DNA Evidence Identifies Killer of St. Cloud Woman and Friend While on a Camping Trip nearly 30 years Ago

Saint Cloud, MN, USA / KNSI

Jun 24, 2024 | 11:34 AM

FBI

(KNSI) – Officials have named a suspect in the murder of a St. Cloud woman and her friend as they camped in Virginia 28 years ago.

Twenty-six-year-old Laura Winans and 24-year-old Julianne Williams (left) were killed on May 24th, of 1996. Williams grew up in St. Cloud and graduated from Cathedral High School in 1990. The two women were found in the Shenandoah National Park on June 1st of that year after being reported missing.

FBI

On Friday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Richmond Field Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia said DNA evidence connected the attack to Walter Leo Jackson.

Jackson, who went by the name “Leo,” died in prison in March 2018 in Ohio. Jackson had a lengthy criminal history, including kidnapping, rape, and assaults. The FBI continues to investigate if Jackson was involved in other unsolved crimes.

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