Former Army soldier pleads guilty to killing West Springfield woman

A former Army soldier has pleaded guilty to killing a woman in her West Springfield home in 1994, Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano announced today (Friday).

Stephan Smerk, 52, faces up to 70 years in prison after pleading guilty to first-degree murder for stabbing and killing Robin Lawrence, a stranger, while 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 had no specific target in mind. After driving to a friend's house, he broke into a neighbor's house with a tree branch, the Washington Post reported on a preliminary hearing in April, where prosecutors showed a video of Smerk confessing to police.

The house belonged to Lawrence, who was present with her two-year-old daughter.

“Smerk stabbed Ms. Lawrence 49 times and threw the murder weapon into a body of water later that night,” a statement from Descano’s office said. “MS. Lawrence's body was discovered by friends on November 20, 1994, after her husband, who was abroad at the time, asked them to check on her as he had not heard from her for several days.”

The murder remained a mystery until FCPD found a link to Smerk in a DNA sample sent to Reston-based Parabon NanoLabs in 2019. According to the Post, the lab identified a possible family tree of the suspect based on a relative's DNA profile in a genealogical database.

In September 2023, detectives went to Smerks' home in Niskayuna, New York to collect a DNA sample for further testing. Smerk volunteered the sample, but just hours later he turned himself in to local police and confessed to Lawrence's murder, according to the commonwealth's attorney's office.

Smerk was indicted by a grand jury on April 15 and was scheduled to face a jury trial on December 9 until he entered a guilty plea today, according to court records.

“Thirty years ago, the random and brutal murder of a young mother shocked Fairfax County,” Descano said. “While the scars of such a terrible crime can never be fully healed, I hope this sentencing can bring closure to both Robin Lawrence’s family and our entire community. This conviction is a testament to our commitment to justice – no matter how long it takes us to achieve it.”

Smerk's sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 7, 2025.