Suspect Named in 3 Cold Case Murders in Virginia

If he were alive today, Alan Wade Wilmer Sr. would be charged in three cold case murders. But the fisherman and hunter—positively linked to two of the “Colonial Parkway Murders,” a series of double killings in the late 1980s, as well as the murder of a woman—died in 2017 at the age of 63, Virginia State Police announced Monday. Police said Wilmer was a genetic match to evidence found on each of the three victims: David Lee Knobling, 20; Robin Margaret Edwards, 14; and Teresa Lynn Spaw Howell, 29. Knobling and Edwards were killed in Isle of Wight County around Sept. 19, 1987. The following day, Knobling’s truck was found with the keys in the ignition and radio on at the Ragged Island Wildlife Management Area, per NBC News.

Days later, Knobling and Edwards’ bodies were found nearby. Both had been shot, while Edwards had been sexually assaulted, Virginia State Police spokesperson Corinne Geller said Monday. There’s currently no evidence connecting Wilmer to the three other sets of double murders in the area between 1986 and 1989, Geller said. However, Wilmer is suspected in the 1989 murder of Howell. She was last seen in the early hours of July 1, 1989, outside a nightclub in Hampton. Her body was found several miles away later that same day. She had been sexually assaulted and strangled, Hampton Police Capt. Rebecca Warren said at Monday’s press conference.

A common suspect was found through DNA a couple of years ago, but no match appeared in the federal DNA database. It’s unclear what led authorities to Wilmer, whose genetic material was obtained after his death and found to match the evidence in June. Police plan to investigate any link he may have to other cold cases. “If you had any encounters with him … we want to hear from you,” said Brian Dugan, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, per Law & Crime. Authorities said Wilmer, who went by the nickname “Pokey,” had a blue 1966 Dodge Fargo pickup truck with the Virginia license plate “EM-RAW” and a small 1976 wooden commercial fishing boat called the “Denni Wade,” pictured here. He also ran a business called Better Tree Service. (Read more cold cases stories.)