Virginia police name deceased fisherman & hunter as suspect in unsolved 1980s murders

SUFFOLK, Va. – The Virginia police identified the late Alan W. Wilmer Sr., a hunter and fisherman, as a suspect in three unsolved murders that occurred in the 1980s. The authorities utilized DNA evidence to connect Wilmer to the 1987 murders of David Knobling and Robin Edwards in Isle Of Wight, as well as the 1989 murder of Teresa Lynn Spaw Howell in Hampton.

Wilmer Sr. passed away in December 2017 in Lancaster County, Virginia at the age of 63. The Isle of Wight County and City of Hampton Commonwealth’s Attorneys confirmed that if Wilmer were still alive, charges would be filed against him.

The police thanked the families of the victims for their patience and understanding, acknowledging the depth of their sorrow and the frustration of not knowing who was responsible for their loved one’s death. The identification of the killer may bring a sense of closure and peace to the grieving families, said Lt. Col. Tim Lyon, Director of the Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

The first murders connected to Wilmer took place in September 1987, when 20-year-old David Knobling and 14-year-old Robin Edwards were found shot to death along the shoreline of the Ragged Island Wildlife Management and Refuge Area on the south bank of the James River, according to Virginia State Police.

In 1989, Teresa Lynn Spaw Howell, 29, was found dead in the city of Hampton. Detectives mentioned that Wilmer had no felonies on his criminal record, so his DNA was never obtained until it was needed to identify him following his death.

Authorities are urging the public to come forward with any information about Wilmer, including encounters they may have had with him, in order to aid the investigation. Wilmer was described as 5’5″ and weighing around 165 pounds, with sandy-brown hair, blue eyes, and a close-cropped beard. He drove a distinctive, blue 1966 Dodge Fargo pickup truck with the Virginia license plate EM-RAW.

Wilmer was a fisherman in the 1980s, mainly dealing with clams and oysters on his custom-built wooden boat called Denni Wade. He also ran a business called Better Tree Service and was an avid hunter who belonged to at least one hunt club located in the Middle Peninsula region.

Anyone with information can contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit a tip online. They can also reach out to the Virginia State Police by email or the Peninsula Crime Line.