Suite 750

Upper Marlboro, MD 20774-7427