The Cold -Blooded Stranger
Episode notes
CASE FILE
[EPISODE 27] | Cold-Blooded Stranger
THE SPIRIT OF THE EPISODE
• The Pour: Malice in Wonderland (True Crime Edition)
• The Ingredients: 1.5 oz Empress 1908 Gin (or color-changing indigo gin), 0.75 oz Sloe Gin or Cherry Liqueur, 0.5 oz Fresh Lemon Juice, 0.5 oz Simple Syrup, 3 oz Tonic Water or Ginger Ale. Garnish: Dark skewered blackberry and a lemon twist curled like a Cheshire grin.
• The Vibe: A brooding, color-shifting elixir with a dark violet-red hue, offering a sinister berry tartness and complex depth that mirrors a sinister, unpredictable crime unraveling in the dark.
THE SUBJECT
• Name: Robin Warr Lawrence
• Date of Incident: November 20, 1994 (Estimated time of attack: November 18, 1994)
• Location: Springfield, Fairfax County, Virginia
• Status: Solved (Guilty Plea / Convicted)
THE TIMELINE
• November 18, 1994 (Evening): 37-year-old artist and mother Robin Warr Lawrence speaks with her family and stops to pick up errands. Sometime around 9:30 PM, an intruder breaks into her home in Springfield, VA, while her 2-year-old daughter sleeps nearby, and savagely attacks Robin. Robin fights back fiercely, leaving her blood and the killer's DNA on a washcloth in the bathroom.
• November 18–20, 1994: Robin’s 2-year-old daughter, Nicole, is left alone inside the house for nearly two days following the murder, wandering the home until help arrives.
• November 20, 1994: Concerned friend visit the home and discover the terrifying scene. Nicole is safely rescued, and a multi-decade homicide investigation is launched.
• 1994–2022: Initial suspicion falls on Robin's husband, who was away on business, but DNA evidence clears him. The case remains cold for nearly 30 years despite DNA profile entry into CODIS.
• September 2023: Using advanced genetic genealogy, cold-case detectives identify former U.S. Army soldier Stephan Smerk. Investigators travel to New York where Smerk confesses to the random, unprovoked killing.
• October 4, 2024: Stephan Smerk pleads guilty to first-degree murder for the 1994 slaying of Robin Lawrence, describing himself during interrogations as a "serial killer who only killed once."
EVIDENCE LOCKER (Visuals & Links)
• The Map: [Springfield, Fairfax County, VA]
• • The Faces: >Follow @: Instagram, TikTok, Facebook
• The "Deep Dive" Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/stephen-smerk-new-york-robin-warr-lawrence-murder-virginia-cold-case-48-hours/
◦ https://people.com/robin-lawrence-murdered-took-police-decades-arrest-her-killer-11906659
◦ 48 hours Season 39 Episode 5: closing the cold case of Robin Lawrence