Gruesome double murder finally solved after 28 years of mystery

In May 1996, the brutally slain bodies of a young couple were discovered next to their camp site. Their killer was never found – until now. WARNING: Graphic

Warning: Graphic

The gruesome murder of a young couple has finally been solved after 28 years of mystery.

In May 1996, Julianne ‘Julie’ Williams, 24, and Laura ‘Lollie’ Winans, 26, embarked on a backpacking trip with their faithful golden retriever, Taj, into the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, USA.

The young women had pitched their tent in a peaceful spot next to a mountain stream in the hopes of having a fun camping trip together over the next few days.

Sadly, the serene sound of the babbling water cascading near their tent may be what drowned out the chilling sound of their murderer’s footsteps approaching their campsite.

Julianne Williams (left) and Laura Winans were killed in Shenandoah National Park. Picture: FBI

When the pair did not return home on the day they were meant to, their families grew concerned and contacted the police.

Park Rangers launched an urgent search and located their car, but no sign of the couple.

“We started doing hasty searches to cover all of those trail corridors in that general area to see if we could locate them,” Shenandoah National Park’s Deputy Chief Ranger Bridget Bohnet said.

Venturing further into the wilderness, the couple’s dog was discovered unharmed wandering along a nearby forest trail.

The following day, on June 1st, 1996 – eight days after the pair were last seen alive – detectives were met with a gruesome sight.

The pair bonded over their loved for the outdoors. Picture: Supplied

Both women had been brutally murdered – their hands bound, mouths gagged and throats slashed. Both were partially undressed.

Laura was found inside the tent while Julianne was found in her sleeping bag, about 12 metres away, down an embankment.

At the time, police did not believe they had been sexually assaulted, however recent retesting of the crime scene confirmed that they had both been raped, US Attorney for the Western District of Virginia Christopher Kavanaugh said.

For the past 28 years, the horrific crime has gone unsolved, with Julianne and Laura’s loved ones never getting any closure.

Until now.

Shenandoah National Park has always been a hotspot for tourists. Picture: iStock

Break in the case

In 2021, a new FBI cold case team was assigned to investigate the crime and determined that there was evidence from the scene suitable for retesting.

A lab managed to pull new DNA from several items of evidence and this was submitted to CODIS, a US national law enforcement DNA database.

They found a match to convicted serial rapist Walter “Leo” Jackson Sr, who was known to be an avid hiker at Shenandoah National Park.

“Even though we had this DNA match, we took additional steps and compared evidence from Lollie and Julie’s murders directly to a buccal swab containing Jackson’s DNA,” FBI special agent Stanley Meador said.

“Those results confirmed we had the right man and finally could tell the victims’ families we know who is responsible for this heinous crime.”

Walter Jackson had a long criminal history. Picture: FBI

Jackson had a lengthy criminal history including kidnapping, rapes and assaults.

Just days after the double murder of Julianne and Laura, he kidnapped and raped a woman at knifepoint in Ohio.

Just one month later, he again kidnapped and sexually assaulted another woman, also at knifepoint.

Jackson, who lived to 70, was originally from the Cleveland area and worked as a housepainter.

He was most recently sent to prison in 2011 and died behind bars in Ohio in March 2018, without ever paying for the heinous double murder.

Hate crime concerns

The gruesome murders deeply frightened the LGBTQ+ community and raised fears that the women were slain in a hate crime.

However, authorities stated that there was no evidence to suggest the killing of the couple was motivated by hate bias.

“Make no mistake that this crime was brutal,” District Attorney Mr Kavanaugh said.

The couple met two years before they were killed. Picture: Supplied

Over the years, investigators looked at least two other men for the crime, one of whom was charged with capital murder.

After prosecutors dropped that case, court documents detailed evidence potentially linking the murders to a dead serial killer. However, he was also ruled out.

Authorities said the DNA found at the crime scene being a genetic match to Jackson is 2.6 trillion to 1.

“We can’t imagine how extremely hard it is for the family members to receive this information,” FBI Special Agent Meador said.

“They’ve been seeking answers for far too long.”

Jackon passed away in 2018. Picture: FBI

‘Mix of emotions’

The two women had met nearly two years earlier in Minnesota, where they bonded over their passion for the outdoors and quickly fell in love.

According to journalist Barry Yeoman, Laura was a “microbrew-drinking, Phish-following, cigarette-smoking, goodtime girl” from a “well-to-do family” in Michigan.

She left home after graduating high school, later enrolling in college in Vermont, although she eventually dropped out.

Their murder shocked and frightened the community. Picture: FBI

Julianne aspired to become a geologist, and was a high-achiever and sports enthusiast who won the Minnesota state double tennis championship in high school.

After college she took a job at a book shop, her future was bright and flourishing.

Kathryn Miles, author of a 2022 book on their case, Trailed: One Woman’s Quest to Solve the Shenandoah Murders, told the Washington Post that she continued to hear from people who refused to hike or camp because of the killings.

“For an entire generation of hikers and backpackers, particularly women and people who identify as queer, the impact of this crime was such that it sort of fundamentally removed the wilderness for them and made them very afraid,” Miles told the outlet.

She said in that sense, she considers the case a hate crime even if federal investigators do not use the term.

Julianne aspired to become a geologist and worked in a book shop. Picture: Supplied

Laura always wanted to have fun and was well liked by her peers. Picture: Supplied

Miles said she spent time talking to family members and friends of the victims after the news came out.

“They’re having a real mix of emotions here,” she said.

“On the one hand, I think there’s a sense of relief, but I think it’s tempered by the circumstances of this, and there’s a lot of frustration.”

Due to their murderer being deceased, the families will never be able to get the closure of a trial.

Special Agent Meador said the FBI’s work is not finished, even with Jackson dead, revealing authorities are “piecing together a timeline of Jackson’s movements to share with our partners to assist them with unsolved cases.”