An Army veteran who was arrested for the murder of a woman in 1994 pleaded guilty to the crime on Friday.
After being approached by detectives at his New York home about the murder in Virginia, he confessed and was arrested in 2023.
Stephen Smerk, 52, admitted to stabbing 37-year-old Robin Lawrence to death while he was serving in the Army.
He says he randomly chose her to kill her in November 1994 while her 2-year-old daughter was in the home.
Smerk was a 22-year-old soldier stationed at Fort Myer (Joint Base Myer–Henderson Hall) when he left his barracks with the intent to commit murder.
During his guilty plea hearing on Friday, prosecutors read portions of his confession to the courtroom.
“[Smerk] said, ‘I’ve not killed anyone else, but I could be a serial killer,’” Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Kelsey Gill said.
“It wouldn’t have mattered if there were 50 people in that house,” she said. “He set out to kill someone.”
In his confession, which was recorded on video, he said he would have likely continued to kill more people if he did not start a family.
“If not for my wife and kids, I probably would be a serial killer,” Smerk said.
At the time of his arrest in September of last year, he had “zero criminal history whatsoever,” according to Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis.
During a news conference at the time, Davis said detectives used DNA from the crime scene and genetic genealogy techniques to find possible suspects for the murder, according to WTOP.
After Smerk was identified as a potential genetic match, detectives traveled to his home, in New York, and he willingly allowed them to collect a swab of his DNA.
Shortly after the detectives left, Smerk called them and offered his confession.
Smerk admitted to killing Robin Lawrence, whose husband was away on a business trip, on Nov. 20, 1994, according to a local CBS affiliate.
After her concerned husband asked a family friend to check on her, she was found face down next to her bed with a pillow in between her legs with stab wounds on her head, face, and neck.
During Smerk’s confession, he said he “cut [Lawrence] up pretty good” while stabbing her twice.
Court documents state she was found with 49 stab wounds.
According to Smerk’s plea deal, he faces 20 years to 70 years in prison and will be eligible for parole.
His sentencing is scheduled for March 7, 2025.
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