On Nov. 20, 1994, Robin Lawrence, a 37‑year‑old artist and Carnegie Mellon graduate, was found murdered in her Fairfax County, Virginia, home. Her friend Laurie Lindberg had gone to check on her after Robin’s husband, Ollie, failed to reach her while he was abroad. Laurie entered through a back window and found Robin’s two‑year‑old daughter, Nicole, wandering the house and large splatters of blood on the bedroom walls. Nicole, who had a fragile medical history and needed medication, had apparently tried to help her mother, leaving bloody tissues and empty bottles near the body. Detectives later determined Robin had suffered a “very, very violent attack,” including dozens of stab wounds.
Early investigators recovered a key piece of physical evidence: a washcloth from the bathroom stained with blood on both sides. Detectives extracted DNA from that washcloth and uploaded it to CODIS, but there was no match. For decades the case remained unsolved. Detectives reviewed family and social circles, investigated Robin’s marriage and discovered Ollie had previously had an affair, but he was cleared after providing an alibi and being confirmed in the Bahamas.
In 2019, Fairfax County turned to Parabon NanoLabs for genetic genealogy and phenotyping. Parabon’s analysis showed the suspect likely had European ancestry, and the company produced a DNA‑based facial composite. The initial genetic matches were distant — fourth to sixth cousins — and Parabon estimated the case had a low solvability score, advising limited prospects without substantial time and funding.
A volunteer genealogist, identified only as Liz, took the distant matches and spent more than three years building family trees, following leads across generations. She traced ancestors to Canada and found two family trees that converged at a couple. From that link she identified a descendant of interest: Stephan Smerk, then living in Niskayuna, New York, a programmer with no prior criminal record. Parabon’s phenotyping composite and a yearbook photo at age 16 bolstered investigators’ interest.
In September 2023, Fairfax detectives Melissa Wallace and Jon Long traveled to Smerk’s home. They obtained a cheek swab after a short interview. Later that day Wallace received a call from Smerk: he said he was at the police station to “turn himself in” for the 1994 murder. Niskayuna officers took him into custody. On Sept. 7, 2023, Smerk gave a videotaped statement and confessed, saying he had gone to Robin’s house in November 1994 wearing a ski mask and gloves, had startled her in the bedroom and killed her. He told investigators he had been drinking and had been taking ephedrine; in his words, the attack was “100% intentional.” Smerk claimed he was “a serial killer who has only killed once.” Detectives were careful to corroborate his statements with details only the killer would know.
Forensic testing soon linked Smerk’s DNA to the blood on the washcloth found at the scene. Prosecutors said the DNA match produced overwhelmingly strong statistical support. Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano described Smerk as “a true danger to the community.” At a preliminary hearing and later a grand jury in 2024, evidence including Smerk’s confession and the DNA match established probable cause; a grand jury indicted him.
Smerk eventually accepted a plea deal for first‑degree murder rather than face a full trial. Prosecutors and investigators cited the passage of time, witness deaths, and fading memories as factors influencing the decision to secure guaranteed accountability. On March 7, 2025, Smerk was sentenced under the plea agreement to a 70‑year term with the possibility of parole at the statutory maximum allowed by the deal.
Family members said they were relieved to have someone held accountable but disappointed they did not get a public trial. Robin’s sister and extended family recalled Robin as a powerful, creative artist whose work and achievements — including molding an early medal for a Martin Luther King Jr. prize — were a source of pride. Nicole, the child who had been found at the scene, stood with family at sentencing; the case’s resolution brought them a measure of closure, they said, though the loss and trauma remain.
Investigators credited a mix of old‑fashioned detective work, persistent genealogy, improved DNA technology, and volunteer effort for breaking the case. The washcloth originally yielded a strong DNA profile but no database match; years later, advances in genetic genealogy and the work of Parabon and the volunteer genealogist produced the family connections that led to a suspect. Detectives emphasized both the patience required in cold‑case work and the growing role of genetic genealogy when traditional database searches fail.
Defense counsel later described Smerk as having struggled with substance abuse and undiagnosed mental illness in his youth; his attorney said he had been diagnosed with bipolar II disorder in later years and had sought treatment, and that ephedrine and alcohol had affected his behavior in 1994. Prosecutors and victims’ family members rejected characterization of the killing as random or purely impulsive. Behavioral analysts who reviewed the case called it mission‑oriented and pointed to the killer’s planning — bringing a mask and gloves, targeting a night when Robin’s husband was away, and entering through the back as signs of purpose rather than chance.
After sentencing, family members expressed that the conviction and lengthy sentence brought a degree of justice. Ollie Lawrence, Robin’s husband, released a statement saying the family was grateful justice had been done. Robin’s relatives and friends continue to remember her through her art and the life she had built before the murder; they described her as creative, exuberant, and a loving mother whose presence is still felt in her work and in her daughter’s life.