Man Named as Suspect in Three Decades-Old Murders

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A man has been identified as a suspect in three murders that occurred in the late 1980s, two of which are connected to the infamous Colonial Parkway Murders.

Authorities have named a deceased fisherman as the prime suspect, bringing closure to a case that has remained unsolved for over thirty years.

Alan W. Wilmer has been linked to the 1987 deaths of David Knobling and Robin Edwards in Isle of Wight County, as well as the 1989 killing of Teresa Lynn Howell in Hampton.

Investigators received a tip that led them to Wilmer, prompting a DNA request. It was revealed during a press conference on Monday that Wilmer’s DNA was never collected and entered into a criminal database due to his lack of reported felonies.

Although Wilmer passed away in 2017 at the age of 63, authorities have confirmed that charges would have been filed against him if he were still alive.

The families of the victims attended the conference, finally learning the identity of the potential killer after more than three decades of uncertainty and grief.

Lieutenant Colonel Tim Lyon, director of the Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation, expressed hope that the identification of the killer would bring some closure and peace to the families.

The victims, Knobling and Edwards, were found fatally shot on the shore of the Ragged Island Wildlife Management and Refuge Area on September 23, 1987. Edwards had also been sexually assaulted.

Their murders were initially believed to be part of the ‘Colonial Parkway Murders’ series, a string of double homicides that occurred between 1986 and 1989 in southeast Virginia. However, police have now confirmed that there is no forensic or physical evidence linking Knobling and Edwards’ murders to the other homicides in the series.

Corrine Geller, a spokesperson for the Virginia State Police, stated that investigations into the remaining double homicides in the Colonial Parkway Murders are still ongoing.

A joint statement was read on behalf of the two families, expressing gratitude to the investigators for their assistance and acknowledging the difficult time for the Wilmer family.

“Now we have a sense of relief and justice knowing that he can no longer victimize another,” the statement said.

Wilmer is also connected to the murder of 29-year-old Howell in Hampton on July 1, 1989. Howell was last seen alive outside the Zodiac Club in the city. Her body was discovered later that day near a construction worksite. Like Edwards, Howell had also been sexually assaulted and died due to strangulation.

With Wilmer now identified as a suspect, the police are urging anyone with information about him to come forward. He is described as 5’5″ and 165 pounds, with sandy-brown hair, blue eyes, and a close-cropped beard. He was known by the nickname “Pokey” and drove a blue 1966 Dodge Fargo pickup truck with the Virginia license plate EM-RAW.

Wilmer worked primarily as a clam and oyster fisherman, owned a business called Better Tree Service, and was an avid hunter. Investigators are hopeful that additional information about Wilmer may aid in their ongoing investigation.