30 Year Cold Case Closed: Murder Suspect Found in Capital Region

Anyone who knows me knows I am a true crime junkie. I am convinced that one day I will help solve a cold case or catch a bad guy. Until then, I love seeing justice served when investigators and science team up to crack a case that has been cold for decades.

A recent episode of CBS’s 48 Hours featured a 30-year-old murder case out of Virginia that came to an end right here in the Capital Region. The killer was found living quietly in Niskayuna.

In 1994, Robin Lawrence was murdered in her Springfield, Virginia, home while her two-year-old daughter was inside. The little girl was alone for two days before her mother’s body was discovered. The case went unsolved for nearly three decades, until new DNA testing on evidence from the scene finally pointed detectives toward a suspect.

That suspect turned out to be 53-year-old Stephan Smerk, who was arrested in Niskayuna in 2023. At the time of the murder, he was a young Army soldier stationed in Virginia. Investigators believe he left his base that night, planning to kill someone.

According to CBS 6, Robin’s sister and niece lived in Niskayuna at the time of the murder, and her niece, Lauren, grew up here in the Capital Region. When the truth finally came out, she said the discovery brought both shock and a sense of connection for her family.

After nearly 30 years, Smerk was sentenced to 70 years in prison for the killing.

11 of New York's Most Wanted Criminals with Upstate Connections

Below are individuals with ties to the Capital Region and Upstate New York. They have been designated as some of New York's Most Wanted Fugitives and should be considered ARMED and DANGEROUS.