An ex-Army soldier has pleaded guilty to killing a woman at her West Springfield home in 1994, Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano announced today (Friday).
Stephan Smerk, 52, could face up to 70 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to first-degree murder for stabbing and killing Robin Lawrence, a stranger, while he was stationed at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Arlington.
According to the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, Smerk left the Army barracks one night in November 1994 “with the intent to kill someone,” but he had no specific target in mind. After driving to a friend’s house, he broke into a neighbor’s home using a tree branch, the Washington Post reported from a preliminary hearing in April, when prosecutors showed video of Smerk confessing to police.
The home belonged to Lawrence, who was present with her 2-year-old daughter.
“Smerk proceeded to stab Ms. Lawrence 49 times, tossing the murder weapon into a body of water later that night,” Descano’s office said in a statement. “Ms. Lawrence’s body was discovered by friends on November 20, 1994, after her husband, who was out of the country at the time, asked them to check on her, as he’d not heard from her in several days.”
The killing remained a mystery until the FCPD found a link to Smerk from a DNA sample sent to Reston-based Parabon NanoLabs in 2019. According to the Post, the lab identified a possible family tree for the suspect based on a relative’s DNA profile in a genealogical database.
Detectives went to Smerk’s home in Niskayuna, New York, in September 2023 to collect a DNA sample for further testing. Smerk provided the sample voluntary, but just hours later, he turned himself into a local police station and confessed to Lawrence’s murder, the commonwealth’s attorney’s office says.
Indicted by a grand jury on April 15, Smerk had been set to face a jury trial on Dec. 9 until he entered a guilty plea today, according to court records.
“Thirty years ago, the random and brutal murder of a young mother rocked Fairfax County,” Descano said. “While the scars of such a horrific crime can never be fully healed, I hope this conviction can provide closure to both the family of Robin Lawrence and our entire community. This conviction is a testament to our commitment to justice — no matter how long it takes to achieve it.”
Smerk is scheduled for a sentencing hearing on March 7, 2025.
