APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – The man convicted in the 1988 sexual assault and murder of Betty Rolf was sentenced Thursday.
Gene Meyer, 68, was sentenced to life plus 20 years for the two crimes. Judge Mark Schroeder ruled that Meyer would be eligible for parole after 34 years.
The 34-year time period, recommended by prosecutors, matches the time that passed between the crime and when Meyer was arrested.
Earlier this year, a jury convicted Meyer in the case. Rolf’s body was found Nov. 7, 1988, in Grand Chute, just outside the Appleton city limits.
Three people connected to Rolf testified at Thursday’s hearing. Schroeder ordered that news media not take video of their comments.
Meyer was charged in December 2022 after DNA from the scene matched evidence taken from Meyer’s truck.
His attorneys have filed a motion for a new trial, based on a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision. At issue is the trial testimony of Dr. Robert Corliss, who discussed the autopsy reports and records from 1988. Corliss, however, did not perform the autopsy on Rolf; Dr. Robert Huntington did. Huntington died in 2015.
Despite the reason for Huntington’s unavailability at trial, Meyer’s attorneys say the Supreme Court ruling regarding the defense’s right to confront a witness means Corliss’ testimony should not have been allowed at trial.
A status conference was set for July 18 to discuss the motion for a new trial.
Comments