Gene Meyer, left, appears in court Feb. 13, 2023, for the 1988 murder of Betty Rolf in Grand Chute. PC: Fox 11 Online
APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – A series of scheduling-conflict dominos fell Wednesday, prompting the cancellation of a planned trial in a 1988 murder case, but without scheduling a new trial date.
Gene Meyer, 67, is charged with first-degree murder and first-degree sexual assault for the death of Betty Rolf. Rolf’s body was found Nov. 7, 1988 in Grand Chute, just outside the Appleton city limits. Meyer was charged in December 2022 after DNA from the scene matched evidence taken from Meyer’s truck.
Meyer had been scheduled to stand trial starting Feb. 12. However, Outagamie County Judge Mark Schroeder now has a judicial training seminar which conflicts with part of the two-week trial window.
In court Wednesday, the parties then discussed a variety of other dates, but had all some conflict. The reasons included: prosecutors’ unavailability due to another murder, a scheduled trip by one of the defense attorneys, and the Appleton School District’s spring break and related child-case issues.
When Judge McGinnis suggested an April 1 trial date, Meyer’s defense team said they didn’t want to wait that long – as Meyer is still in custody, unable to post a $2 million cash bond. As a result, Meyer filed a speedy trial demand, which requires the trial to start with 90 days.
Because finding a two-week window within the next three months will requires moving multiple other cases off the judge’s calendar, no trial date was set Wednesday. The attorneys will work with the court to find a day agreeable to all.
As of now, Meyer is scheduled to return to court next Oct. 30 for a motions hearing.
While investigating the case, the FBI trailer Meyer, who was living in Washington state. Agents swabbed the handle of his truck to gather the DNA used to match the DNA found at the crime scene. The defense wants the evidence tossed out, arguing Meyer’s Fourth Amendment rights were violated. Prosecutors say the evidence should be allowed because Meyer had no expectation of privacy on the outside of his vehicle.
The defense also has filed a motion asking for the sexual assault count to be dismissed, arguing there’s no evidence any contact wasn’t consensual. Prosecutors oppose the motion.
Additionally, Meyer filed a motion seeking permission to blame another suspect – now dead – for the murder. A judge has to evaluate the motion before allowing such evidence at trial.
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