Robin Lawrence, left, and Stephan Smerk.Photo:Fairfax County Police DepartmentDecades after a Virginia woman was stabbed to death in her home, police have finally arrested a suspect after a DNA testing breakthrough connected him to the crime.The Fairfax County Police Departmentsaidthat Stephan Smerk, 51, a resident of Niskayuna, N.Y., was charged with second-degree murder.Robin Lawrence, 37, was found stabbed to death in her home in Springfield, Va., on Nov. 20, 1994, police said. According to a report fromNBC Washington, Lawrence’s 2-year-old daughter was in the home at the time of the murder.During the initial investigation, detectives spoke to witnesses and put together a DNA profile of a suspect but it didn’t have matches in any system, police said.Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’sfree True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.Years after Lawrence was killed, a familial DNA match was found, police said. Upon learning about the familial match, police said they discovered Smerk was working in the area at the time of the murder.Police worked with Parabon NanoLabs, a Northern Virginia DNA technology company that also created a composite image that was compared to photos of Smerk in 1988 and 1998, the department said.Stephan Smerk.Fairfax County Police DepartmentUpon discovering the link to Smerk, Fairfax County police traveled to New York and obtained a confession from the suspect, police alleged.NBC Washington reported, citing police, that Smerk was active-duty military in 1994 and had no known connection with Lawrence. The outlet also reported that Lawrence’s husband was out of town at the time of the murder and wasn’t able to reach his wife. He asked a friend, NBC reported, who found Lawrence’s body, along with the toddler, who was dehydrated after being left alone for days.Smerk is currently in custody at Schenectady County Jail in New York, according to jail records. It is unclear if he has retained an attorney.
Robin Lawrence, left, and Stephan Smerk.Photo:Fairfax County Police Department
Fairfax County Police Department
Decades after a Virginia woman was stabbed to death in her home, police have finally arrested a suspect after a DNA testing breakthrough connected him to the crime.The Fairfax County Police Departmentsaidthat Stephan Smerk, 51, a resident of Niskayuna, N.Y., was charged with second-degree murder.Robin Lawrence, 37, was found stabbed to death in her home in Springfield, Va., on Nov. 20, 1994, police said. According to a report fromNBC Washington, Lawrence’s 2-year-old daughter was in the home at the time of the murder.During the initial investigation, detectives spoke to witnesses and put together a DNA profile of a suspect but it didn’t have matches in any system, police said.Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’sfree True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.Years after Lawrence was killed, a familial DNA match was found, police said. Upon learning about the familial match, police said they discovered Smerk was working in the area at the time of the murder.Police worked with Parabon NanoLabs, a Northern Virginia DNA technology company that also created a composite image that was compared to photos of Smerk in 1988 and 1998, the department said.Stephan Smerk.Fairfax County Police DepartmentUpon discovering the link to Smerk, Fairfax County police traveled to New York and obtained a confession from the suspect, police alleged.NBC Washington reported, citing police, that Smerk was active-duty military in 1994 and had no known connection with Lawrence. The outlet also reported that Lawrence’s husband was out of town at the time of the murder and wasn’t able to reach his wife. He asked a friend, NBC reported, who found Lawrence’s body, along with the toddler, who was dehydrated after being left alone for days.Smerk is currently in custody at Schenectady County Jail in New York, according to jail records. It is unclear if he has retained an attorney.
Decades after a Virginia woman was stabbed to death in her home, police have finally arrested a suspect after a DNA testing breakthrough connected him to the crime.
The Fairfax County Police Departmentsaidthat Stephan Smerk, 51, a resident of Niskayuna, N.Y., was charged with second-degree murder.
Robin Lawrence, 37, was found stabbed to death in her home in Springfield, Va., on Nov. 20, 1994, police said. According to a report fromNBC Washington, Lawrence’s 2-year-old daughter was in the home at the time of the murder.
During the initial investigation, detectives spoke to witnesses and put together a DNA profile of a suspect but it didn’t have matches in any system, police said.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’sfree True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
Years after Lawrence was killed, a familial DNA match was found, police said. Upon learning about the familial match, police said they discovered Smerk was working in the area at the time of the murder.
Police worked with Parabon NanoLabs, a Northern Virginia DNA technology company that also created a composite image that was compared to photos of Smerk in 1988 and 1998, the department said.
Stephan Smerk.Fairfax County Police Department
Upon discovering the link to Smerk, Fairfax County police traveled to New York and obtained a confession from the suspect, police alleged.
NBC Washington reported, citing police, that Smerk was active-duty military in 1994 and had no known connection with Lawrence. The outlet also reported that Lawrence’s husband was out of town at the time of the murder and wasn’t able to reach his wife. He asked a friend, NBC reported, who found Lawrence’s body, along with the toddler, who was dehydrated after being left alone for days.
Smerk is currently in custody at Schenectady County Jail in New York, according to jail records. It is unclear if he has retained an attorney.
source: people.com
