Post Mortem | Closing the Cold Case of Robin Lawrence

Summary

---

48 Hours: Post Mortem | Closing the Cold Case of Robin Lawrence

Podcast: 48 Hours
Host: Natalie Morales (filling in), with correspondent Ann Marie Green
Episode Date: October 28, 2025

---

Episode Overview

This “Post Mortem” episode, hosted by Natalie Morales with 48 Hours correspondent Ann Marie Green, delves into the decades-old murder of Robin War Lawrence, an accomplished artist killed in her Springfield, VA home in 1994. The case remained unsolved for nearly 30 years until advances in DNA technology—and an amateur genealogist’s dogged determination—led investigators to her murderer. The episode explores investigative twists, forensic science, family grief, and the dramatic power of persistence in seeking justice long after hope had faded.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Crime and Its Immediate Aftermath

• [02:10] On November 18, 1994, Robin Lawrence was murdered at home, stabbed multiple times. Her husband, Ollie, was on a business trip in the Bahamas.
• The scene was discovered days later by Laurie Lindbergh, a friend sent to check on Robin, who found blood and the couple’s two-year-old daughter, Nicole, alone but unharmed.
  • “She could just see this sort of vacant expression on this little girl's face. She knows like there's something really, really bad that has happened.” – Ann Marie Green [03:12]

Early Investigation and Suspicions

• [03:43] Initial suspicion fell on Robin’s husband due to an extramarital affair, but a solid alibi and thorough checks cleared him.
  • “His alibi checks out. He is in the Bahamas, very far away from the scene… Robyn's family never suspected Ollie.” – Ann Marie Green [03:59]
• Evidence at the scene was sparse: a bloody, messy bedroom but few forensic leads, except for a tiny blood sample on a washcloth in the bathroom.
  • “But we have this one crime scene investigator… he notices a little bit of blood in the bathroom on a washcloth... 30 years later, it was going to make a heck of a difference.” – Ann Marie Green [04:54]

Remembering Robin and Her Family

• [05:43] Interviews with Robin’s family reflect their remarkable accomplishments and close bonds.
  • Robin’s father, Robert Sr., was a pioneering African-American community leader; the family is described as “super accomplished.”
  • Robin herself was a gifted artist—“She had just created that first medal, the Martin Luther King Jr. Medal... who knows where she would have gone?” – Ann Marie Green [06:55]

Technological Breakthroughs and the Cold Case Investigation

• [07:28] Advances in DNA technology in 2019 renewed hope. A DNA sample was sent to Parabon Nanolabs, narrowing the suspect pool by ancestry, but prospects for solving the case were still bleak.
  • “Parabon said to investigators, this is probably a zero probability that this case will be solved.” – Ann Marie Green [07:53]

The Genealogist Who Changed Everything

• [08:18] Enter Liz (last name withheld), a retired attorney turned amateur genealogist, who volunteered hundreds of hours pro bono to assist in the investigation.
  • “She was looking for a way to give back to the community... But this is a hard case, right?” – Ann Marie Green [08:56]
  • Liz's persistence was crucial—“She put in 1400 hours of work on this case over three years... and she just never gave up.” – Ann Marie Green [09:37]

---

[Segment Break at 12:36]

---

How the Suspect Was Identified: Genealogy to Justice

• [12:45] Parabon uploaded the DNA to Family Tree DNA and GEDmatch, yielding over a thousand possible cousin matches.
• Liz meticulously built extended family trees, tracked migration, and ultimately isolated the suspect’s lineage, identifying two brothers, one of whom was in Virginia at the time: Steven Smirk.
  • “What Parabon did is upload the DNA sample... So what she has to literally do... is build family trees for all of these cousins until she finds the right person.” – Ann Marie Green [12:45]
  • The breakthrough: “She said it was like magic. Like, you hear the phrase needle in the haystack. It was a needle in a needle stack.” – Ann Marie Green [14:24]

Forensic Artistry Links the Past and Present

• [15:19] Parabon’s forensic artists created a “phenotype” facial sketch from DNA, which was compared to Smirk’s high school yearbook photo—providing a striking and persuasive resemblance.
  • “I mean, it was pretty good. It was pretty damn good.” – Ann Marie Green [15:42]

The Family’s Gratitude for Closure

• [15:45] An emotional clip highlights the family’s gratitude to Liz.
  • “Thank you. Thank you very much for your hard work and dedication.” – Ann Marie Green quoting Mary [15:55]
  • “You are an angel, Liz... You brought comfort and closure to this family after so many years.” – Robert War Jr. [16:04]

Steven Smirk: The Unexpected Suspect

• [17:02] Smirk lived an unremarkable, law-abiding life in upstate New York—a “computer programmer,” married to a defense attorney, with two kids. A remarkable twist: his children attended the same high school as Robin’s niece.
• He was cooperative: allowed detectives into his home, freely gave DNA, and later turned himself in.
  • “He didn't seem surprised at all when they start to ask him questions about a murder that's going back 30 years... He willingly provides his DNA. And then… he then turns himself into the Niskayuna Police Department.” – Natalie Morales [18:13]
  • “They were not expecting things to unfold as quickly as they did...” – Ann Marie Green [18:50]

Smirk’s Confession and Psychological Assessment

• [19:36] During interrogation, Smirk chillingly stated, “I'm a serial killer, but I've only killed once before.”
• His background: challenging family dynamics, involvement in drugs and “the occult” as a teen, but later turned sober and supported by his wife. Psychological testing found him to score unusually low on psychopathy.
  • “He scores incredibly low, four out of 40. So low... it's suspiciously low.” – Ann Marie Green [20:46]
  • “He says that he has an undiagnosed mental illness... he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in the early 2000s.” – Ann Marie Green [21:35]

Random or Targeted? Profiling the Murder

• Authorities sought motive. Smirk insisted the attack was random; profiler Mary Ellen O’Toole, however, found this implausible:
  • “It doesn't feel like it's a random killing to me... You have an offender... thinking ahead enough to bring gloves and... the weapon.” – Mary Ellen O’Toole [22:44]
  • The timing—when the husband was away—was especially suspect.

Justice, Resolution, and Lingering Unanswered Questions

• [23:53] In 2024, Smirk accepted a 70-year sentence (parole eligible in 2037) in exchange for a guilty plea, avoiding trial.
• The family desired a trial for true accountability but found relief in knowing the killer is identified and incarcerated.
  • “I cried and grieved for the many years not knowing who killed Robin or why... I shouted hallelujah when we received a phone call that Robin's killer had been found. After 29 years... we can only imagine that at least finally having an answer has to give them all some peace.” – Robert War Sr. (via Ann Marie Green) [25:38]
• Robin’s daughter Nicole is thriving as an adult—a hopeful ending to a tragic story.

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “She could just see this sort of vacant expression on this little girl's face. She knows like there's something really, really bad that has happened.” — Ann Marie Green [03:12]
• “His alibi checks out. He is in the Bahamas... Robyn's family never suspected Ollie.” — Ann Marie Green [03:59]
• “She put in 1400 hours of work on this case over three years... and she just never gave up. Amazing.” — Ann Marie Green [09:37]
• “She said it was like magic. Like, you hear the phrase needle in the haystack. It was a needle in a needle stack.” — Ann Marie Green [14:24]
• “Thank you. Thank you very much for your hard work and dedication.” — Mary and Robert Jr. War, on Liz [15:55–16:23]
• “I'm a serial killer, but I've only killed once before.” — Steven Smirk (as recounted by Ann Marie Green) [19:36]
• “It doesn't feel like it's a random killing to me... you have an offender... thinking ahead enough to bring gloves and... the weapon.” — Mary Ellen O’Toole [22:44]
• “I cried and grieved for the many years not knowing who killed Robin or why... I shouted hallelujah when we received a phone call that Robin's killer had been found.” — Robert War Sr. (via Ann Marie Green) [25:38]

---

Timestamps of Important Segments

• [02:10] Discovery of the crime and initial investigation
• [03:59] Clearing suspicion from Robin’s husband and family’s perspective
• [04:54] Forensic challenges at the crime scene
• [07:28] Breakthrough with DNA technology in 2019
• [08:56] Liz’s pro bono genealogical investigation
• [12:45] Step-by-step breakdown of how Liz identified the suspect through family trees
• [15:19] Forensic facial sketch with DNA phenotype
• [15:45] Family’s reaction to closure
• [18:13] Smirk’s behavior upon being confronted
• [19:36] Smirk’s confession and psychological evaluation
• [22:44] FBI profiler analysis: random or targeted crime?
• [23:53] Plea deal, sentencing, family’s resolution

---

Conclusion

This episode provides a compelling behind-the-scenes look at how Robin Lawrence’s murder was solved by the intersection of modern science, dogged volunteerism, and dedicated police work. Most hauntingly, it asks whether true justice is ever achieved and how even chance connections—and one stranger’s passion—can alter the fate of a grieving family.

---

Transcript

[Simplisafe Advertiser]

Many home security systems only react once a break in has already happened. That's why Simplisafe is different. It's designed to stop crime before it even starts. SimpliSafe's AI powered cameras detect suspicious activity outside the home and trained monitoring agents respond immediately. They can speak directly to the intruder, trigger alarms and spotlights, and alert police. That's proactive protection that prevents damage and keeps homes safe. There are no long term contracts or hidden fees and the system comes with a 60 day money back guarantee. It's been named one of the best home security systems by U.S. news & World Report for five years running, providing trusted, reliable protection for any home. Right now, listeners can save 50% on a SimpliSafe home security system at simplisafe.com 48 hours that's simplisafe.com 48 hours there's no safe like SimpliSafe.

[DSW Advertiser]

Ah, DSW Earth, place of the humble. Brag Here the shoes are so good no one would ever know how little you paid if you didn't go telling everyone that is. And with never ending options for every style, mood and occasion, all at really great prices, they'll definitely give you something to brag about. So go ahead, stock up on fresh sneakers from your favorite brands or try those boots you always secretly knew you could pull off. Find the shoes that get you at prices that get your budget at DSW stores [e-mail] Let us surprise you.

[Ann Marie Green]

Foreign.

[Natalie Morales]

Welcome to Postmortem. I'm Natalie Morales, filling in today as your host to talk about a story that 48 Hours correspondent Ann Marie Green reported on. It's about the cold case murder of Robin War Lawrence, which was finally solved after nearly 30 years with the help of advances in DNA testing and the tireless efforts of a pro bono genetic genealogist, Anne Marie. So good to have you with us. What a fascinating story to be able to report on.

[Ann Marie Green]

It really is. It's a case a lot of people thought would never be solved and just.

[Natalie Morales]

Want to remind our listeners once again, if you haven't listened to the 48 Hours episode yet, you can find the full audio just below this episode in your podcast feed. Go take a listen then come on back here for our conversation. Well, it was on the night of November 18, 1994, when Robin War Lawrence was at her home in Springfield, Virginia when an intruder broke in and stabbed her multiple times to her death. Her husband Ollie was away on a business trip in the Bahamas and after being unable to reach her all weekend, he then asked their friend Lori Lindbergh to stop by and check on his wife. Well, two days after the murder, Laurie entered the house and saw blood on the wall. And of course, the couple's two year old daughter Nicole, just wandering around by herself. So tragic. I mean, to think of little Nicole there at that young age, witnessed whatever she witnessed.

[Ann Marie Green]

Yeah, well, that is the thing about it. That is what Laurie says in the hour, that she could just see this sort of vacant expression on this little girl's face. She knows like there's something really, really bad that has happened. And she doesn't even really venture any further in. She sort of peeks down the hall, she sees that something has happened in the, in the bedroom and immediately she's like out of there. She grabs Nicole and you know, she's with another friend. So they call police.

[Natalie Morales]

Yeah. And investigators, they learn that Ollie, her husband, who as we said, was away on a business trip in the Bahamas, they find out that he had been having an affair. Was that something that aroused suspicion with investigators early on? Annemarie?

[Ann Marie Green]

Yeah, I mean, you know, Natalie, we've done so many of these. Of course, it's the spouse is sort of the first person you look at and then you find out he's having an affair. But, you know, they thoroughly vet him. They, they, his alibi checks out. He is in the Bahamas, very far away from the scene of the crime. And they also, you know, look at the woman that he was having the affair with as well and they're able to kind of rule her out. And eventually his he is cleared, I should say. Robyn's family never suspected Ali. Yes, you know, they were surprised he was having an affair, but as far as they were concerned then and now, he would never do anything like this.

[Natalie Morales]

So what evidence did investigators have from that crime scene? Again, you know, this is dating back to 1990 and this case was cold for over 30 years. So I imagine there wasn't a lot to go on initially.

[Ann Marie Green]

There wasn't. There were no fingerprints. It's certainly a bloody scene and it's a messy scene in the bedroom. But other than that, there is really not a lot. But we have this one crime scene investigator and I mean, their job is to look at minute details and collect anything that could possibly be evidence. And he notices a little bit of blood in the bathroom on a washcloth. Other than that, the bathroom is pretty clean, almost pristine. Now, they had, you know, uploaded the sample to CODIS. There's no matches, but boy, 30 years later, it was going to make a heck of a difference when it came to solving this. This case.

[Natalie Morales]

And all these years later, you interviewed Robyn's family, including her sister Mary, her brother Robert Jr. And their father, Robert Sr.

[Ann Marie Green]

So Robert Sr. Was 100 when we interviewed him. He's 101 now. And I have never met somebody this age who is just so with it. You know, he lives on his own in his own apartment. Somebody comes in, you know, to help him out a bit, but he's on his own. The apartment is the cutest, most picture perfect little apartment with Robin's art everywhere. And I'm just gonna. I'm gonna have to look down a little bit at my note to sort of list off some of the stuff that Robert Sr. Has done in his lifetime.

[Natalie Morales]

Right.

[Ann Marie Green]

He was the first elected African American school board member, an elected council member in Syracuse. In 1962, he became the president of the Syracuse chapter of the naacp, the first African American engineering consultant at General Electric.

[Natalie Morales]

Like I said, wow, what a list.

[Ann Marie Green]

Yeah, yeah. I mean, they're all. They're all, like, super accomplished.

[Natalie Morales]

And so was Robin as an accomplished artist?

[Ann Marie Green]

Yes. And he was so incredibly proud of her. She had just created that first medal, Right. The Martin Luther King Jr. Medal, which we see in the story. And I can't help but to think where she would have gone from there, what would have inspired her? Because when you look at her art, it's the range of styles of subject matters, you know, individuals to landscapes, different types of mediums. I mean, who knows where she would have gone?

[Natalie Morales]

So, decades after the murder in 2019, cold case detectives, they start digging through the case again to see if there is anything new, new advances in DNA technology and what they could possibly use to be able to push this case along. So how significant were the advancements in the technology that then allowed them to relook at this case once again?

[Ann Marie Green]

Yeah, it's huge. Investigators send the DNA to a company called Parabon Nanolabs. What they figure out is that the killer is of European descent. Right. So that helped in terms of identifying a possible suspect. But still, I mean, Parabon said to investigators, this is probably a zero probability that this case will be solved.

[Natalie Morales]

Yeah, I mean, this is 2019. They get this little bit of a breakthrough, but still, I imagine, has to be so frustrating. And investigators said that they could have walked away at that point, having reached what they thought was the end of the road when it came to what they could extract from that DNA. But then one person did come out of the woodwork, and you got to give so Much credit to Liz. She worked this case pro bono, hundreds of hours. She's a volunteer with the police department and amateur genealogist. But she threw all her knowledge and all her effort into helping try to solve this case, which is so remarkable.

[Ann Marie Green]

So Liz is. Is fascinating. First off, she didn't even really want to talk. She preferred to stay anonymous. She wouldn't let us use her last name. Liz's background. She was a successful attorney. She had a very successful career. And she retires and decides, nah, I'll probably spend some time with my grandkids. I'll help help my daughter out. But when you have a mind like that, your retirement is not like other people's retirement. You gotta stay busy. She was looking for a way to give back to the community, and she had a passion for genealogy, and so this was sort of the perfect opportunity for her. But this is a hard case, right?

[Simplisafe Advertiser]

It's.

[Ann Marie Green]

It's probably estimated that she put in 1400 hours of work on this case over three years. Covid hits. She can't go anywhere, so she's in the house on the computer. And there were so many times she said that she would be like, that's it, you know, there's nothing more I can do. And then she would lie in bed and be like, wait a minute, wait a minute. What about this? What about that? What about that? And she just never gave up. Amazing.

[Natalie Morales]

Thank goodness for people like her who just throw all their knowledge at something. And she finally cracked the puzzle. She solved it. Well, when we come back, we're going to talk a little bit more about Liz the genetic genealogist and how she was able to piece together that family tree that then led investigators to their suspect, Stephen Smirk.

[Simplisafe Advertiser]

You know, one of the things that always used to stress me out, even when I was trying to be mindful about my money. Or was the little financial headaches, overdraft fees, when the timing of a bill and a paycheck didn't quite match up. Or feeling like I just couldn't get ahead no matter how much I tried to save. If this sounds familiar to you, you might want to hear about Chime. They understand that every single dollar counts. With Chime, when you set up direct deposit, you get access to features designed to actually help you breathe a little easier. You can get paid up to two days early. And with qualifying direct deposits, your. You're eligible for free overdraft coverage, up to $200 on debit card purchases and cash withdrawals. Plus, there are no monthly or maintenance fees. And you can access over 47,000 fee free ATMs nationwide. Chime users often say that the biggest game changer has been seeing their paycheck arrive early. We all know how much that little buffer can make such a difference in staying grounded and avoiding stress. Stress. My younger self could have benefited from this. Work on your financial goals through Chime today. Open an account in two [e-mail] 48 hours. That's chime.com 48 hours Chime feels like progress.

[Chime Advertiser]

Chime is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services and debit card provided by the Bancorp Bank NA or Stride Bank NA members, FDIC spot and eligibility requirements and overdraft limits apply. Timing depends on submission of payment file fees. Apply it out of network ATMs bank ranking and number of ATMs according to to U.S. news and World Report 2023 Chime checking account required Old school Security.

[Simplisafe Promo Voice]

Kicks in after the break in Too late simplisafe rewinds the story Stopping crime before it starts Active Guard Outdoor Protection uses AI powered cameras to detect intruders, alert live monitoring agents and can deter intruders before they reach your door. It's proactive protection plus a 60 day money back guarantee and no contracts. To get 50% off your new system, go to SimpliSafe.com podcast that's SimpliSafe.com podcast. There's no safe like SimpliSAF safe.

[Natalie Morales]

Welcome back. Well, let's get into now how Liz was able to narrow in on the suspected killer. Steven Smirk so there is the sample.

[Ann Marie Green]

Of DNA that comes from that washcloth. What Parabon did is upload the DNA sample to two sites, Family Tree DNA and GEDmatch. These sites allow law enforcement to access the database. You can opt out of that if you don't want your information to be seen by law enforcement. But generally they have quite large databases which allows them to then identify possible familial connections when they have suspect DNA. And so from that comes all of these cousins. Over a thousand cousins. So what she has to literally do this does is build family trees for all of these cousins until she finds the right person. And she does that by going all as far back as she can and identifies the one side of the family and the other side of the family in Europe. She traces them over to Canada where they settle. She then parses out the people who moved to California and slowly finds one family where the two family lines crisscross, follows that down and sees a family that has two sons. One of those sons was in Virginia at the time of the murder. And that is the name that she sends to the police.

[Natalie Morales]

I mean, the amount of work and effort that went into that major breakthrough. What was that moment like for her? Annemarie.

[Ann Marie Green]

I mean, she said it was like magic. Like, you hear the phrase needle in the haystack. It was a needle in a needle stack, right? Like, what are the odds of her figuring this out? It was phenomenal.

[Natalie Morales]

Okay. So the investigators get this possible match, but they also then have to think, you know, okay, does this guy fit with who we think it could be? And in 2021, investigators, they worked with a forensic artist at Parabon Nanolabs. This was so fascinating to me because with that DNA sample, then an artist at the lab there then can create a phenotype drawing, a rendering of what they believe the suspect might look like. That, to me, was a moment of like, oh, my God. Gosh, I could figure out the shape of his face, his chin size, his nose size, his hair. I mean, it's remarkable.

[Ann Marie Green]

Like, that is what surprised me the most about using DNA in this way, because I didn't think that it could get into that kind of detail.

[Natalie Morales]

And they then compare that sketch to Steven Spirit Merck's high school yearbook photo. And it bore such a striking resemblance.

[Ann Marie Green]

I mean, it was pretty good. It was pretty damn good.

[Natalie Morales]

I'm going to play for you now an unaired clip of Mary and Robert Jr. S reaction to Liz's help on the case.

[Ann Marie Green]

If you could say something to Liz.

[Simplisafe Advertiser]

What would you say to her?

[Ann Marie Green]

Thank you. Thank you very much for your hard work and dedication.

[Robert War Jr.]

I would say you are an angel, Liz.

[Ann Marie Green]

You.

[Robert War Jr.]

You brought comfort and closure to this family after so many years. And if it wasn't for your tenacity and hard work and.

[Ann Marie Green]

Keep.

[Robert War Jr.]

Keep going, we would not know who killed Robin. And that means everything. That means everything to us.

[Ann Marie Green]

You can see they're soft spoken and measured. You know, I think it was important for them to kind of maintain emotional control. You know what I mean? They're reserved. And so this tragedy is completely kind of out of the norm of anything that they would have envisioned for their family.

[Natalie Morales]

What we learn about Stephen Smirk, in 2023, he was living in Niskayuna. That's a town in upstate New York. And, you know, it's incredible to me, as we learn in the hour, he had no criminal history. I mean, not even a parking ticket. Anne Marie. That's more than I could say for me. I think I have a couple of parking tickets.

[Ann Marie Green]

Yeah, it's Remarkable. At least on the surface. This is as average of a guy as you can get. The police learned that he's a computer programmer living in upstate New York. You mentioned Niskayuna. Smallish town, married to a defense attorney. He has two kids in high school. And just to add sort of another weird coincidence is Mary's daughter Lauren actually went to the same high school as Stephen Smirk's kids. Obviously not at the same time. Lauren's older than them, but I mean, that's how kind of physically close these two families had been. But there is really nothing particularly remarkable about this guy and the way he's living his life. You know, when police finally catch up with him.

[Natalie Morales]

Yeah, except when investigators show up at his front door there in upstate New York and they knock on the door, he opens it up, he willingly lets them inside. And you know, to the detectives, what was so interesting? He didn't seem surprised at all when they start to ask him questions about a murder that's going back 30 years. I mean, he didn't ask a single follow up question. And he willingly provides his DNA. And then after the detectives left, he then turns himself into the Niskayuna Police Department. I mean, what did investigators think at the time about all of that?

[Ann Marie Green]

They, the intention was to just drive by his house and take a look and then go check into their hotel. But then when they saw him, they thought, well, what the heck, let's just go over there and talk to him. So they were not expecting things to unfold as quickly as they did. He welcomed them in, they talked for a while, um, and they were shocked when just a few hours later, he is turning himself in. I don't know what was going through his mind. Detectives Melissa Wallace and John Long told us that Smirks told them that his wife said something along the lines of do the right thing. But Stephen Smirks wife had no idea this was part of his past. And he says she had no idea.

[Natalie Morales]

Well, that interrogation was so chilling. When he said, he openly says and admits, I'm a serial killer, but I've only killed once before. Yeah, I mean, that took my breath away. I was like, wow. So what do they start to learn as investigators dig into his background, what do they find?

[Ann Marie Green]

We spoke to his defense attorney who gave us a little more information about his past. His parents are divorced. His mother, when his mother left, she moved in with another woman. After this divorce, things changed in his life. He kind of fell into a rough crowd. There was an interest with that crowd, an interest in studying sort of the occult, There was some drug use. But then, you know, he meets his wife the same year that he kills Robin. And he credits meeting her with kind of what prompted him to really turn his life around. She talks to him about some of his anger problems, some of his drinking issues, and he goes to rehab and he gets sober, and he kind of is on the road to recovery at that point. So later on, this is 2024, he's already pleading guilty. He undergoes a forensic psychological eval. It was done by Dr. Marcus Van Sickle. He is the defense's witness, and he does a psychopath test, which I think we've all kind of heard of before. And he scores incredibly low, four out of 40. So low, in fact, that former FBI profiler Mary Ellen O', Toole, who you see in the hour, who he asked to review these documents, she was not a part of this case. She thinks it's so low, it's suspiciously low, that, you know, maybe he was trying to game the test a little bit. He says that he has an undiagnosed mental illness. And I should also point out that he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in the early 2000s. It's something that officers didn't find out about till much later. But this is part of what he says was his, you know, undiagnosed mental illness that he may have been suffering from in the 90s that he says may explain some of his behavior.

[Natalie Morales]

But there's no evidence at this point, though, or was there anything that connected smirk to Robin? I mean, did investigators think this was a totally random attack?

[Ann Marie Green]

I mean, he says it is. He says that he just, you know, he had this compulsion that night, and he didn't know she was home alone, and he just picked the house randomly. Mary Ellen o', Toole, who, once again, I'll say wasn't a part of this case, just reviewed the documents, finds that suspicious, his assertion that it was completely random. So I want to actually play a little bit more from a former FBI profiler, Mary Ellen o'. Toole.

[Mary Ellen O'Toole]

It doesn't feel like it's a random killing to me. In the FBI, we do an assessment of victims, and it's based on their lifestyle. And this victim lived a pretty low risk lifestyle, and she is in her own home, and it's at night, and it's a low crime area of Fairfax County. So you have an offender basically, who breaks into the home and seems to have some kind of understanding of the layout of the home. At least the behavior suggests that. But you also have an offender who is thinking ahead enough to bring gloves and to wear a cover for their face, to bring the weapon and to take the weapon with them. And I think it's also very interesting that it also happens to be at night on an evening when the victim's husband is in a travel status. So all of those features for me, do tend to take away some of the randomness of it.

[Ann Marie Green]

So there you go.

[Natalie Morales]

In October 2024, Stephen Smirk accepted a plea deal for first degree murder. He was later sentenced to the maximum sentence allowed under the plea deal. That's 70 years with the possibility of parole. Smirk will be eligible for parole in 2037. So, Ann Marie, does the War Lawrence family feel, though, that justice has been served at least knowing finally who the killer is and knowing that he is behind bars, but yet they didn't get a trial?

[Ann Marie Green]

I think they were incredibly relieved to have identified the killer. They wanted a trial. They felt like he kind of got off a little bit by not having to sit there and really hear the damage that was done. You know, this is what I'm gonna. I'm like pulling out this book. So I told you how the War Lawrence family is this incredibly interesting family. And Robert War Sr. Actually wrote a book covering the family. And he writes about what an amazing person Robin was. And he also writes about Nicole and how well Nicole is doing and how she graduated from university, she's traveled abroad and worked as an au pair. She is now married, she works in the hospitality industry. And Nicole is doing fine, which I think a lot of people would be sort of curious about. He writes about when he heard that Stephen Smirk had been arrested, and he said, I cried and grieved for the many years not knowing who killed Robin or why my beloved wife Jesse died without ever knowing the person responsible for would pay for their crime. I shouted hallelujah when we received a phone call that Robin's killer had been found. After 29 years, well, we can only.

[Natalie Morales]

Imagine that at least finally having an answer has to give them all some peace. Annemarie, once again, such great reporting. Thank you so much for bringing the hour to us. And I do want to remind our listeners, if you like this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

[Simplisafe Promo Voice]

Now.

[Mayor of Kingstown Character (Doctor)]

Streaming everyone who comes into this clinic is a mystery.

[Ann Marie Green]

We don't know what we're looking for.

[Mayor of Kingstown Character (Doctor)]

Their bodies are the scene of the crime. No symptoms and history are clues.

[Natalie Morales]

You saved her life.

[Mayor of Kingstown Character (Doctor)]

We're doctors and we're detectives.

[Natalie Morales]

I kind of love it. If I'm being honest.

[Mayor of Kingstown Character (Doctor)]

Solve the puzzle. Save the patient Watson.

[Simplisafe Promo Voice]

All episodes now streaming on Paramount plus.

[Mayor of Kingstown Narrator]

Now streaming on Paramount plus. It's the epic return of Mayor of Kingstowne.

[Mayor of Kingstown Character (Doctor)]

Warden, you know who I am.

[Mayor of Kingstown Narrator]

Starring Academy award nominee Jeremy Renner.

[Mayor of Kingstown Character (Doctor)]

I swear in these walls.

[Mayor of Kingstown Narrator]

Emmy award winner Edie Falco.

[Natalie Morales]

You're an ex con who ran this place for years.

[Ann Marie Green]

And now.

[Simplisafe Advertiser]

Now you can't do that.

[Mayor of Kingstown Narrator]

And BAFTA award winner Lenny James.

[Mary Ellen O'Toole]

You're about to have a plague of.

[Mayor of Kingstown Narrator]

Outsiders descend on your town.

[Mayor of Kingstown Character (Doctor)]

Let me tell you this. There's gonna be consequences.

[Mayor of Kingstown Narrator]

Mayor of Kingstown new season now streaming on Paramount plus.