Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office secures guilty verdict in the murders of two women killed in the 1990s

Posted on 7/17/2023

Defendant: Robert Edwards

Robert Edwards, 68, was found guilty July 14, of two counts of murder, one count aggravated murder and rape, related to the deaths of Alma Lake and Michelle Dawson. Daniel Meyer and David Zeyen, both assistant prosecuting attorneys with the Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, prosecuted the case.

Lake was found dead June 3, 1991, in Urbancrest. The Franklin County Coroner’s Office ruled Lake’s death a
homicide by strangulation.

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

Judge Sheryl Munson presided over the jury trial. Edwards will be sentenced on August 9.