SHENANDOAH, Va. — More than 28 years after two women, including one from St. Cloud, were killed while visiting Virginia's Shenandoah National Park, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced a suspect has been identified.
The FBI said the bodies of victims Laura "Lolli" Winans and Julianne "Julie" Williams were found at their campsite a week later in Shenandoah National Park. The agency went on to say National Park Service rangers located the women following an extensive search after family members reported them missing.
The women, according to Virginia's KARE-affiliate WUSA, were found nude, bound and gagged. Their throats had also been slashed.
New information gathered and released by the FBI's Richmond Field Office, said a fresh team of investigators picked up the cold case in 2021, reassessing "hundreds of leads and interviews." In their investigation, agents were able to pull DNA from several items of evidence, which its Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) eventually matched to Walter Leo Jackson Sr., originally from the Cleveland, Ohio- area.
WUSA reported a man was arrested about a year after the murders for a separate incident, but eventually charged with the women's deaths. In 2004 prosecutors dropped those charges when they discovered DNA evidence from a piece of hair did not match his.
“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 Stanley M. Meador, the FBI Richmond special agent in charge.
The FBI said Jackson Sr. had a long criminal history, including charges for alleged instances of rape, kidnapping and assault. Jackson Sr. died in an Ohio prison in 2018 at the age of 76 as a convicted serial rapist. Authorities said Jackson, an avid hiker, was a frequent visitor to the national park.
“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.”
The FBI said it continues to investigate Jackson to determine whether he was involved with any other unsolved crimes. The agency urges anyone with information about Jackson's activities should call 1-800-CALL FBI or visit its website at tips.fbi.gov.
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