BONUS: FBI Say No Funds Available for DNA Tests in Colonial Parkway Murders
Author: William F. Thomas and Kristin M. Dilley
February 22, 2024
Duration: 43:33
With FBI Norfolk informing that Colonial Parkway Murders families at a meeting on January 6, 2024, that they are short $300,000 in order to test DNA and other forensic evidence in the Colonial Parkway Murders, we thought we might revisit earlier discussion of the FBI testing budget available in the Parkway case. Given how many miillion dollars the FBI and Virginia State Police have spent on the Colonial Parkway Murders investigation, we are outraged that $300,000 stands in the way of proper forensic testing in this case. This Bonus episode of "Mind Over Murder" originally ran on October 17, 2022.
FBI, Virginia State Police and the Hampton Police Department announced on January 8, 2024 that Alan Wade Wilmer Sr was confirmed as a serial killer of Robin Edwards and David Knobling in the Colonial Parkway Murders in September 1987, as well as the murderer of Teresa Howell in June 1989. He has also been linked to the April 1988 disappearance and likely murder of Keith Call and Cassandra Hailey, another pair in the Colonial Parkway Murders.
13News Now investigates: A serial killer's DNA will not be entered into CODIS database:
https://www.13newsnow.com/video/news/local/13news-now-investigates/291-e82a9e0b-38e3-4f95-982a-40e960a71e49
WAVY TV 10 on the Colonial Parkway Murders Announcement with photos:
https://www.wavy.com/news/crime/deceased-man-identified-as-suspect-in-decades-old-homicides/
WTKR News 3
https://www.wtkr.com/news/is-man-linked-to-one-of-the-colonial-parkway-murders-connected-to-the-other-cases
Virginian Pilot: Who was Alan Wade Wilmer Sr.? Man suspected in two ‘Colonial Parkway’ murders died alone in 2017
https://www.pilotonline.com/2024/01/14/who-was-alan-wade-wilmer-sr-man-suspected-in-colonial-parkway-murders-died-alone-in-2017/
Colonial Parkway Murders Facebook page with more than 18,000 followers: https://www.facebook.com/ColonialParkwayCase
You can also participate in an in-depth discussion of the Colonial Parkway Murders here:
https://earonsgsk.proboards.com/board/50/colonial-parkway-murders
Mind Over Murder is proud to be a Spreaker Prime Podcaster:
https://www.spreaker.com
Join the discussion on our Mind Over Murder and Colonial Parkway Murders pages on Facebook.
Mind Over Murder on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mindoverpodcast
You can also participate in an in-depth discussion of the Colonial Parkway Murders here:
https://earonsgsk.proboards.com/board/50/colonial-parkway-murders
Follow Othram's DNA Solves: You can help solve a case. Help fund a case or contribute your DNA. Your support helps solve crimes, enable the identification of John & Jane Does, and bring closure to families. Joining is fast, secure, and easy.
https://dnasolves.com/
Daily Beast: "Inside the Maddening Search for Virginia’s Colonial Parkway Serial Killer" By Justin Rohrlich
https://www.thedailybeast.com/what-happened-to-cathleen-thomas-and-rebecca-dowski-inside-the-hunt-for-the-colonial-parkway-killer
Citizens! Check out our new line of "Mind Over Murder" t-shirts and other good stuff !
https://www.teepublic.com/stores/mind-over-murder-podcast?ref_id=23885
Washington Post Op-Ed Piece by Deidre Enright of the Innocence Project:
"The FBI should use DNA, not posters, to solve a cold-case murder"
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/06/25/julie-williams-laura-winans-unsolved-murder-test-dna/
Oxygen: "Loni Coombs Feels A Kinship To 'Lovers' Lane' Victim Cathy Thomas"
Loni Coombs felt an immediate connection to Cathy Thomas, a groundbreaking gay woman who broke through barriers at the U.S. Naval Academy before she was brutally murdered along the Colonial Parkway in Virginia.
Behind the microphone of Mind Over Murder are William F. Thomas and Kristin M. Dilley, two voices shaped by profoundly different yet converging paths. Bill is not just an entertainment executive; he carries the personal weight of a family tragedy, having lost his younger sister Cathy Thomas and her girlfriend Rebecca Dowski to the still-haunting Colonial Parkway Murders. Kristin brings her background as a researcher and teacher to the table, applying a meticulous and thoughtful lens to each story they explore. Together, they move beyond the sensational headlines to examine the human cost of violence, the intricate process of investigation, and the long, often painful road toward resolution. This isn't a passive listening experience. Each episode of the Mind Over Murder podcast is built on a foundation of advocacy and deep, personal investment, offering a perspective that only those directly touched by such loss can fully provide. You'll hear detailed analysis of cases, conversations that grapple with the complexities of justice, and an unwavering focus on the victims and the families left searching for answers. It's a careful, respectful exploration of true crime, where the emphasis rests on understanding over exploitation, making it a distinct and compelling entry in the genre.
Author: William F. Thomas and Kristin M. Dilley
Language: English
Episodes: 101
