After more than three decades, two Hampton Roads cold cases connected to the infamous Colonial Parkway Murders have been solved — and the names of the victims can finally rest alongside something their families long deserved: answers.
This is a story that every longtime Hampton Roads resident knows, at least in part. The Colonial Parkway Murders shadowed this region from the late 1980s into the 1990s, leaving families fractured and a community quietly haunted. The resolution of two of those cases is one of the most significant local justice moments in recent memory.
What Happened: The Colonial Parkway Murders and the Hampton Roads Cases
On Monday, representatives from Virginia State Police, Hampton Police, and the FBI gathered at VSP headquarters in Suffolk to announce a breakthrough. Officials named Alan Wilmer Sr. as the person responsible for the murders of 20-year-old David Knobling, 14-year-old Robin Edwards, and 29-year-old Teresa Howell.
The Knobling and Edwards case had long been classified as part of the Colonial Parkway Murders series — a double homicide that occurred in the same geographic area and time frame as the other killings along the parkway. Howell's murder, an Isle of Wight County case, had remained an active cold case for just as long.
For more than 30 years, these cases sat open. Families lived with unanswered questions. Law enforcement kept working. And a region that had grown up alongside these unsolved murders finally got the resolution it had been waiting for.
Two Hampton Roads Cold Cases Solved After 30+ Years: What It Took
Cold cases like these don't get solved because someone gets lucky. They get solved because investigators, families, and communities refuse to let them go quiet. The joint announcement by VSP, Hampton PD, and the FBI reflects exactly that — a long, deliberate, multi-agency effort that spanned decades and ultimately delivered accountability.
For Hampton Roads, this isn't just a crime story. It's a community story. The Colonial Parkway runs through the heart of this region, connecting historic sites that families visit, that residents drive past on ordinary days. The murders along that corridor left a mark that never fully faded.
What This Means For Hampton Roads Residents
• The resolution of two Hampton Roads cold cases solved after 30+ years is a meaningful moment for the families of David Knobling, Robin Edwards, and Teresa Howell — and for the wider community that followed these cases across generations
• It reflects the sustained commitment of local and state law enforcement to cases that could easily have been deprioritized over time
• For longtime residents, this closes a chapter that has been open since the late 1980s — a genuine piece of regional history finally reaching its conclusion
• It's a reminder that Hampton Roads is a place with deep roots, long memory, and people who show up for one another — in grief and in justice alike
If you've lived here long enough, you remember when these cases were in the news. If you're newer to the area, this is part of understanding the community you've chosen — its history, its wounds, and its resilience. Hampton Roads is more than its real estate market and its shoreline. It's a place with a story. This is part of it.
For more on the communities that make up this region, visit our Hampton Roads community pages.
Frequently Asked Questions
What were the Colonial Parkway Murders?
The Colonial Parkway Murders refer to a series of homicides in the late 1980s and early 1990s involving victims found along or near the Colonial Parkway in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. The cases went unsolved for decades and became one of the most well-known cold case series in the region's history.
Who was named as responsible for the Hampton and Isle of Wight cold cases?
Virginia State Police, Hampton Police, and the FBI announced that Alan Wilmer Sr. was identified as responsible for the murders of David Knobling, Robin Edwards, and Teresa Howell. The announcement came at a press conference held at VSP headquarters in Suffolk.
Why did these Hampton Roads cold cases take more than 30 years to solve?
Cold cases from the 1980s and 1990s often faced limitations in forensic technology, DNA analysis, and investigative resources that have improved significantly over the decades. Multi-agency collaboration — in this case involving VSP, local police, and the FBI — along with advances in investigative techniques, is typically what brings decades-old cases to resolution.