VA VA - Lollie Winans, 26, & Julie Williams, 24, found murdered, Shenandoah National Park, 1 Jun 1996

[jaejae]

I did up a little profile on what the killer could be like

At the time of the murders the killer was in his mid 20's to early 30's

This case and RT.29 Stalker are tied and the kiler was just starting out

The killer frequent the park where Williams and Winans would killed and know it well

The murders would more about control and power also the killer had more of a Hatred toward women

The killer was targeting brunette women with a athletic type body

The killer move away or when to jail

The killer has a thing for bondage *advertiser censored* (the control)

The killer has rep for bit littering women around him

The killer think more of himself than what other may think of him

The killer is smart but self centered

Good post and summary of the killer. I am sorry but I cannot help putting my suspect forward again who I believe is or was the Route 29 Stalker Ralph Leon Jackson. Perhaps people might perceive me as a little bit 'crazy' but I will say to many victims relatives your loved ones crimes are not going to ever be solved until he is identified as the Serial Killer he is or was and the FBI are very reluctant to do this. I would hope it is this year but it might role on year after year.

 

[outlawcountry911]

Good post and summary of the killer. I am sorry but I cannot help putting my suspect forward again who I believe is or was the Route 29 Stalker Ralph Leon Jackson. Perhaps people might perceive me as a little bit 'crazy' but I will say to many victims relatives your loved ones crimes are not going to ever be solved until he is identified as the Serial Killer he is or was and the FBI are very reluctant to do this. I would hope it is this year but it might role on year after year.

I don’t know if Ralph Leon Jackson fit the profile of the rt 29 stalker. Jackson get me as a nutjob who saw a target and when to it

 

[kemo]

Randall Lee Smith and Ralph Leon Jackson are interesting suspects but the murders they committed were rather crudely done. They used a handgun and then fled the scene without any attempt to conceal the bodies.

The Winans-Williams murders were done with some criminal competence. The perpetrator(s) found the women although the were camped where they were not found for almost a week and restrained both of them before killing them.

There is some suspicious DNA that could have belonged to the perpetrator and there I’d Mitochondrial DNA that almost certainly belonged to the perpetrator. These are going to be compared with any suspect.

This crime has some similarities with the Colonia Parkway murders and the Route 29 Stalker cases that are also unsolved but it is far from certain that they are connected.

 

[jaejae]

Randall Lee Smith and Ralph Leon Jackson are interesting suspects but the murders they committed were rather crudely done. They used a handgun and then fled the scene without any attempt to conceal the bodies.

The Winans-Williams murders were done with some criminal competence. The perpetrator(s) found the women although the were camped where they were not found for almost a week and restrained both of them before killing them.

There is some suspicious DNA that could have belonged to the perpetrator and there I’d Mitochondrial DNA that almost certainly belonged to the perpetrator. These are going to be compared with any suspect.

This crime has some similarities with the Colonia Parkway murders and the Route 29 Stalker cases that are also unsolved but it is far from certain that they are connected.

Good points but I would be wary of putting too much emphasis on MO and Jackson's last crime is not representative of many of his others and it was the one he was caught doing.

 

[jaejae]

I am going to give this case another bump. My feeling like the original investigators is this case might be related to the Colonial Parkway Murders. As Steven Spingola and others have noticed there are similarities with the murder of the same sex couple in those four sets of crimes. My feeling is that investigators were right it was related to the Route 29 Stalker they just had the wrong suspect:

Hikers' killer going home

 

[jaejae]

These are my thoughts and theories after studying cases in Virginia for a long time but I do not believe they were a hate crime. The crimes were full of hate but I think they were likely the work of a maniac who targeted couples, individuals and children.

 

[dotr]

New Book Shines a Light on the Mysterious Colonial Parkway Murders - Coastal Virginia Magazine - July-August 2018 - Virginia Beach, VA
(page 2 of 2)

The "Other" Murder
Several investigators, including Private Detective Steve Spingola, who was hired by the Thomas family to look into the slayings, think the first Colonial Parkway Murder isn't tied to the rest but to another killing in Virginia that occurred 10 years later. Laura ‘Lollie’ Winans, 26 and Julianne ‘Julie’ Williams, 24 were murdered in the Shenandoah National Park, 180 miles away, in 1996. The circumstances were similar to the Dowski-Thomas murder in that the incident involved a lesbian couple strangled with their throats violently cut.

Pardoe isn't so sure of the connection. "With the murders in Shenandoah, there was no staging of [crime scene]; they were killed in their tent and found there. Plus, the FBI clearly had a suspect in that case and good evidence for it, but their DNA evidence was thrown out and they dropped the charges. I think they have a very solid person in that case and know exactly what happened."

Gian J. Quasar on Twitter

 

[Richard]

It might be worth checking out another possible suspect by the name of James Allen Kinney.

He was convicted of the murder of a young woman named Keri Sherlock (age 20 in 1998) and is serving a life sentence in the state of Washington.

Although convicted of only one murder, it is likely that Kinney is a serial killer and is a strong suspect in murders of women in both Michigan and Iowa.

Kinney is known to have been in the Maryland,Virginia, and Washington DC areas between July and December 1996.

He was featured on the TV show "America's Most Wanted" and was eventually captured as a result of tips generated by that program.

LINK:

Keri Sherlock PART III – Two Faces of a Killer

 

[Richard]

James Allen Kinney
Inmate Number 835603
Male
White
Age: 69
Ethnicity Unknown
Date of Birth Sep 11, 1949
Known Aliases: JEROME ROMANO PORROVECCHIO, JAMES A KINNEY, JULIUS GOLDMAN

Kinney was discharged from the US Army for mental problems and traveled all over the US visiting various military installations and VA hospitals.

LINK:

Inmate Search | Washington State Department of Corrections

 

[kemo]

They have MtDNA that almost certainly came from the perpetrator. Easy enough to check it against any suspect whose name comes up , including this guy Kinney.

What really needs to be done is to take the Familial DNA that was found on the long underwear and subject to to Genetic Mapping. This is the holly grail of forensic science and is becoming cheaper and easier every day.

The long underwear was used to tie up Lollie’s Legs. While there can be no absolute certainty that the DNA came from the perpetrator, it seems highly likely. If the doner of the DNA has a reasonable explanation (such as working at a underwear factory), it shouldn’t be a problem.

So many old crimes are being solved by this method and the technique is improving every time it is done.

 

[mothwings]

LAURA “LOLLIE” WINANS | Federal Bureau of Investigation

JULIANNE “JULIE” WILLIAMS — FBI

 

[JerseyGirl]

Name: Julianne "Julie" Williams and Laura "Lollie" Winans

Location: Shenandoah National Park

Date: Found murdered on June 1, 1996 at campsite

Suspect Info: Unsolved.

Case Info: Julianne Williams and Laura Winans were found murdered in their campsite in Shenandoah National Park on June 1, 1996. Williams was 24 years old at the time. She and Winans were last seen hiking with a Golden Retriever named Taj on May 24, 1996. The dog was found wandering in the park and turned over to US Park Rangers near Whiteoak Canyon Trail. Searchers found the womens' bodies in their campsite off the Bridle Trail near Skyland Resort. The National Park Service (NPS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) continue to work on this active, ongoing investigation. We wish justice for Julie and Lollie and closure for their families. Please share this information and help in our efforts to bring national attention to this investigation. Someone may have a critical piece of information investigators need.
See also: www.fbi.gov/wanted/seeking-info/julianne-williams/view

Cold Cases - Investigative Services (U.S. National Park Service)

 

[dotr]

Thanks for the excellent article. The 1996 murder of Julie Williams and Lollie Winans is often compared to the murder of Cathy Thomas and Rebecca Dowski in the Colonial Parkway Murders.

Sadly, the FBI and National Park Service investigators have never been able to put together a strong enough case against their lead suspect, Darrell David Rice.

Bill Thomas,
Brother of Cathleen Thomas,
Colonial Parkway Murders​

TV series about Williamsburg’s Colonial Parkway murders will air on Oxygen Network - Williamsburg Visitor
rbbm.
"The new Oxygen channel TV series features a team of former FBI agents and FBI Profiler Jim Clemente who will take a fresh look at the evidence with the hopes of solving the crime and ultimately bringing the murderer to justice. Clemente, who worked for the FBI for more than 20 years, has previously been associated with the Quantico and Criminal Minds shows.

Victim Timeline
October 12, 1986

"Cathleen “Cathy” Thomas, a 27-year-old graduate of the Naval Academy, and Rebecca Ann Dowski, a 21-year-old William & Mary student, had been missing since October 9. On October 12, they were found dead in their car on the Colonial Parkway. Both had been strangled and had such severe cuts to their throats that they were nearly decapitated. Dowski’s body was in the backseat and Thomas was in the hatchback. There was no evidence of sexual assault however the killer did make a failed attempt to douse the car with gasoline and light it on fire. Investigators believe that their bodies had been relocated from the actual murder scene. The victim’s handbags and personal belongings were still in the car, appearing to rule out robbery as the motive."

"All victims were young couples who had been killed on or near the Colonial Parkway – and discovered near or in their cars. None had been robbed and there was no evidence of sexual assault. However, some believe that multiple killers were involved since one couple was strangled, another shot and another presumably stabbed. Some speculate that another care, Julie Williams, 24, and Lollie Winans, 26 murdered in 1996, were also linked, despite the murders taking place in Shenandoah National Park. The victims has had been bound, gagged and their throats slit – similar to Thomas and Dowski.

An update in 2018 revealed that DNA, including hair and a biological sample, had been discovered that may potentially link the cases."

 

[mothwings]

How is this case gotten so little attention?

A federal grand jury secured an indictment against DDR—yet charges are dropped?

I think the evidence is pretty clear DDR did this. Calls to gay rights centers and he was caught on camera entering the park around the times of the murder.

I feel like this case should gave gotten more attention from both the media and LE.

I can't imagine the fear these girls felt in their last moments. In the middle of their campsite, minding their own business, in the dark with no one around except a psychopathic killer, binding them, gagging them and brutally ending their lives. Rape wasn't a motive; this person is simply bloodthirsty, hateful, disgusting sociopath. Surprised this hasn't been on ID especially after a camera with imagery from their fateful camping trip was found next to the fire pit.

These girls deserve justice! Re-indict DDR!

 

[kemo]

Darrell Rice served almost 10 years for attempting to abduct a woman from a highway in the park about a year after these murders. He was initially charged with the Shenandoah murders but they were dropped. It wasn't just that the evidence was lacking but the DNA evidence tended to exonerate him. He did enter the park ” around” the time of the murders but it was actually the day after the murders most likely occurred. (he was a regular visitor to the park) Even the call to the ” gay rights center”, whatever meaning might be inferred from that, could be explained by the fact that it was one diget off from a Grateful Dead ticket hotline and he was a known Deadhead. There just isn't a case.

I’m not trying to defend the guy; he did a pretty serious assault and here is a good chance he did other crimes. He may even have done this crime but there is no evidence.

 

[mothwings]

Darrell Rice served almost 10 years for attempting to abduct a woman from a highway in the park about a year after these murders. He was initially charged with the Shenandoah murders but they were dropped. It wasn't just that the evidence was lacking but the DNA evidence tended to exonerate him. He did enter the park ” around” the time of the murders but it was actually the day after the murders most likely occurred. (he was a regular visitor to the park) Even the call to the ” gay rights center”, whatever meaning might be inferred from that, could be explained by the fact that it was one diget off from a Grateful Dead ticket hotline and he was a known Deadhead. There just isn't a case.

I’m not trying to defend the guy; he did a pretty serious assault and here is a good chance he did other crimes. He may even have done this crime but there is no evidence.

I understand that we want to get the right guy, but I respectfully disagree that there is no case against DDR—a self-admitted homophobe who had a propensity for violence at the time of the murders.

It's easy to infer what the call to a gay rights organization in San Anselmo, California, on May 28 (just a few days before the murder) means—he had a propensity for violence and hatred for gays. It would be quite the coincidence for him to accidentally call a gay rights organization to make homophobic slurs just a couple days before Julie and Lollie were killed. The accidental mis-dialing of 1 number is a 1-in-a-million chance that it just so ended up being a gay rights organization is far-fetched.

The prosecutors described Rice as being anti-gay and sexist towards women. In the document "United States District Court Notice of Intent to Introduce Evidence in United States of America v. Darrell David Rice Case", Rice is quoted to have said that women are "more vulnerable than men" and that he "hates gays". He commented that Julianne Williams and Laura Winans "deserved to die because they were lesbian *advertiser censored*." His views on women's inferiority and his commentary against homosexuals also led Rice to be a prime suspect in the 1996 case.

Appalachian Trail Histories | The Original Suspect · Double Murder in Shenandoah National Park (Student Exhibit)

Despite the ongoing search for answers, Tom Williams doesn't hold back his belief in who he thinks is responsible, a man who's been out of prison since 2011.

"To this day, Darrell David Rice is the primary suspect, he had been indicted at the time."

"He's always the individual that's been the one to be ruled out rather than in. I do believe that had it not been a capital murder case [previously] that he'd be convicted and put away now. That's how strongly I feel that he's her murderer," Tom Williams says.

The lead agent also says, "

"Let me say this: no one has been exonerated in this case. We are looking at anyone that had any relationships to the events on the Shenandoah 20 years ago that took the lives of these two ladies."

FBI Focusing in on Unsolved Deaths of Williams and Winans

The DNA did not exonerate him because in 1996 the CSI could not identify what the source of the DNA was. It was not a strict single-source found on the duct tape or ligature and there's no proof that it's where the DNA actually came from. But what they did establish is that during an attack, skin cells, sweat, saliva, and other bodily fluids can be thrown all over the crime scene. Anyone who came into contact with the things the killer(s) would have touched could have left DNA on these items and the defense wanted the judge to believe that it was a mixture of 7 - 11 alleles. That doesn't even make sense. In fact, they called their own expert that said sometimes the DNA does not apply in every case.

It is unknown the exact date that Julie and Lollie were killed. The fact that he was a frequent visitor and in fact had abducted a woman from the same park only makes him a more than likely suspect. In fact, there was a witness who heard Lollie and Julie screaming in the distance. The next morning, a man was standing next to their campsite and immediately headed in the other direction. The witness picked DDR out of a photo line-up. This was also the day DDR was seen on camera leaving the park around the same time as this witness. DDR is a very dangerous person and tried to run over the woman he tried to abduct. I'm sure the authorities are hoping that tips come in. This was an obvious hate crime; rape was not a motive and although there are a lot of homophobes especially in 1996, not all of them are homophobic psychopaths.

 

[billthom56]

The "Lover's Lane Murders" limited television series covering the Colonial Parkway Murders is coming in February 2021!

Title: "Lover's Lane Murders"

Subject: A deep dive into the unsolved the Colonial Parkway Murders

Date: Monday, February 8 and Tuesday, February 9, 2021

Time: TBA

Network: Oxygen

Episodes: Four hour-long shows, two episodes each night

Producers: Texas Crew Productions (Austin, TX) and XG Productions (Los Angeles, CA)

Featuring: Former FBI profiler Jim Clemente, former FBI agent Maureen O'Connell, former prosecutor Loni Coombs, and forensic expert Laura Pettler
With interviews with Colonial Parkway Murders family members, former FBI and Virginia State Police investigators, reporters and journalists who have covered the case over 34 years.

The Colonial Parkway Murders refers to four unsolved double homicides of young couples who were murdered in lover's lanes in and around Williamsburg, Virginia from 1986 to 1989.
Victims include Cathy Thomas and Rebecca Dowski in October 1986, Robin Edwards and David Knobling in September 1987, Keith Call and Cassandra Hailey missing and assumed murdered in April 1988, and Annamaria Phelps and Daniel Lauer in September 1989.

Thomas/Dowski and Call/Hailey are handled by the FBI Newport News office, and Edwards/Knobling and Phelps/Lauer are handled by the Virginia State Police.


####

Thanks.



Bill Thomas
Brother of Cathy Thomas
Colonial Parkway Murders

 

[dotr]

Possible re post..
Apr 9, 2018

 

[mothwings]

A Unity College student and her girlfriend were murdered 25 years ago at a national park. The killer is still unknown.

Gosh darn, this case needs to be solved. : (

I feel this case has not gotten enough attention. Especially since they were in love, this case really bothers me. These murders were just horrendous.

 

[Kell1]

Theres scant information on this case,

does anyone know the nature of the bindings ? IE what was used ?