More than three decades after a young mother was stabbed to death in her Springfield, Virginia, home while her toddler was nearby in her crib, justice finally has arrived for her family.
"It’s been 30 years of unanswered questions not knowing and having to endure the trauma that comes with that," said Ollie Lawrence. Ollie was away on a business trip in 1994 when his wife Robin Lawrence was found dead in their home, leaving their family shattered and their daughter Nicole without a mother.
But on Friday, killer Stephan Smerk was sentenced to the maximum time possible — 70 years in prison.
For three decades, Ollie and Nicole were left to wonder who killed Robin, their grief never ending. But in 2023, cold case detectives made a DNA link. Smerk confessed to the murder soon after.
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"The Ward and Lawrence family is grateful that justice has finally been done for the murder of our beloved Robin," Ollie said.
The family shed tears in court as the prosecutor recounted Robin's terrible, painful death.
Smerk was a young soldier in November 1994, when he went looking for someone to kill. He broke into Robin Lawrence's house, went to her room and cut the phone cord. That's when he began stabbing her 49 times, using what he called his "combat training."
His confession to detectives after his arrest was chilling.
"Something came over me," Smerk said during his confession. "I’m not going to say I heard voices in my head. I didn’t, like, hear somebody actually talking to me but it was like this overbearing thought in my brain that I need to kill somebody. I just had to kill somebody. I can’t explain to to you."
Nicole, Robin's little girl, was left alone in the house until the terrible scene was discovered.
Yet for 30 years after the crime, Smerk lived a normal life — even marrying and having children — until he was finally caught, confessed, and pleaded guilty.
Robin Lawrence's family told the judge about their loss.
"The impact of the crime has been devastating beyond measure," Robert Ward, Robin's brother, said. "No family should endure such prolonged suffering."
Smerk spoke to the family for the first time.
"No family should have to wait 30 years for justice for a loved one ... I am extremely sorry for the pain and suffering I have caused," he said.
The judge called the murder "among the worst in the history of Fairfax County," giving Smerk the maximum sentence of 70 years in prison.
In his confession video, Smerk also told detectives that "I honestly believe if it wasn’t for my wife and kids, I’d probably be a serial killer," he said. "I am a serial killer who’s only killed once."
Parole was abolished in Virginia 41 days after Robin Lawrence's murder. Smerk could therefore be eligible for parole — but the judge made sure that if Smerk ever gets out, he will be on probation and have to wear a GPS monitor.
