Thirty years after the double murders of two female hikers at a Virginia national park, DNA from a serial rapist links him to their deaths.
Laura "Lollie" Winans, 26, and Julianne "Julie" Williams, 24, were bound, gagged, and had their throats slashed at their campsite in Shenandoah National Park on May 24, 1996, according to the FBI. Park rangers discovered their bodies on June 1, 1996, after family members said the couple failed to return home from their planned hike.
Winans and Williams brought a golden retriever named Taj with them. The dog was located and turned over to investigators.
The womens' case went cold until 2021 when investigators reopened the case and reassessed leads, interviews and evidence.
DNA pulled from several items of evidence at the crime scene came back as a positive match to Walter Leo Jackson, Sr., –– a convicted serial rapist originally from Cleveland, Ohio, investigators determined.
"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. Those results confirmed we had the right man and finally could tell the victim's families we know who is responsible for this heinous crime," said FBI Special Agent in Charge Stanley M. Meador Thursday.
Jackson –– a painter by trade –– was an avid hiker and frequently visited Shenandoah National Park.
He died in prison in 2018 at the age of 70, and had a lengthy criminal history that included kidnapping, rapes, and assaults.
"After 28 years, we are now able to say who committed the brutal murders of Lollie Winans and Julie Williams in Shenandoah National Park," United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh said. "I want to again extend my condolences to the Winans and Williams families and hope today's announcement provides some small measure of solace."
