That's very interesting. I do recall in other news stories that others had seen another vehicle at the turnoff where Keith's car was parked.
VA VA - The Colonial Parkway Murders, 1986-89
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That's very interesting. I do recall in other news stories that others had seen another vehicle at the turnoff where Keith's car was parked.
GypsyGirl431
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You can google the Washingtonian article “A Murder on the Rappahannock River “ details the murder of a Lancaster wife & mother in 1995. Keith Wilmer was a person of interest . Alan Wilmer’s brother .
Makes you wonder if they worked/ killed together.
Makes you wonder if they worked/ killed together.
missgreenbanks
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Investigators came out in 1990 to say they thought a couple of people may have been working together and thought the main perpetrator may have had a hold over the other.
The Baltimore Sun, 6th August 1990
“Working with the FBI's National Center, for the Analysis of Violent Crimes, they have put together a psychological profile based on evidence at the crime scenes. "It's a guess, but It's an educated guess," said Larry McCann, a special state police agent who worked with the FBI's center. "The way a crime is committed is a reflection of the Individual who did it” Investigators are keeping determinedly mum about the profile.
They will say they believe that two men were present at the crimes and that the main perpetrator has some Influence over the other man. "I don't want to classify him as an accomplice, a spouse, friend or relative." Mr. McCann said. "There's a possibility this second person could have been there not of their choice." This theory prompted their unusual appeal last week to the. "second person" to turn himself In.”
IDK
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“ Knobling and Edwards were part of what is now known as the Colonial Parkway Murders, a series of four double murders during the 1980s. Included in the Colonial Parkway Murders are Cassandra Hailey and Keith Call. The Christopher Newport University students vanished in 1988 after a party in Newport News. Call’s car was found on Colonial Parkway. Their bodies were never found.”
“As WAVY first reported on social media Wilmer is also tied in with the Hailey-Call case. “
www.wavy.com
“As WAVY first reported on social media Wilmer is also tied in with the Hailey-Call case. “
Man linked to 1 Colonial Parkway murder case was early suspect in another
Could Alan Wilmer Sr., who died in December 2017, be responsible for another “Colonial Parkway Murder?”
www.wavy.com
“ Knobling and Edwards were part of what is now known as the Colonial Parkway Murders, a series of four double murders during the 1980s. Included in the Colonial Parkway Murders are Cassandra Hailey and Keith Call. The Christopher Newport University students vanished in 1988 after a party in Newport News. Call’s car was found on Colonial Parkway. Their bodies were never found.”
“As WAVY first reported on social media Wilmer is also tied in with the Hailey-Call case. “
Man linked to 1 Colonial Parkway murder case was early suspect in another
Could Alan Wilmer Sr., who died in December 2017, be responsible for another “Colonial Parkway Murder?”
According to the linked article, the FBI source said they don't have enough Wilmer DNA to link him to the Call-Hailey case. Very frustrating. Hope these photos of the truck and those of Wilmer can help bring some witnesses forward to make that connection.
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IDK
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I hope they are getting tips now- that is a very distinctive truck and license plate.According to the linked article, the FBI source said they don't have enough Wilmer DNA to link him to the Call-Hailey case. Very frustrating. Hope these photos of the truck and those of Wilmer can help bring some witnesses forward to make that connection.
missgreenbanks
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He matched the description of a Peeping Tom on the parkway who had approached a couple in car.
I wonder how that works. They had enough DNA to create a DNA profile for comparison to DNA found at one scene but there is not enough to compare that same DNA profile to DNA samples from other scenes? I thought once the DNA profile was created and entered into the system, it could be compared to endless existing profiles. Furthermore, Wilmer had been dead a couple weeks when found. It seems there would have been ample source available for collecting all the DNA that they would need. Did any articles say what became of Wilmer's remains? Hopefully they were not cremated and more DNA might be acquired for further testing.
It may be confusion from the way the reporter wrote the story. Perhaps it means there's not enough offender DNA from the Call - Hailey crime scene. Those young people were never found, so police are probably only able to use whatever evidence was left at Keith Call's car. For example, maybe there's unknown DNA from a fingerprint on the car door or window, etc. Unknown DNA on the victims' clothing left in the car, on Keith's car keys, etc.
Vern
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Being the great niece of a lobsterman, I'm curious whether his custom wood fishing boat ran on bunker fuel (still common in th 80s) or diesel?rbbm
Police name dead suspect in 3 Virginia cold cases, including 2 of the 'Colonial Parkway Murders'
A smalltime fisherman who died in 2017 has been linked to three cold-case homicides in Virginia from the 1980s, including two that were among a series of unsolved slayings of couples known as the “Colonial Parkway Murders,” law enforcement officials announced Monday. Virginia State Police...toronto.citynews.ca
''Wilmer went by the nickname “Pokey” and drove a blue 1966 Dodge Fargo pickup truck with the license plate “EM-RAW,” police said.
He owned a small fishing boat named “the Denni Wade,” which he often lived on while it was docked at marinas along the many waterways in southeastern Virginia. He made a living through clamming and oystering but also ran a small business called “Better Tree Service.”
Brian Dugan, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s field office in Norfolk, asked for anyone who knew Wilmer to help.''
I'm thinking that his was diesel; could explain his access to it in quantity (wasn't it poured over the victims and interior of one of the Colonial Parkway Victim-set??) and why no one would think to tip-in him purchasing or transporting it. But, it may be something that LE may have thought of prior given that the wrongfully arrested, now released, gentleman earlier convicted in CPMs was also a 'fisherman'.
Was that murder (where they were doused with diesel yet not set alight) one of the above that he's been linked to by DNA? If no, perhaps some more detals about the DENNI WADE are required and may be able to link to that murder.
Wow, great observation. Yes, the killer threw diesel fuel on the car of victims Cathy Thomas & Rebecca Dowski. I'm trying to find a link that mentions it, but most of them are links to blogs, You Tube videos and podcasts.
Here's one from Coastal Virginia Magazine that mentions diesel fuel. ETA: The offender's hair was found in the hand of Cathy Thomas, so there has been DNA from that offender to test. One of the articles about solving the other murder mentioned the FBI will test it.
New Book Shines a Light on the Mysterious Colonial Parkway Murders | Coastal Virginia Magazine
America's narrowest national park, the Colonial Parkway, connects the southern edge of Jamestown to Yorktown via a winding 23-mile route that cuts thro ...
coastalvirginiamag.com
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IDK
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I’m interested in the book by Blaine Pardoe “A Special kind of Evil: the Colonial Parkway Serial Killings” Has anyone here read it and would you recommend it?
I would love to have more of an understanding of the Colonial Parkway murders. I have read blogs and listened to podcasts, but I think a book might be the best deep dive?
Anyone who read it, please let me know what you think?
I would love to have more of an understanding of the Colonial Parkway murders. I have read blogs and listened to podcasts, but I think a book might be the best deep dive?
Anyone who read it, please let me know what you think?
The license plate was distinctive but when the killings happened the truck probably didn't stand out that much. Back then pickups were more work trucks and often had a business name painted on them. This looks like a 1965-1967 style, so it along with many other 20 year old trucks were probably still on the road back then. But a Dodge would have been far less common than a Ford or Chevrolet pickup.
missgreenbanks
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Yes I have read it and would recommend it. It’s the most comprehensive book on the colonial parkway murders (there is also a short pamphlet style book by Investigator Steve Spingola but it is much less in depth). A Special Kind of Evil is full of information I have never read anywhere else.
Vern
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All afternoon I've been youtubing all kinds of past videos on the CP case & victims.Wow, great observation. Yes, the killer threw diesel fuel on the car of victims Cathy Thomas & Rebecca Dowski. I'm trying to find a link that mentions it, but most of them are links to blogs, You Tube videos and podcasts.
Here's one from Coastal Virginia Magazine that mentions diesel fuel. ETA: The offender's hair was found in the hand of Cathy Thomas, so there has been DNA from that offender to test. One of the articles about solving the other murder mentioned the FBI will test it.
New Book Shines a Light on the Mysterious Colonial Parkway Murders | Coastal Virginia Magazine
America's narrowest national park, the Colonial Parkway, connects the southern edge of Jamestown to Yorktown via a winding 23-mile route that cuts thro ...
If a diesel boat can link Cathy Thomas & Rebecca Dowski to the recently announced individual, perhaps a revisit of the DNA would be possible in two other cases as well:
CP Linked Murders:
1) Rebecca Dowski and Cathy Thomas:
* Vehicle & Victims doused with diesel fuel and car pushed over embankment* Clump of hair found in Cathy's hand - can this be DNA tested against Alan Wilmer Sr or Keith Wilmer?
* Numerous partial & full fingerprints on vehcle that matched no offenders in the system
- Did the DENNI WADE, Alan Wilmer Sr's boat run on diesel?
- Did Alan's brother, Keith Wilmer's boat run on diesel ... or did the DENNI WADE belong to both of them?
- Were fingerprints obtained from Alan Wilmer Sr's body or just his DNA for identifying him? Would it be possible to obtain them now as we know he had no record prior to his death? Or Keith Wilmer's?
- Keith Wilmer was an early suspect in the 1985 murder of Mary Harding.
- Keith Wilmer's polygraph on the Harding case came back "inconclusive".
(Link to lengthy article with details about Keith and the murder of Mary Harding: A Murder on the Rappahannock River - Washingtonian)
2) David Knobling and Robin Edwards (Confirmed Killer: Alan Wilmer Sr via DNA)
Police: Colonial Parkway double murder, another Hampton cold case solved
Virginia State Police identified Alan Wilmer Sr. as a suspect in the 1987 double murder of David Knobling and Robin Edwards, and the 1989 murder of Teresa Howell.
3) Cassandra Hailey and Richard Call
* Bodies never recovered* Car staged like other CP murders
* 2 empty beer cans found at scene of car (as per youtube video "The Colonial Parkway Murders - Revisiting The Crime Scenes" at 12minute, 9 second mark of video).
- Have DNA tests ever been run on these beer cans?
- If not, are the cans still available in evidence for testing purposes?
* Alan Wilmer Sr identified as an early Prime Suspect in these murders, was surveilled, but passed a polygraph. I take it from the statement that he became a suspect because of his distinctive truck and the plate. Did someone tip-in his vehicle as being near to or at the crime scene?
Man linked to 1 Colonial Parkway murder case was early suspect in another
Could Alan Wilmer Sr., who died in December 2017, be responsible for another “Colonial Parkway Murder?”
www.wavy.com
4) Annamaria Phelps and Daniel Lauer
5) Teresa Howell, then 29, in Hampton (Confirmed Killer: Alan Wilmer Sr via DNA)
Police: Colonial Parkway double murder, another Hampton cold case solved
Virginia State Police identified Alan Wilmer Sr. as a suspect in the 1987 double murder of David Knobling and Robin Edwards, and the 1989 murder of Teresa Howell.
Possible Victims:
Mike Margaret and Donna Hall
* Both victims had been stabbed and their throats slit* Car left with items intact, keys in the ignition in the staged scene
* Car left and staged in wooded area off scenic trail
* Modus operendi very similar to the Colonial Parkway series
Mary Keyser Harding* Keith Wilmer, the brother of some CP Parkway murders' confirmed killer Alan Wilmer Sr was an early suspect in the 1985 murder of Mary Harding.
* Keith Wilmer's polygraph on the Harding case came back "inconclusive".
(Link to lengthy article with details about Keith and the murder of Mary Harding: A Murder on the Rappahannock River - Washingtonian)
* Mary was found in the river naked.
Photos of the chain & hook equipment used to tie her down is included in the article.
*
A Murder on the Rappahannock River - Washingtonian
Part One The sun was just beginning to fade when David Riley pulled up to the little house off Route 354. The Virginia State Police detective got out of his unmarked Ford Fairmont and took in the setting of the mystery that had brought him here—a low-slung home shrouded in trees and underbrush...
www.washingtonian.com
I may be wrong, but isn't there also something out there that LE or the FBI believed that there may have been TWO people present at some of the crime scenes and that there was evidence to show such?
- Lengthy
- By: Don Harrison August 31, rbbm
- New Book Shines a Light on the Mysterious Colonial Parkway Murders | Coastal Virginia Magazine
- "The murderer carefully picked his victims. And so there were probably many people who came in contact with him and he released them," Pardoe theorizes. "He came across them, flashed his light across them and said, no these aren't the right people.''
''Hester, like others who have investigated over the years, think two killers were working together, not one. "To me it has to be two people," she says. "You are a serial killer taking on a couple, you run the risk of one of them making a run for it, causing a scene, and that's too big of a risk. You never know what the other is going to do. It only makes sense to have another person there. There's a lot of movement in the middle of the night too—you could do it all by yourself, but there's a lot of driving, moving and staging cars."
Co-author Pardoe doesn't agree. "Larry McCann, the former investigator for the Virginia State Police, really pushed the theory that there was two killers," he says. "And he made a really compelling case for it. Victoria and I have a debate on this. I've talked with several police officers, and I happen to believe that it would be very easy for one person to exert control over two people in a vehicle."
"Once he kills them, he cuts their throats. So now you've got an overkill situation. The bodies are taken to the parkway, and we don't know if these killings took place somewhere else on the parkway or someplace completely different, but he brings their vehicle to the parkway, and soaks it with diesel fuel and tries to light it."
''Diesel needs a higher temperature to ignite, so there is no fire. "He puts them in the vehicle, which takes some exertion, one in the backseat, one in the back of the hatch, soaks the interior and tries to light that on fire, and that doesn't work. And after all the physical exertion, which makes the theory of it being two killers real strong, pushes the vehicle into the York River, and then that fails''.
