Virginia Suspect Linked to 1988 Teen Cold Case Murder | Crime Alert 6AM 12.09.25

Investigators in Virginia have announced a breakthrough in the nearly 35-year-old murder of 18-year-old Laurie Ann Powell, finally identifying the individual responsible for her death in 1988.

Police have arrested a suspect in a 1997 Long Island homicide that was once considered potentially linked to the Gilgo Beach serial killings, providing long-awaited clarity for a decades-old investigation.

Two members of the West Virginia National Guard were shot while on duty in Washington, D.C., in an incident that occurred close to the White House, raising questions about security for personnel assigned to federal locations.

An internal affairs review has concluded that the 2023 death of a 19-year-old Rutland, Vermont police trainee could have been prevented, citing failures by supervising officers to adhere to department pursuit policies.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Crime alert. I'm John Lemley at this hour. Investigators in
Virginia say they've finally identified the person responsible for the
nineteen eighty eight murder of eighteen year old Laurie Ann Powell.
Her body was found in the Elizabeth River near Craney
Island after she disappeared that March. She had been stabbed
multiple times. The suspect is Alan Wilmer, Senior, who died

(00:25):
in twenty seventeen at the age of sixty three. Through
modern DNA analysis, authorities recently connected Wilmer to Powell's killing,
even though he died more than a quarter century ago.
Wilmer was already suspected in several other murders, including the
nineteen eighty seven killing of David Knobling and Robin Edwards,

(00:46):
part of what became known as the Colonial Parkway murders,
as well as the nineteen eighty nine slaying of Teresa
Lynn's spaw Howell. Investigators say they are now reviewing other
unsolved cases from the region and to determine whether Wilmer
may have been involved in additional murders. For the Powell family,
this long delayed identification offers a measure of closure. Powell's

(01:09):
sisters said that Laurie quote didn't wait for life to happen,
She made it happen. Authorities continue to evaluate whether more
cases could ultimately be tied to Wilmer.

Speaker 2 (01:21):
Thanks John for the latest crime and justice news. Go
to crime online dot com and please join us for
our daily podcast Crime Stories. More crime and justice news
after this Now with the latest crime and justice breaking news.
Crime Online John.

Speaker 1 (01:38):
Limley believes have arrested a man in connection with the
nineteen ninety seven murder once thought potentially related to the
Gilgo Beach serial killings. Sixty six year old Andrew Dykes
was taken into custody and Tampa, Florida on a warrant
from Nassau County, New York. He faces two counts of
murder and the deaths of twenty six year old Tanya

(01:59):
de Denise Jackson and her two year old daughter, Tatiana
Marie Dikes. Jackson's remains, originally unidentified and referred to only
as peaches because of a distinctive tattoo, were found in
Hempstead Lake State Park in nineteen ninety seven. Years later,
skeletal remains of her young daughter washed ashore near Gilgo

(02:21):
Beach during a search related to other missing women earlier
this year. Genetic genealogy helped law enforcement confirm their identities
and ultimately led investigators to Dikes, who is the toddler's father.
He is being held in Florida while officials in New
York seek extradition. Although this case had once been grouped

(02:42):
with the Gilgo Beach killings, authorities say there is currently
no evidence linking Dikes to the other victims in that case.
Two members of the West Virginia National Guard were shot
while on duty in Washington, d c. Not far from
the White House. The attack claimed the life of twenty
year old Sarah Bestrom. Her colleague, twenty four year old

(03:03):
Andrew Wolf, survived and remains hospitalized. Officials say Wolf has
shown encouraging signs of recovery, including responding to commands, giving
a thumbs up, and moving his toes. His head wound
continues to heal, but he is expected to remain under
intensive medical care for several more weeks. The suspect, twenty

(03:25):
nine year old Romano La Luckenwall, an Afghan national, was
also wounded in the exchange and has fleeted not guilty
to murder and related charges. Authorities have described the incident
as a targeted attack on federal forces deployed to assist
law enforcement in the capitol. The shooting has sparked renewed
debate over the role of the National Guard troops in

(03:47):
civilian policing and raise concerns about security even in areas
considered highly protected. A newly released internal affairs report concludes
that the death of a nineteen year old trainee with
the Rutland City Police Department in twenty twenty three was
preventable and that supervising officers failed to follow department policy

(04:09):
during a pursuit. The trainee, Jessica Ebenhausen, died when Suspectate Riom,
attempting to flee, collided nearly head on with her cruiser
on Woodstock Avenue. The review determined that the chase should
never have been initiated, officers lacked proper authority and did
not adhere to key pursuit guidelines. Riom, who was injured

(04:31):
in the crash, initially faced charges that included negligent operation
causing death and fleeing from police. With the report now public,
his defense attorneys questioning the appropriateness of the most serious charges.
Arguing the supervisory failures within the department significantly contributed to
the fatal outcome. The findings portray a broader breakdown in procedures,

(04:56):
suggesting that Ebenhausen's death stemmed not only from the suit itself,
but from systemic lapses within the police department.

Speaker 2 (05:04):
Thanks John for the latest Crime Instice news. Go to
crime online dot com and please join us for our
daily podcast, Crime Stories, where we do our best to
find missing people, especially children, and solve unsoutomisides. With this
crime alert, I'm Nancy Grace.