COLUMBUS, Ohio — A man was sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday for the strangulation murders of two women in Columbus in the 1990s.
Robert Edwards, 68, was sentenced without a possibility of parole for 45 years and he was convicted as a sexually violent predator, according to Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost. He was convicted on July 14 after authorities said DNA evidence linked him to the cold-case crimes.
Edwards evaded law enforcement for three decades following the 1991 murder of 30-year-old Alma Renee Lake and the 1996 rape and murder of 36-year-old Michelle Dawson Pass in 1996 in the Columbus area.
Prosecutors were unable to link the deaths until 2003 using DNA evidence, and the identification of a suspect remained undetermined until DNA from a relative became available. Yost’s office then notified county prosecutors in 2021 that Edwards might be a suspect.
“Two cases believed to be connected yet seemingly unsolvable have led to a life sentence for the offender, thanks to advances in DNA technology and investigators who never gave up,” Yost said. “At the end of the day, there is no such thing as cold case – just a case that we haven’t found the next lead.”
Regina Dawson told 10TV in July that she feels free and like she can live now after the man who killed her mother, Michelle, on Nov. 7, 1996, was found guilty.
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“This is a great example of never giving up and law enforcement agencies working together and sharing resources,” said Sheriff Baldwin. “I know this doesn’t bring the person back, but it does give families answers to what happened to their loved ones.”
According to Yost’s office, investigators believe that he likely had additional victims. He traveled between Ohio, Georgia and Virginia for work and was believed to have engaged in drug use and solicit sex. Any law enforcement agencies or individuals with similar cases are asked to contact the BCI at 855-BCI-OHIO or Intel@OhioAGO.gov.