DNA links serial rapist to murders in Shenandoah National Park

HENRICO COUNTY, Virginia – FBI agents say the man identified through DNA analysis is responsible for a double murder in Shenandoah National Park that shocked Virginia nearly 30 years ago.

Stanley Meador, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Richmond office, said when he took charge of the field office in 2021, he was briefed on the case of the 1996 murders of 24-year-old Julie Williams and 26-year-old Lollie Winans in Shenandoah National Park.

The special agent assigned a new team to investigate the case, and they sent some items from the crime scene to a private laboratory for testing, which resulted in a hit in a DNA database.

FBI

Walter “Leo” Jackson Sr. was convicted of three counts of rape in Ohio. Officials had a DNA swab from those trials and were able to match it to the DNA swab as well.

Investigators said they discovered that Jackson, who died in prison in 2018, was an avid hiker who had been to the Shenandoah Mountains in the past.

As a result, officials believed that Williams and Winans were sexually abused due to their criminal pasts.

They added that they do not believe the two women, who were a couple, were targeted because of their sexuality.

BONUS VIDEO: Campers react to the murders of Laura Winans and Julianne Williams in Shenandoah National Park in 1996

Campers react to the murders of Laura Winans and Julianne Williams in Shenandoah National Park in 1996

Investigators added that they also ruled out the involvement of another person who was arrested in the early 2000s because DNA profiles showed he was not involved in the case.

Agents said they told the victims’ families about Jackson on Wednesday. The families said they were grateful for the news, Meador said.

“This is a great example of our tenacity to not give up on a case,” Meador said. “I would hesitate to use the term ‘cold case’ because when it’s an unsolved case, the FBI continues to work on it. I think this is a reminder to everyone of the tenacity that cases require. We don’t give up.”

Investigators said they are working to notify other law enforcement agencies about Jackson as well.

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