Cold Case Solved: Richard Friend Discusses the Stefanie Watson Murder

Cold Case Solved: Richard Friend Discusses the Stefanie Watson Murder

Laurel, MD…Richard Friend, creator of “Lost Laurel,” gives a special presentation Thursday, July 9 on the 1982 brutal murder of Stefanie Watson that shocked Laurel. The murder remained unsolved for 30 years until he helped break it open. Sponsored by the Laurel Historical Society, the program is free and will be held at the Laurel Police Department Partnership Activity Center, 811 Fifth Street, Laurel, MD beginning at 7:00pm.

Twenty-seven year old Stefanie Watson disappeared July 22, 1982. Her blood-stained car was found on July 26 not far from her apartment. Her partial remains were found six weeks later. The murderer was never caught. Intrigued by the story, which he remembered from his childhood, Richard Friend found the Laurel Leader to be a wealth of detailed information on the events of 1982. His 2012 blog post prompted cold case detectives to take a fresh look at the case. On Friday, June 21, 2014 Prince George’s County police charged John Ernest Walsh, 68, with first degree murder in connection with Watson’s death after his DNA was matched with DNA taken from Watson’s car. He awaits trial.

The program is part of a “The Rest of the Story: a series based on “Ripped from the Headlines, Laurel in the News,” the current exhibit at the Laurel Historical Society, which focuses on local and national stories and how they were covered locally. The Stefanie Watson case is one of the featured stories. The exhibit runs through December 21, 2015, and visitors to the exhibit can browse the Laurel Leader from 1897-2008. .

The Laurel Museum is open Wednesdays and Fridays 10-2, Sundays 1-4. Group tours by appointment. Admission is free. The John Calder Brennan research library, which also includes digitized copies of The Laurel Leader, is open by appointment Monday-Friday. The Laurel Museum is located at 817 Main Street, Laurel, Md. Contact info@laurelhistoricalsociety.org or visit www.laurelhistoricalsociety.org.

Contact: Lindsey Baker 301-725-7975 director@laurelhistoricalsociety.org.