“48 hours”
An army veteran confessed to murder three decades later…
A DNA test led the police to him
Published
Robin Warr Lawrence she was 37 years old in 1994 when someone broke into her Virginia home and stabbed her 49 times… killing her and leaving her 2-year-old daughter alone for two days until a neighbor discovered her body.
For years, police couldn't find the culprit… until new DNA testing led them to a man who claims he would have become a serial killer if it weren't for his wife and children.
The whole story is presented in the new issue”48 hours“who will introduce the world to Stefan Smerk …a man who pleaded guilty last year to Robin's murder and was sentenced to 70 years in prison in March 2025.
DNA evidence was collected from the November 1994 crime scene, including blood from a towel. DNA science was still in its relative infancy – this was before OJ Simpson for example, a trial – and the evidence did not reveal immediate suspects.
However, Parabon NanoLabs – a company that has made huge breakthroughs in genetic genealogy and DNA phenotyping – and investigators were able to create a profile of the suspect that matched that of Smerk's relative.
Cops met Smerk outside his New York home while he was taking out the trash… and asked him for a DNA swab, which he voluntarily provided. Soon after, he called them and turned himself in for the murder.
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According to Smerk, he was an active duty soldier stationed near Northern Virginia and felt compelled to kill. He left the barracks, chose Robin's house at random, broke into it and killed her.
He stunningly told police… “I truly believe that if it weren't for my wife and my children, I probably would have become a serial killer.” Smerk later moved to the Empire State and lived the quiet life of a software engineer.
After he killed Robin, Smerk told the cops that he took a shower, got rid of his clothes… and then just moved on with his life as if nothing had happened. Smerk also told police that he was intoxicated at the time of the murder.
Robin's husband asked a neighbor to check on her after not hearing from her for several days… and when they arrived, the neighbor found the back door open and called for Robin's daughter. After she was found, her daughter was treated for dehydration.
Smerk pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in Virginia last year and received a 70-year sentence. At the moment, 70 years is essentially a life sentence, given that Smerka is now in his 50s.
