NY Man Sentenced In 1994 Fatal Stabbing Of Springfield Woman

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — A 53-year-old New York man was sentenced Friday in the 1994 stabbing death of Robin Warr Lawrence, 37, at her home in Springfield.

On Friday, Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge David Oblon sentenced Stephen Smerk to life in prison, with all but 70 years suspended. He had pleaded guilty on Oct. 15, 2024 to stabbing Lawrence to death.

“The random and senseless murder of a young mother scarred Fairfax County for more than 30 years,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Stephen Descano, following the announcement of the verdict. “The pain left by Robin Lawrence’s murder can never fully heal, but I hope that today’s sentence will help her loved ones finally close this difficult chapter. I also want to thank the Fairfax County cold case unit for their work on this case. While prosecutors always depend on our investigative partners to put together strong cases, older cases have unique challenges, especially if memories have faded and key witnesses are not available.”

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, following Smerk’s arrest in September 2023. "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.

Smerk left the base on the night of Lawrence’s death with the intention of killing someone, although he didn’t know who. He admitted to driving to West Springfield and breaking into Lawrence’s home, which is where he stabbed her 49 times. He later threw the murder weapon into a body of water, according to police.

A married father of two high school-aged students, Smerk worked as a software engineer in New York at the time of his arrest.