CLEVELAND (WJW) – The Federal Bureau of Investigation has identified a deceased serial rapist from Cleveland as the suspect in a double murder that took place in Virginia in 1996.
Laura “Lollie” Winans and Julianne “Julie” Williams were killed at their campsite in Shenandoah National Park, near the Skyland Resort, on May 24, 1996.
Family members reached out to the National Park Service after they didn’t return home from a trip. An extensive search ensued, and park rangers found the women’s bodies about a week after they were murdered.
According to Fox News, another man was indicted for their deaths in 2004, but those charges were dropped when his DNA didn’t match the crime.
The case remained cold for years, but a new FBI team took over the investigation in 2021.
Now, through recent DNA testing, investigators have identified Walter Leo Jackson Sr. as a suspect in the double murder, according to the FBI.
Jackson Sr., a Cleveland man who had a long criminal history of kidnapping, rapes and assaults, died in prison in Cuyahoga County in March of 2018.
FBI investigators say Jackson Sr. was an avid hiker and frequently visited Shenandoah National Park. They believe he was driving a a 1984 Chestnut Brown AMC Eagle 30 at the time of the murders.
“After 28 years, we are now able to say who committed the brutal murders of Lollie Winans and Julie Williams in Shenandoah National Park,” said United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh in a press release. “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 says it is working with other law enforcement agencies to determine if Jackson Sr. can be linked to any other cold cases.
Jordan Unger
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