SUFFOLK—A deceased Lancaster County man has been identified as the suspect in three decades-old homicides in the Hampton Roads region.
Alan W. Wilmer Sr., who was 63 when he died at his Ottoman home in December 2017, is the man authorities say is responsible for the deaths of David Knobling, 20, and Robin Edwards, 14, in Isle of Wight County and the death of Teresa Spaw Howell, 29, in Hampton. The three homicides took place in the 1980s and despite being cold cases were still being actively investigated, according to Virginia State Police (VSP) public relations director Corinne Geller.
If Wilmer were alive today, “he would be charged in all three of these homicides,” she said.
The announcement came on Monday, January 8, during a press conference at the VSP office in Suffolk. The FBI had executed a search warrant on January 4 at the former home of the suspect. The Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office assisted the FBI with the onsite investigation.
The City of Hampton Division of Police, VSP Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s Chesapeake Field Office and FBI Norfolk Field Office held the joint press conference.
Geller said forensic evidence proved Wilmer was the person responsible for….
