Cold Case Arrest: Fairfax Police Charge Suspect In 1994 Homicide

WEST SPRINGFIELD, VA — Fairfax County Police charged 51-year-old Stephen Smerk of Niskayuna, New York, with second-degree murder in the fatal stabbing of 37-year-old Robin Warr Lawrence of Springfield in 1994.

Lawrence was found stabbed to death around 12:30 p.m., on Nov. 20, 1994, by an acquaintance inside her home in the 8600 block of Reseca Lane in Springfield. The victim's 2-year-old daughter, Nicole, was also found inside the home physically unharmed, according to a 1994 report in The Washington Post.

Although police did not have a suspect in 1994, detectives developed a DNA profile but were unable to find a match at the time.

In 2019, detectives resubmitted the DNA to Parabon NanoLabs in Reston, which developed a DNA profile of the suspect, including a composite image. Eventually, they identified a familial match.

"They developed a profile using that DNA and began searching genealogical databases," Police Chief Kevin Davis said, during a news conference on Monday. "They used that information to develop a family tree, which they provided to our detectives, and a volunteer who works with our cold case detectives."

Working the case for three years, the detectives identified Smerk as a suspect, comparing the composite drawing to Smirk's high school and drivers license photos.

Detectives traveled to upstate New York and confronted Smerk, as he was putting out the trash at his home in Niskayuna.

"They used that opportunity to walk up to him and engage him in a conversation," Davis said. "As a result of those efforts, they got additional DNA swabs and a full confession from our suspect."

During their investigation, detectives determined Smerk was an active-duty member of the U.S. Army, living at Fort Myer in Arlington at the time of Lawrence's death.

A married father of two high-school aged students, Smerk now works as a software engineer in New York.

"He has zero criminal history whatsoever," Davis said. "He's had 51 years, so this is his first time he's being arrested and he's being held accountable for what he did, unforgivable, in 1994."

Smerk is in the custody of Niskayuna police, awaiting extradition to Fairfax County, where he'll be served with second degree murder warrants.

Nicole Lawrence's family, including her daughter, Nichole Lawrence, and husband Desmond Lawrence, were among the family members in present at Monday's news conference.

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