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Maine Man Busted In 24-Year-Old Rape, Kidnapping Case In Holland Thanks To DNA Testing: DA
A 48-year-old Maine man is behind bars on Wednesday, May 8, after DNA tests linked him to the violent rape of a woman in the woods of Hampden County in 2000, authorities said.
Jamie Dodge, of Brownville, Maine, is charged with aggravated rape and kidnapping in connection with an attack that happened in Holland, which is just outside of Springfield, the Hampden County District Attorney's Office said. He was being held on a $250,000 bail.
A woman told police on July 23, 2000, that a man had grabbed her, dragged her into a nearby wooded area, and raped her. She described the m…
Tenacious Detective Cracks Two Virginia Cold Cases In One Shot
For nearly 40 years, Jacqueline Lard and Amy Baker's killer has remained a mystery.
On Tuesday, March 5, 2024, authorities in Virginia announced a break in the cases.
Elroy Harrison, 65, was identified as a suspect in both cases thanks to the relentless work of Stafford County Sheriff's Detective D.K. Wood, Sheriff David Decatur said.
Jacqueline Lard was killed in 1986, and Amy Baker in 1989. Both were residents of Stafford, but Baker was returning from visiting family in Falls Church when she went missing.
On March 4, Harrison was indicted by a Stafford County Grand Jury for the fir…
Cold Case Murder Suspect Back In Fairfax County
A 51-year-old New York man suspect in a 1994 murder case is back in Virginia.
Stephen Smerk, of Niskayuna, NY, was extradited to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center on Tuesday, Sept. 26.
He is facing second-degree murder in the Nov. 20, 1994 death of 37-year-old Robin Lawrence, who was found dead in a Springfield, VA home, Fairfax County police said.
Smerk is believed to have stabbed Lawrence inside of her Reseca Lane home, when he was 22 years old, authorities said.
In 1994, a DNA profile was developed; however, at the time there was no match in any system for …
Cold Case Confession: Niskayuna Man Admits Stabbing Woman To Death 29 Years Later, Police Say
Nearly 30 years after a woman was found stabbed to death inside her home, a New York man has confessed to her murder following a DNA breakthrough.
Schenectady County resident Stephen Smerk, age 51, of Niskayuna, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder in the November 1994 killing of Robin Lawrence in Springfield, Virginia, police announced Monday, Sept. 11.
The 37-year-old mother was found dead from multiple stab wounds three days after the killing, on Nov. 20, 1994, according to police. Her 2-year-old daughter was also found in the home days later, unharmed.
Investigators devel…
Cold Case: Niskayuna Man Confesses To Grisly 1994 Murder, Police Say
A 51-year-old man from the region has been arrested in a Virginia homicide, cracking a 29-year cold case, authorities announced.
Schenectady County resident Stephen Smerk, of Niskayuna, is facing second-degree manslaughter in the Nov. 20, 1994 death of 37-year-old Robin Lawrence, who was found dead in a Springfield, Virginia home, Fairfax County police said.
Smerk is believed to have stabbed Lawrence inside of her home, when he was 22 years old, authorities said.
In 1994, a DNA profile was developed; however, at the time there was no match in any system for the recovered DNA.
In the …
Cold CASE: NY Man Confesses To Grisly 1994 Fairfax County Murder, Police Say
A 51-year-old New York man has been arrested in a Virginia homicide, cracking a 29-year cold case, authorities announced.
Stephen Smerk, of Niskayuna, NY, is facing second-degree murder in the Nov. 20, 1994 death of 37-year-old Robin Lawrence, who was found dead in a Springfield, VA home, Fairfax County police said.
Smerk is believed to have stabbed Lawrence inside of her Reseca Lane home, when he was 22 years old, authorities said.
In 1994, a DNA profile was developed; however, at the time there was no match in any system for the recovered DNA.
In the years that followed, detec…
DA: MontCo Man Pleads Guilty To Raping 19-Year-Old Woman At Norristown Farm Park In 2017
A Montgomery County man pled guilty Tuesday to raping a 19-year-old woman at Norristown Farm Park in August 2017, authorities said.
Mason Hall, -- who was 17 at the time -- attacked the 19-year-old victim, held a black semi-automatic handgun to her head, and forced her into a secluded pasture off of the walking path, where he sexually assaulted her the morning of August 1, 2017, according to the Montgomery County District Attorney's office.
At the time of the attack, the Hall was wearing a dark-colored hooded sweatshirt, despite the 86-degree heat, and attacked the …
