COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Two cold case murders have been closed after an Ohio man was found guilty on Friday.

Robert Edwards, 68, was found guilty of two counts of murder, and one count each of aggravated murder and rape, related to the deaths of Alma Lake and Michelle Dawson.

A jury found that in June 1991, Edwards raped and killed Lake before leaving her naked body in the village of Urbancrest in southwest Franklin County.

Dawson was found dead November 7, 1996, in Granville. The Licking County Coroner’s Office determined a combination of factors caused Dawson’s death, including compression around her neck.

Both cases were cold until 2021, when both women were found to have DNA in their
bodies consistent with Edwards’. Detectives with the Franklin County Sheriff’s
Office arrested Edwards on August 5, 2022.