What did William Glenn Rogers do? Federal Appeals court overturns death sentence for Clarksville man in connection with 1996 case

The U.S. Court of Appeals has overturned the death penalty of William Glenn Rogers, an inmate on death row, for a 1996 murder conviction.

William Glenn Rogers, a resident of Tennessee, USA, was found guilty of kidnapping, r*ping, and murdering a nine-year-old girl named Jacqueline “Jackie” Beard.

At the time, the incident shocked the entire town of Clarksville. Rogers was subsequently given a death sentence for his crimes.

Court revisits sentencing of William Glenn Rogers

26 years later, after reviewing an appeal petition on the case, the U.S. Court of Appeals has now questioned the verdict given at the time. An excerpt from the 48-page-long official court document reads:

"Rogers’ counsel rendered ineffective assistance in the sentencing phase that makes us doubt whether this phase of the trial produced a fair result.”

Rogers was given the death penalty on charges of first-degree premeditated murder, first-degree felony murder in the perpetration of a kidnap, first-degree felony murder in the perpetration of an assault, and two counts of criminal impersonation.

He was also given an additional sentence of 48 years.

The Court of Appeals still considers William Glenn Rogers guilty of the charges but doubts the manner in which the trial was conducted.

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What happened to Jacqueline Beard?

On July 3, 1996, nine-year-old Jacqueline Beard was playing at a mud puddle near her home with her twelve-year-old brother, Jeremy Beard, and her eleven-year-old cousin, Michael Carl Webber.

The family lived in Clarksville, Montgomery County. It was at that time that Rogers first approached them. He introduced himself as “Tommy Robertson” and told the children that he was an undercover police officer. He also told Jacqueline's mother, Jeannie Meyer, that he was a police officer, before leaving the location.

Rogers showed up again at their place again five days later, this time making an excuse that he had lost a key at their house. Jacqueline left to play outside just a few minutes later and never returned. Her mother notified the authorities immediately and the search for the little girl began.

When questioned by law enforcement on July 11, 1996, Rogers initially denied being in the area.

However, during his subsequent questioning, Rogers admitted to the police that he had been there on July 3 with three lads to shoot off fireworks. He later admitted that Jackie was one of three kids.

Rogers eventually admitted that he accidentally ran over Jackie after exiting the abandoned trailer while he was reversing his automobile.

After Jacqueline's body was found and DNA sampling was done, police directed the case towards kidnapping and murder.

Eventually, after proof piled up and his ex-wife testified against him, William Glenn Rogers was sentenced for his crimes.