The lab also specializes in using unidentifiable DNA evidence to “predict physical appearance,” according to a news release from the Fairfax County Police Department. Though a DNA profile was developed in 1994 using DNA found at the scene, decades passed before a DNA analysis company was able to match the profile to one of Smerk’s relatives, police said.Īuthorities used Parabon NanoLabs, a genetic genealogy company that uses DNA evidence and traditional genealogy to identify potential relatives for suspects whose DNA may not be in genetic databases. House call yields DNA – and a confession, police say The suspect is being held as a fugitive in New York, where he turned himself in, and will be extradited to Fairfax County, Virginia, to face the murder charge, Davis said. There was “no relationship” between Lawrence and Smerk, the police chief said, adding he seemingly chose her at “random.” Smerk – who is now married with two children – was serving as an active-duty member of the Army at the time of the killing, Cory said. Members of Lawrence’s family, including her surviving daughter, attended Monday’s news conference but did not take any questions.Īt the time of her killing, Robin Lawrence worked in the promotions department of Merchant’s Tire & Auto Centers, according to a 1995 report from the Post. “After all of this time, you have hope, but you also wonder: ‘Will they really find someone after 29 years?’” “You could have probably knocked me over with a feather,” Ollie Lawrence told the Post. Ollie Lawrence was “flabbergasted” to hear a suspect had been arrested, he told the Post. Lawrence’s husband, Ollie, told The Washington Post that their daughter was alone in the house over the weekend until her mother’s body was discovered “That friend discovered this heinous and tragic scene,” he added. Lawrence’s body was found after her husband – who was out of the country on a work trip – grew concerned that he hadn’t heard from her and asked a family friend to check on her, Cory said. The DNA evidence that led police to Smerk was collected from the Lawrence’s home in 1994 after the mother was stabbed to death while her 2-year-old daughter was left unharmed in another room, according to police. Robin Lawrence was found stabbed to death inside her home in Springfield, Virgina, in 1994. “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,” Davis said. In his confession, Smerk “fully described his involvement” in the killing, Davis said. CNN has been unable to determine if Smerk has an attorney. Smerk is facing a second-degree murder charge in the case, according to police. Detectives took the opportunity to have a consensual conversation with Smerk, take a DNA swab from him and leave him their business card, he said.īy the end of the day, Smerk had called the detectives, turned himself in to the local police station in Niskayuna, New York, and delivered a full confession in Lawrence’s killing, Davis said. “When they arrived at Smerk’s house, he just happened to be taking his trash out,” Cory said. The two detectives took a trip to Niskayuna, New York, in hopes of “furthering their investigation” and found Smerk outside his home on September 7, police said. They worked with an outside lab that was able to use DNA evidence to identify the suspect’s biological relatives and produce a sketch of what the suspect might look like, the department said.Īuthorities then matched that to Smerk’s 1988 yearbook photo and a 1998 DMV photo, Deputy Chief Eli Cory said at a Monday news conference. WHDHĪ man walked into an FBI office and admitted to killing a woman more than 4 decades ago in Boston, officials sayĪdvances in technology led Fairfax Police Department detectives to Smerk. Irmer is seen partially obscured by a doorway he stood behind during the arrignment. John Michael Irmer, 68, was arraigned in a Boston courtroom on Monday and charged with murdering 24-year-old Susan Marcia Rose on October 30, 1979.
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