<body><div>Newly released evidence shows convicted killer Stephan Smerk telling police about his desire to murder someone. Smerk, now 52, was in his early 20s when he pleaded guilty and was subsequently convicted of the murder of Robin Lawrence, 37, inside her Springfield, Virginia, home in 1994, CBS affiliate WUSA9 reported.According to police, Smerk — who was in the Army and worked as a software engineer — entered the home and stabbed the woman 49 times. Prosecutors later revealed that her two-year-old girl was in an adjacent room when the killing happened. The case initially went cold but with the help of new DNA technology and sketch work, Detectives in Fairfax County Virginia were able to track down Smerk in 2023 to his home in Niskayuna, New York.During the interview, Smerk openly admitted to killing the woman and even remembered that she had begged for her life. “Something came over me,” Smerk told detectives. “I'm not going to say there were voices in my head or hear somebody actually talking to me, but it was like this overbearing thought in my brain that I needed to kill somebody. I just had to kill somebody.”<ul><li>Michigan man 'shoots wife and dumps body in trash outside home with kids inside'</li><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2ewWX1_0wEhi88p00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2ewWX1_0wEhi88p00" width="1200" height="977" ><figcaption>Killer Stephan Smerk (pictured in a black t-shirt) confessed to fatally stabbing a Fairfax County wife and mom ( Image: NBC)</figcaption></figure></ul>“Something inside of me just compelled me to do it,” he said. According to the man, he often had thoughts about killing people which is why he initially joined the military. While talking with detectives, Smerk stated that he was being “highly influenced” by demons and eventually sought a psychiatrist for about six years. When asked if he knew what he was doing was wrong, Smerk told officers that he did. “I've not killed anybody else, but I could be a serial killer,” he said. “I honestly believe if it wasn't for my wife and kids, I probably would be a serial killer.”<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=29AbcG_0wEhi88p00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=29AbcG_0wEhi88p00" width="310" height="465" ><figcaption>Robin Lawrence, 37, was stabbed 49 times in her home ( Image: NBC)</figcaption></figure>The man then walked detectives through the night saying that he had been drinking and taking pills when he drove to his friend's neighborhood. According to the man, his pal lived right next to Lawrence. Smerk then stated that he noticed the child was in another room and slipped in through the back door. According to the man, he then used the knife that he had brought to kill the unsuspecting mother. “I just know she begged for her life,” he said. “I had cut her up pretty good.” According to the outlet, members of Lawerences' family watched the video but not the full thing. Her niece, Lauren Ovans, felt Smerk didn’t have any remorse. “It’s almost bittersweet but I have no feelings toward him because there’s not empathy, there’s no human,” Ovans told WUSA9.It was later reported that — in a bizarre twist of fate — Ovans and her family lived 10 to 15 minutes from Smerk. “My heart hit the floor to know ever since I was eight that the person who murdered my aunt was living almost down the street from me,” Ovans added. “I could’ve bumped into him at the grocery store. To find out he was literally in my town the whole time, it broke my heart even more. It made it a harder pill to swallow.”Smerk is scheduled to face a sentencing hearing in March 2025. The man is currently facing 20 years to life based on the Virginia code. However, should he reach a plea agreement, he would serve no more than 70 years. He is eligible for parole.</div></body>

Mountain View, CA

NewsBreak

Killer's chilling confession to stabbing Virginia mom after leaving family in torment for 30 years

Newly released evidence shows convicted killer Stephan Smerk telling police about his desire to murder someone. Smerk, now 52, was in his early 20s when he pleaded guilty and was subsequently convicted of the murder of Robin Lawrence, 37, inside her Springfield, Virginia, home in 1994, CBS affiliate WUSA9 reported.