After nearly three decades, a convicted serial rapist has been identified as the suspect in the 1996 double murder of two women in a Virginia national park, federal authorities said.
But the suspect won’t face charges, as he died in prison six years ago, authorities said.
On May 24, 1996, Laura “Lollie” Winans, 26, and Julianne “Julie” Williams, 24, were sexually assaulted and killed in a “brutal” attack at their Shenandoah National Park campsite, Christopher Kavanaugh, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia, said at a Thursday news conference.
Winans and Williams met through an organization providing outdoor adventure and educational programs for women, Kavanaugh said.
Julianne Williams.
FBI
Laura Winans
FBI
The women went into the park on May 19 and were last seen alive on the evening of May 24, Kavanaugh said.
Their relatives called the National Park Service when they didn’t come home, and their bodies were discovered a week later, the FBI said.
Decades went by without answers.
Then, in 2021, a new FBI team was assigned to investigate the case, and the team determined what evidence would be suitable for retesting, FBI Richmond special agent in charge Stanley Meador said.
A lab recently “pulled DNA from several items of evidence,” and that DNA profile was submitted to CODIS, the national law enforcement DNA database, the FBI said in a statement.
The DNA profile was a positive match to Walter “Leo” Jackson Sr., a convicted serial rapist and avid hiker who was known to visit Shenandoah National Park, the FBI said.
“Even though we had this DNA match, we took additional steps and compared evidence from Lollie and Julie’s murders directly to a buccal swab containing Jackson’s DNA,” Meador said in a statement. “Those results confirmed we had the right man and finally could tell the victims’ families we know who is responsible for this heinous crime.”
Walter Leo Jackson Sr.
FBI
The FBI said, “Jackson had a lengthy criminal history, including kidnapping, rapes, and assaults.”
On June 5, 1996, just days after the double murder at Shenandoah National Park, Jackson kidnapped and raped a woman at knifepoint in Ohio, Kavanaugh said. One month later, he kidnapped and raped another woman at knifepoint, Kavanaugh said.
Jackson was most recently sent to prison in 2011 and died behind bars in Ohio in March 2018, the FBI said.
Kavanaugh noted that 22 years ago, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging another man in the murders of Winans and Williams, but “that case was not built on forensic evidence.”
In 2003, in the lead up to the trial, prosecutors “moved to continue that case because the government’s experts concluded that DNA” from the crime scene was from a then-unidentified man — not their defendant, Kavanaugh said.
Prosecutors then dismissed the case, Kavanaugh said.
The re-testing of the crime scene evidence developed the DNA profile that was uploaded to CODIS, leading to Jackson, Kavanaugh said.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has made a major breakthrough in a cold case that has haunted investigators for over two decades. The agency announced that they have identified a suspect in the 1996 double murder of two women at a national park campsite.
The brutal killings took place on July 13, 1996, at the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. Julie Williams, 24, and Lollie Winans, 26, were found dead in their tent by hikers the following day. The women had been bound, gagged, and stabbed multiple times. The case quickly went cold, with no leads or suspects identified.
However, recent advancements in forensic technology have allowed investigators to re-examine the evidence collected at the crime scene. Through DNA analysis and other forensic techniques, the FBI was able to identify a suspect in the case. While the agency has not released the name of the suspect, they have confirmed that he is currently in custody on unrelated charges.
The breakthrough in the case has brought a sense of closure to the families of the victims, who have been waiting for justice for over two decades. In a statement released by the FBI, the families expressed their gratitude to the investigators who never gave up on solving the case.
The identification of a suspect in the 1996 double murder at Shenandoah National Park serves as a reminder of the importance of never giving up on cold cases. With advancements in forensic technology and dedicated investigators, justice can still be served even years after a crime is committed.
The FBI has stated that they will continue to work diligently to build a strong case against the suspect and bring him to justice for the heinous crimes he is accused of committing. The agency is urging anyone with information related to the case to come forward and help ensure that the families of Julie Williams and Lollie Winans finally receive the closure they deserve.
