LANCASTER, Va. (AP) – After 36 years, DNA evidence has linked a deceased Lancaster County man to a double murder case in Isle of Wight County, Virginia. The Virginia State Police identified Alan Wade Wilmer Sr. as the likely killer in the 1987 murder of 20-year-old David Knobling and 14-year-old Robin Edwards.
The case remained unsolved for over three decades until State Police spokeswoman, Corrine Geller, revealed that Wilmer had been a suspect in the case. However, it wasn’t until his death in 2017 that investigators were able to obtain a genetic sample for comparison with DNA preserved from the crime scene.
Last summer, a genetic match to Wilmer Sr. was confirmed by the Virginia Department of Forensic Science. The DNA sample also linked Wilmer to the 1989 rape and murder of 29-year-old Teresa “Terri” Spaw Howell in the city of Hampton.
The families of the victims expressed relief and a sense of justice upon learning of the DNA match. However, Geller emphasized that the cases are resolved for now, but there is more work to be done to piece together a timeline of Wilmer’s life and identify any other potential victims.
Wilmer, known as “Pokey,” was 32 and working as a commercial fisherman at the time of the Ragged Island murders. He owned a 1976 fishing boat and was also involved in farming clams and oysters. Despite the shocking revelations, Wilmer’s family expressed deep shock and mourned for the victims’ families and the community.
The FBI’s Norfolk division had linked the Isle of Wight cold case to three other unsolved double homicides with similarities known as the Colonial Parkway Murders. Geller clarified that there is currently no physical or forensic evidence connecting the Isle of Wight or the city of Hampton homicides to other cases in the region.
The DNA match has provided closure to the families of the victims, but the investigation continues to unravel the full extent of Wilmer’s actions and potential involvement in other crimes.