Robin Warr Lawrence was just 37 years old in November 1994 when an intruder broke into her Virginia home and stabbed her 49 times, leaving her 2-year-old daughter alone in the house for two days until a concerned neighbor made the heartbreaking discovery. For nearly three decades, investigators struggled to identify the person responsible for the brutal killing that shattered a young family. The case remained cold despite DNA evidence collected at the original crime scene, specifically blood found on a bathroom towel. At the time, DNA science was still developing, with the technology predating even the famous O.J. Simpson trial. The evidence yielded no immediate suspects, and the investigation eventually went cold as leads dried up and years passed without answers. Robin’s husband had asked a neighbor to check on his wife after not hearing from her for several days. When the neighbor arrived at the home, they found the back door open and called out for the little girl. The child was discovered and treated for dehydration after spending two days alone following her mother’s death. The case took a dramatic turn when Parabon NanoLabs, a company making significant advances in genetic genealogy and DNA phenotyping, worked with investigators to generate a suspect profile. The new analysis matched the crime scene DNA to a relative of Stephan Smerk, finally providing the break detectives had been seeking for so long. Law enforcement officers met Smerk outside his New York home while he was taking out the trash. They asked him for a DNA swab, which he voluntarily provided without hesitation. Shortly after giving the sample, Smerk called police and turned himself in for the murder, ending three decades of freedom. According to his statements to investigators, Smerk was an active-duty soldier stationed near Northern Virginia at the time of the killing. He described feeling compelled to kill and explained that he left the barracks, randomly selected Robin’s house, broke in and murdered her without any prior connection to the victim. Smerk made disturbing admissions to police about his psychological state, telling investigators that he honestly believed he would have become a serial killer if not for his wife and children. After committing the murder, he took a shower at the crime scene, disposed of his clothes and simply continued with his life as though nothing had happened. He also told police he was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the attack. Following the murder, Smerk eventually moved to New York where he built what appeared to be a normal life. He worked as a software engineer and maintained a low profile for decades, with no one around him suspecting the violent crime he had committed years earlier. His ability to blend into everyday life while carrying such a terrible secret demonstrates how difficult it can be to identify criminals without modern forensic technology. Smerk pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in Virginia last year and received a 70-year prison sentence in March 2025. Given that he is now in his 50s, the lengthy sentence essentially amounts to life behind bars. The conviction brought some measure of closure to Robin’s family after waiting more than 30 years for answers about what happened to their loved one. The case is being featured in a new episode of the long-running CBS program 48 Hours, which will introduce viewers to Smerk and detail how advanced DNA technology finally solved a case that had stumped investigators for three decades. The episode highlights how genetic genealogy has revolutionized cold case investigations, allowing law enforcement to solve crimes that once seemed impossible to crack.