Army Veteran Arrested For 30-Year-Old Murder After DNA Testing

Robin Warr Lawrence, aged 37 in 1994, was brutally murdered in her Virginia residence when an intruder stabbed her 49 times … leaving her 2-year-old daughter alone for two days until a neighbor discovered the tragic scene.

For many years, law enforcement struggled to locate the suspect … until fresh DNA testing brought them to a man who professed he might have been a serial killer were it not for his family.

The entire narrative is featured in a new episode of “48 Hours“, which reveals Stephen Smerk … the individual who confessed to Robin’s murder and was sentenced to 70 years in prison in March 2025.

At the crime scene in November 1994, investigators collected DNA evidence — specifically, blood from a bathroom towel. During that period, DNA technology was still evolving — this was prior to noteworthy trials like the O.J. Simpson case — and thus, no immediate suspects emerged.

Nonetheless, Parabon NanoLabs — a firm that has made significant advancements in genetic genealogy and DNA phenotyping — helped generate a suspect profile linked to a relative of Smerk.

Authorities approached Smerk outside his residence in New York while he was disposing of trash … they requested a DNA sample, which he provided willingly. Shortly thereafter, he contacted them and confessed to the murder.

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Smerk stated he was an active-duty soldier near Northern Virginia who felt an unexpected urge to kill. He randomly selected Robin’s home, broke in, and committed the murder.

He shockingly revealed to authorities … “I truly believe that without my wife and kids, I could have been a serial killer.” Afterward, Smerk relocated to New York and led a seemingly ordinary life as a software engineer.

Following the murder, Smerk recounted that he showered, disposed of his clothing … and then resumed his life as though nothing had occurred. He confirmed to detectives that he was intoxicated during the incident.

Concerned after not hearing from Robin for multiple days, her husband asked a neighbor to check on her … the neighbor found the back door ajar and called out for Robin’s daughter, who was later treated for dehydration after being discovered.

Smerk entered a guilty plea for first-degree murder in Virginia last year and received a 70-year sentence. Given that Smerk is now in his 50s, this sentence is tantamount to a life sentence.