Virginia State Police Identify Suspect in 1988 Laurie Ann Powell Homicide Cold Case

SUFFOLK, Va. –  The Virginia State Police and Isle of Wight Commonwealth’s Attorney Georgette Phillips announced a significant breakthrough in the 1988 cold case of Gloucester County teen Laurie Ann Powell. Through advancements in DNA technology, investigators have identified Alan W. Wilmer, Sr., as the person responsible for her death. It has been determined that if not for Wilmer’s death, charges would have been filed against him in connection with her murder.

Powell was last seen alive on March 8, 1988, walking along Route 614 towards Route 17 in Gloucester County. Her body was discovered on April 2, 1988, in the Elizabeth River near Craney Island. Powell had been stabbed multiple times. She was 18 years-old.

Wilmer died in 2017 at the age of 63 in Lancaster County, Va. In 2024, he was linked to three other murders: David Knobling and Robin Edwards in Isle of Wight in 1987, and Teresa Lynn Spaw Howell in Hampton in 1989. Knobling and Edwards’ deaths are part of what is commonly known as the Colonial Parkway Murders.

Wilmer had no felonies on his criminal record, so his DNA had never been obtained until it was necessary for identification purposes following his death. The Virginia Department of Forensic Science in 2023 issued a “Certificate of Analysis” confirming a genetic match to Wilmer based on evidence collected from the Isle of Wight County and City of Hampton homicide victims.

The break in Powell’s case came through the hard work of agents assigned to the Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) Chesapeake and Richmond Field Offices, and analysts assigned to the Homeland Security Division’s Violent Crime Analytical Support Team (VCAST). Additional support for this investigation was provided by the Virginia Office of the Attorney General Jason Miyares, who funded analytical support and testing via the Virginia Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI). The testing was completed by DNA Labs International located in Deerfield, FL. This investigation is part of the continuing collaborative efforts of VSP, FBI, and the Hampton Police Department.

“The Attorney General’s Office is proud to support the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative and to stand shoulder-to- shoulder with our law enforcement partners to ensure that no victim is ever forgotten. I am grateful that SAKI’s work has helped provide long-overdue answers to the victim’s family and loved ones, and I pray they find strength, peace, and healing moving forward,” said Attorney General Jason Miyares.

“We do not give up in the pursuit of justice and sincerely thank Laurie Ann Powell’s family for their patience, assistance, and understanding over the years,” said Colonel Matthew D. Hanley, Superintendent of the Virginia State Police. “It is unfathomable to lose a child, particularly in such a violent and senseless manner. While only the family truly understands the depth of their sorrow and frustration, we have grieved alongside them and hope that the identification of the killer brings them some sense of peace.”

“What this case, and numerous other cold cases that have been resolved show, is that our agents and personnel, along with the assistance of our local and federal partners, will continue to investigate until we can provide resolution to the families of victims,” Hanley added.

Powell’s sister, Cindy Kirchner, is grateful she and her parents now have answers to their questions. They want people to remember Laurie Ann as the smart, vibrant, beautiful, and good-hearted person that she was.

“My sister loved life and was living life to the fullest. She was young and figuring things out. She had so much potential; she was planning to be a cosmetologist, was in marching band, and had the smarts without opening a book,” Powell's sister, Cindy Kirchner said. “She was a firecracker – very independent and could take care of herself. She was also very protective of her family and friends and loved them all unconditionally. She had no idea how many lives she touched, and that speaks so much in itself.”

Kirchner said the tragedy changed her as a person and made her more aware of her surroundings, which she’s been able to instill in her own daughter.

“I never thought my family would experience the tragedy of my sister being murdered. We were in shock. Out of all the people in my life, I never thought this would happen to her,” she said. “But, for whatever reason, it had to be that way. I choose to believe she’s in a better place. My sister’s death opened my eyes,” she said. “Now, I want to be a mentor based on what I’ve been through. There’s always a positive that can come from a tragedy.”

The family has asked for privacy as they continue to process this news and honor the memory of Laurie Ann Powell in their own way.

Partnering agencies are still working to reconstruct the movements and encounters of Alan Wilmer, Sr. As investigators look toward solving other crimes the suspect may have committed, the public is asked to come forward and share information about him.

Wilmer, who went by the nickname “Pokey,” was 5’5” in height with a muscular build and weighed approximately 165 pounds. He had sandy-brown hair, blue eyes, and a close-cropped beard. Wilmer drove a distinctive, blue 1966 Dodge Fargo pickup truck with the Virginia license plate “EM-RAW,” and typically had clamming equipment and a large, affixed metal toolbox in the bed. The Dodge was just one of several pickup trucks Wilmer was known to drive in the 1980s and early 1990s.

Wilmer also had a small commercial fishing boat, named the Denni Wade. It was a 1976 custom-built, wooden boat. He often lived on it during this same period and would dock at marinas in the counties of Gloucester and Middlesex, and around the Northern Neck and Hampton Roads areas. His trade during the 1980s was as a fisherman, farming mainly clams and oysters. He also ran a business called Better Tree Service. He was an avid hunter and belonged to at least one hunt club located in the Middle Peninsula region.

Anyone who may have worked with Alan W. Wilmer, Sr. or hunted with him, farmed oysters and clams with him, docked next to him at marinas in the Northern Neck, Hampton Roads, or Middle Peninsula areas, or socialized with him is encouraged to email the Virginia State Police at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Anonymous tips are welcome.

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