It’s been almost 30 years since a mother was stabbed to death in her West Springfield, Virginia, home while her two year old daughter was in the next room. Friday, the man charged in the death of Robin Lawrence is expected to plead guilty.
Court records show 52-year-old Stephan Smerk is set for a Friday plea hearing in Fairfax County Circuit Court. Sources tell WTOP he is expected to plead guilty to first-degree murder.
Robin Lawrence’s body was discovered inside her home on the leafy cul-de-sac of Reseca Lane in the West Springfield area of the county on Nov. 20, 1994. Her husband was out of the country on a business trip and when he couldn’t reach her, he became worried and asked a family friend to check in.
The friend alerted police to the grisly scene, and found Lawrence’s unattended young daughter.
Detectives collected DNA evidence at the time and uploaded it to the national CODIS database of DNA profiles — but there were no matches, and the case eventually grew cold.
In 2019 police began working with Reston-based Parabon NanoLabs, a DNA technology company that has helped police departments in the D.C. area finally solve several other cold cases.
Parabon investigators and detectives also began searching online genealogical databases to build a family tree, which eventually led to Smerk, who was living in Niskayuna, New York.
In 1994, Smerk was an active duty Army soldier, based at what is now Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, near Arlington National Cemetery.
Fairfax County detectives Melissa Wallace and JD Long traveled the 400 miles to upstate New York.
When the detectives arrived at Smerk’s home, he was in his driveway taking the trash to the curb. He spoke to detectives and agreed to having them take a DNA sample at his home, according to Davis. The detectives left a business card with a cellphone number.
When detectives got back to their hotel, Smerk called them, and said he wanted to talk. Police say he confessed.
At the time of his arrest, in September 2023, Fairfax County police chief Kevin Davis said Smerk had “zero criminal history whatsoever.”
In April 2024, Fairfax County prosecutors played Smerk’s confession during a probable cause hearing. Smerk told detectives he didn’t know the victim, but was familiar with the neighborhood, since a friend lived next door.
“I knew that I was going to kill somebody; I did not know who I was going to kill,” he told police, according to News 4. As questioning continued, Smerk said, “You guys know what I did, I know what I did — I cut her up pretty good.”
Smerk’s public defender has previously said Smerk’s confession differs from details of the crime.
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