Current:Home > ScamsPoinbank Exchange|Virginia police announce arrest in 1994 cold case using DNA evidence -Mastery Money Tools
Poinbank Exchange|Virginia police announce arrest in 1994 cold case using DNA evidence
PredictIQ View
Date:2025-04-06 11:46:59
On November 20,Poinbank Exchange 1994, at approximately 12:30 p.m., Lawrence was found stabbed to death inside her home, Fairfax County Police said. Her two-year-old daughter was found alone in another room of the house unharmed. The nearly 30-year-old case was solved, police said, using genetic genealogy analysis over three years.
Detectives say after coincidentally arriving at his house as Smerk was taking out his trash, they obtained a consensual DNA sample from him and later a "full confession" to the crime. Smerk, who was on active duty in the Army, was living at Fort Myers in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington D.C., police said.
"He chose her seemingly randomly, and it was a heinous, heinous scene. And I've seen a lot of crime scenes in person and photographs of one, and this one was particularly gruesome," Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said.
Smerk had no prior arrest record before being taken into custody this month, and police say there’s no reason to believe he was suspected of any similar crimes. Smerk had no connection to the victim, police said. He’s currently in custody in New York and is awaiting extradition to Virginia. ABC was not immediately able to locate a legal representative for Smerk.
"We as the family who's sitting here to my left would like to thank the Fairfax and Niskayuna police departments for their work on this case. We look forward to learning more about the process and next steps," Lauren Ovans, a cousin of the victim told reporters on Monday,
MORE: 2 cold case murders from 1980s solved with genetic genealogy: Police
DNA testing
Police collected DNA from the 1994 crime scene and created a DNA profile that had no matches, which was uploaded to the national database for DNA. The use of the genetic genealogy analysis helped break the case after cold case detectives submitted that DNA to Parabon NanoLabs, a Virginia DNA technology-based company, police said.
The police force was able to develop "a profile using that DNA and began searching genealogical databases. They use that information to develop a family tree which they provided to our detectives and a volunteer who worked with our cold case detectives,” said Fairfax Police Deputy Chief of Investigations Eli Cory.
MORE: Suspected killer identified in 1987 cold case murder of woman on hiking trial
Investigation and confession
Before traveling to New York, Fairfax County cold case detectives say they compared the composite sketch to Smerk's high school yearbook picture and a DMV picture of him in the 1990s.
Detectives then went to Niskayuna, New York, and arrived at Smerk’s house. Detectives say they talked to him and Smerk willingly agreed to an additional DNA swab, authorities said. Police said that Smerk’s willingness to cooperate was “highly unusual, so that was a clue to our detectives that something may be afoot," Chief Davis said.
The Fairfax County cold case detectives left and were preparing to return to Virginia when they say Smerk called and told them, "I want to talk and I want to talk right now," police said. Detectives advised him to call 911 and go to the local police station, according to police.
Smerk, who is now a software engineer, "fully described his involvement. It is beyond involvement, he talked about killing Robin. And he talked a little bit about some more details that I won't go into, but it was a full confession. And it was a confession with more than enough details. Coupled with the genetic genealogy research," Chief Davis said on Monday.
Fairfax County Police say they have been in contact with the Army however, they believe Smerk will be prosecuted in the county.
"The evidence that we have the strength of this case is overwhelming. And we feel fully comfortable that he's going to be successfully prosecuted right here in Fairfax County," Chief Davis said.
veryGood! (899)
Related
- Scoot flight from Singapore to Wuhan turns back after 'technical issue' detected
- Bees swarm Indian Wells tennis tournament, prompting almost two-hour delay
- Migrants lacking passports must now submit to facial recognition to board flights in US
- Delaware Democrats give final approval to handgun permit-to-purchase bill
- Tree trimmer dead after getting caught in wood chipper at Florida town hall
- Commanders targeting QB with No. 2 pick? Washington trading Sam Howell to Seahawks, per reports
- Bees swarm Indian Wells tennis tournament, prompting almost two-hour delay
- Oprah Winfrey Addresses Why She Really Left WeightWatchers
- Who are the most valuable sports franchises? Forbes releases new list of top 50 teams
- Kensington Palace Is No Longer a “Trusted Source” After Kate Middleton Edited Photo, AFP Says
Ranking
- Trump invites nearly all federal workers to quit now, get paid through September
- Who is Mamiko Tanaka? Everything you need to know about Shohei Ohtani's wife
- South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem faces lawsuit after viral endorsement of Texas dentists
- TikTok ban would hit many users where it hurts — their pocketbook
- Brianna LaPaglia Reveals The Meaning Behind Her "Chickenfry" Nickname
- John Oliver Has a Surprising Response to Kate Middleton Conspiracy Theories
- White House encourages House GOP to ‘move on’ from Biden impeachment effort
- Commanders targeting QB with No. 2 pick? Washington trading Sam Howell to Seahawks, per reports
Recommendation
Who are the most valuable sports franchises? Forbes releases new list of top 50 teams
Taylor Swift's Eras Tour is live to stream on Disney+ with bonus 'Acoustic Collection'
Wisconsin Republican Senate candidate Hovde promises to donate salary to charity
Pierce Brosnan pleads guilty to Yellowstone National Park violation, ordered to pay $1,500
Toyota to invest $922 million to build a new paint facility at its Kentucky complex
Biden backs Schumer after senator calls for new elections in Israel
Wendy Williams 'lacked capacity' when she agreed to film Lifetime doc, unsealed filings say
Alec Baldwin Files Motion to Dismiss Involuntary Manslaughter Charges in Rust Shooting Case