Army sergeant Ronald Williams Hamilton could face the death penalty after fatally shooting his wife and an Prince William County officer on Feb. 27, during a domestic dispute. (Ashleigh Joplin/The Washington Post)

Army sergeant Ronald Williams Hamilton could face the death penalty after fatally shooting his wife and an Prince William County officer on Feb. 27, during a domestic dispute. (Ashleigh Joplin/The Washington Post)

The Army staff sergeant accused of killing a Prince William County police officer, wounding two others and fatally shooting his wife over the weekend was held without bond Monday after being arraigned.

Ronald Williams Hamilton, 32, appeared at two brief arraignment hearings in Prince William County via a video feed from the local jail. One was about his wife’s killing, the other about the attack on the officers, which left Officer Ashley Guindon, 28, dead on her first day on street patrol after joining the department.

Hamilton, flanked by a half-dozen sheriff’s deputies, wore an orange jumpsuit and spoke only to answer the judges’ questions. Hamilton, who was stationed at the Pentagon and worked in information technology, did not enter a plea, and prosecutors offered no motive for the killings.

It also came to light Monday that Saturday’s violent encounter was not Hamilton’s first. In 2006, Hamilton was charged with aggravated assault after pulling a handgun on a man during a dispute in a parking lot in Tennessee, according to charging documents.

The victim in that case confronted Hamilton because he thought that Hamilton had driven too close to his girlfriend in the parking lot, according to the documents. A shouting match ensued, and Hamilton allegedly retrieved a handgun from his car.

1 of 8 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad × Scenes from the case of Prince William police officer killed on her first patrol View Photos Officer Ashley Guindon was fatally shot while investigating a domestic disturbance call in Woodbridge, Va. Caption Officer Ashley Guindon was fatally shot while investigating a domestic disturbance call in Woodbridge, Va. Hundreds gathered in Prince William County for a candlelight vigil on Sunday to honor police officer Ashley Guindon, who was gunned down the day before. Reza A. Marvashti/For the Washington Post Buy Photo Wait 1 second to continue.

Hamilton told the victim that the weapon “ain’t no pellet gun” and inserted a magazine, an officer reported. Hamilton eventually got back in his car and left, and the victim called the police.

Prince William County prosecutor Paul Ebert referred to that charge during one of the arraignments Monday. Hamilton was placed in a pretrial diversion program for 11 months and was never convicted of the charge.

Separately, Prince William police announced that Guindon’s funeral would be held Tuesday at noon at Hylton Memorial Chapel in Woodbridge. The service will be open to the public and will begin with a viewing at 10 a.m.

Charging documents made public in Prince William on Monday also revealed new details about the encounter that led to Guindon’s death. Guindon and two other county officers responded to a report of a domestic dispute Saturday evening at Hamilton’s Woodbridge home in the 13000 block of Lashmere Court.

The charging documents say the officers advanced to the front door, where they were met by Hamilton. Hamilton then opened fire from “the area of the front door,” striking all three officers, the documents say.

[Man charged in killing of Va. officer is Army staff sergeant at Pentagon]

Guindon died of her wounds a short time later. Officers Jesse Hempen and David McKeown, who remained hospitalized Monday, are expected to recover, authorities said.





Additional officers then surrounded Hamilton’s home, and he surrendered without further incident, police said. After being taken into custody, charging documents say Hamilton acknowledged to police that he shot the officers and his 29-year-old wife, Crystal Hamilton.

Police found Crystal Hamilton’s body in a bedroom, according to the charging documents.

During the arraignments Monday, judges appointed Capital Defender Edward J. Ungvarsky to represent Hamilton on all six charges he faces, including murder of a law enforcement officer and first-degree murder in the killing of his wife.

Ungvarsky told the judge that Hamilton was rescinding the permission he gave to authorities to review his medical and military records. Ungvarsky also requested a gag order in the case, but the judge told him that he would have to file a motion. Ungvarsky declined to comment afterward.

Outside court, Ebert said he was still considering whether to pursue the death penalty against Hamilton, who would otherwise face the possibility of life in prison if convicted on the most serious charges. Ebert said it had been a difficult couple of days for the Prince William County police.

“It’s an officer’s worst nightmare to go on a routine call and end up dead,” Ebert said. “It’s taken a toll on everyone. There are very few dry eyes in that department.”

Guindon had been sworn in as an officer on Friday, before setting out on her first patrol Saturday. Her slaying was only the second malicious killing of an officer in the history of the Prince William police department.

The hearings on Monday followed a solemn Sunday-night vigil for Guindon that was attended by more than 500.

At the vigil, Prince William County Supervisor Martin E. Nohe (R-Coles) praised Guindon’s sacrifice, saying her efforts may have saved the life of the Hamiltons’ 11-year-old son, who fled the home during the encounter.

“I believe that that child may well be alive today because Ashley had the courage to ensure that that family got the intervention they needed,” Nohe said. “And unfortunately, it led to her death.”

Dana Hedgpeth and Jennifer Jenkins contributed to this report.