WATER WORLD: Lauren Balagtas competed at last weekend’s Prince William Swim League Divisional championships. Sports, Page 9
August 1, 2018 | Serving Haymarket, Gainesville and Western Prince William County | Vol. 17, No. 31 | www.PrinceWilliamTimes.com | 50¢
Hamilton trial to begin Aug. 13
Woodbridge man accused of killing his wife, police officer; Judge won’t rule out testimony from teenage son By Jill Palermo
27, Prince William Circuit Court Judge Steven S. Smith said he would issue a subpoena for the Hamiltons’ son, Tyriq, Ronald to testify if called Williams by the prosecution. Hamilton Hamilton’s defense attorney, Edward Ungvarsky, and an attorney representing the boy objected to the subpoena, saying the expe-
Times Staff Writer
At the request of Prince William Commonwealth’s Attorney Paul Ebert, a judge agreed Friday to allow Ronald Williams Hamilton’s 13-yearold son to testify during his father’s upcoming trial for the shooting deaths of his mother, Crystal Sheree Hamilton, and Prince William County Police Officer Ashley Guindon. During a pre-trial hearing July
rience would result in unnecessary emotional harm for the teen. Ebert said he would call the boy to the witness stand only as a last resort, saying, “I don’t anticipate we’d ever need it.” He added, however, he could not rule it out “if necessary.” Hamilton, 34, has been charged with capital murder, first-degree murder, two counts of attempted capital murder and other charges in connection with the fatal shootings
of his wife, Crystal, 29, and Guindon, 28, a police department rookie who was gunned down on the Hamiltons’ front lawn during her first day on the police force. Two other Prince William County police officers, Jesse Hempen and Dave McKeown, were seriously injured when Ronald Hamilton allegedly opened fire on them with an AK-47 as they approached his front door. See HAMILTON, Page 2
50 protest outside Youth For Tomorrow Officials won’t comment on immigrant kids’ status By Karen Chaffraix Times Staff Writer
PHOTO BY DELIA ENGSTROM
Zahra Nahidian, right, and others joined a candlelight vigil and protest outside Youth For Tomorrow Thursday, July 26. INSIDE Calendar.............................................10 Classifieds...........................................12 News....................................................4 Obituaries.............................................5
See YFT, Page 2
Opinion.................................................7 Puzzle Page..........................................8 Real Estate..........................................11 Sports...................................................9
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A full moon hung over red-brick Youth for Tomorrow and its freshly mowed grass, while three guards stood at its barricaded entrance, and a helicopter circled – thump, thump, thump – overhead. On a sidewalk at the facility’s perimeter, some 50 people gathered Thursday night: old, young and with their families, representing a variety of religions and nationalities. Their signs carried homemade messages: “America, time for a gut check. You know this is wrong; Children belong in families, not in jail; Keep aliens deport racists; Humanity before politics; America, do the right thing.” For the second time this month, the newly formed “Alliance for Family Reunification of Prince William County” led a candlelight vigil July 26 to demonstrate against the Trump administration’s separation of immigrant children from their parents at the U.S. border. A young couple crossed five lanes of Linton Hall Road traffic to join the crowd. “This really hits home for us,” the man said. “Both of our parents were immigrants.” An infant slept in a cloth carrier on his chest, and a boy stood next to him.
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Gainesville/Prince William Times | www.princewilliamtimes.com | August 1, 2018
50 protest outside Youth For Tomorrow; officials won’t comment on immigrant kids’ status YFT, from Page 1 “We can’t use our names because I work for the government,” he said. His parents came here from Germany. Hers from El Salvador. She said it took decades of legal hurdles for her parents to gain “protected status.” And for his, the Germans? “Oh, easy,” he said. The protest coincided with the court-ordered deadline for reunification of all immigrant children taken from their parents at the U.S. border under the Trump administration’s recent zero-tolerance policy. But while 15 of those children were known to be housed at Youth For Tomorrow since May, officials there will not say if any have yet been reunited with their parents. No one at the protest knew, either. Numerous calls to the Youth for Tomorrow for information were not returned in the days leading up to the vigil. On Friday, the facility referred questions about the children’s status to Lydia Holt at the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement, who also did not return calls for comment. According to news reports, the Trump administration announced this week that 1,442 children have been delivered to parents still detained in im-
migration custody, and that all parents “eligible” to regain custody of their children are on track for reunification. But 711 children remain in shelters because their parents have criminal records, their cases remain under review or the parents are no longer in the United States. About 430 parents of immigrant children have been deported, according to news reports quoting U.S. Department of Health and Human Services officials. Sen. Tim Kaine and Sen. Mark Warner, both Democrats, visited the Youth for Tomorrow facility in June and met with the immigrant children, all between the ages of 10 and 17, who were relocated to the facility after being separated from their parents. Both lawmakers were told then that all 15 had been in touch with their parents and were on track to be reunited. But officials from the senators’ offices said this week they had not been updated on the children’s status. After his June 27 visit, Warner called Youth for Tomorrow “probably one of the best such facilities in the whole nation.” The nonprofit, built by former Redskins coach Joe Gibbs to help troubled children, has held 110 of its 160 beds for immigrant children
since 2012. Most of the immigrant teens housed there in recent years came into the U.S. unaccompanied by their parents. Outside Youth for Tomorrow, cars flew by the vigil issuing a fair amount of honk-honk and thumbs up. “Social justice is a big issue for the Muslim community,” said Da’In Johnson. His daughter stood next to him with a white hijab and a gentle smile. Muslims were well represented at the vigil. Johnson and organizer Nathan Mowery are members of the Muslim Association of Virginia, on Hoadly Road in Manassas, which co-sponsored the vigils. “The Koran,” his colleague explained, “has many verses that say, ‘Stand up for truth and justice, even if it’s uncomfortable.’ America is all about immigration. It’s the greatest experiment on the planet, this unity of disparate backgrounds,” Johnson said. Wendy Katz heard about the vigil at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Reston. She brought a bright pink sign, and a friend and her mother. “A lot of things [with this administration] have really upset me, but this has really broken my heart,” she said. “Let me make this clear,” said Cher Muzyk, with Indivisible NOVA West,
“We are not protesting this place, nor the people who work here. We are protesting the administration’s policy.” Muzyk was handing out League of Women Voters material. “Our singular focus is getting out the vote,” she said. Dr. Michelle LaRue, director of the Virginia chapter of immigration advocacy organization, CASA, held a sign toward the passing traffic. “As an immigrant myself, from Guatemala, I know what they are going through,” she said. “These poor children do not deserve to be treated this way, and neither do their parents.” Somayyah Nahidian was among several Iranian families at the vigil. “I can’t imagine any parent having to endure this. It should never have happened,” she said. “There should be a way we can figure out a fair immigration policy without dehumanizing people.” Nahidian’s brother and wife were surrounded by their children as well. “We’re not protesting the care here [at YFT],” he said. “We’re protesting those who make the kind of policy that would separate children from their parents. That is immoral. We don’t have to go this low.” Reach Karen Chaffraix at kchaffraix@fauquier.com
Trial of Woodbridge man accused of killing wife, police officer begins Aug. 13 HAMILTON, from Page 1 Twice delayed, Hamilton’s trial is set to begin Aug. 13. The proceedings are expected to continue through Nov. 15, with hearings scheduled Mondays through Thursdays for 14 weeks. In a brief interview Friday, Ebert said the death penalty “is still on the table” as a possible sentence for Hamilton’s crimes. According to Virginia law, the “willful, deliberate and premeditated” killing of a law-enforcement officer is a capital crime punishable by execution.
Documents: Son inside home during shootings
Attorneys for Hamilton and the commonwealth’s attorney’s office have filed several pre-trial motions during the two years since the shootings, which occurred on Feb. 27, 2016. The court documents, filed in
various motions, revealed additional details that had not been previously reported, including that the couple’s son, their only child, remained inside the home while his mother and the three police officers were shot. In earlier reports to the press, police department officials said the boy, then 11, ran from the home without specifying exactly when. According to a partial transcript of a videotaped interview a police detective conducted on the night of the shootings, the boy retreated to his bedroom while his mother was shot and when Hamilton allegedly shot the officers. The elder Hamilton then ordered his son to leave from the front door of the home moments after the officers were hit. According to the transcript, the younger Hamilton confirmed his father shot the officers “out the window.” The boy said he saw the broken glass and was afraid to open the front
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door because he wasn’t sure how the officers would react. He said he tried break free from his father’s grip but was unable to do so and eventually followed his command to leave through the front door, where he said he saw the three officers “laying on the lawn.” A neighbor heard the gunshots, saw the boy running down the sidewalk and took him inside her home until police officers picked him up and drove him to the Garfield Police Station for questioning, according to court documents. Since the shooting, the boy has lived with relatives in South Carolina.
Police: Hamilton admitted shootings
Both Ronald and Crystal Hamilton were originally from Charleston, South Carolina. The couple were high-school sweethearts and moved to Northern Virginia when Ronald Hamilton, a U.S. Army staff sergeant, was transferred to a post at the Pentagon. Described by friends and co-workers as vivacious, upbeat and compassionate, Crystal Hamilton worked for the U.S. Marine Corps’ Wounded Warrior Regiment, where she helped Marines seriously wounded in combat navigate their sometimes long recoveries. Friends also said Crystal was fiercely devoted to her son, who turned 11 two days before the shootings. Court documents say Crystal Hamilton called 911 about 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016, to report that her husband “had struck her at least twice, including slamming her to the floor.” The 911 call ended with Crystal Hamilton “abruptly yelling stop,” the documents said. Crystal Hamilton’s body was found in an upstairs area of the Hamiltons’ home with wounds to her head and torso, court records said. Hamilton allegedly shot his wife with a handgun and then retrieved an AK-47 from his basement, which
he used to shoot the police officers as they approached his front door. During his military service, Hamilton served two tours in Iraq, from February 2003 to February 2004, and from October 2005 to September 2006, both while assigned to a unit in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, according to his military records. According to another court document, Hamilton admitted to police that he killed his wife and shot the three police officers. Hamilton started crying in the back of a police car and said, “I ruined my life. Take your gun and shoot me now. The officers were storming in so I shot them. Are the officers OK?” Hamilton told Prince William Police Department Sgt. J.G. Medawar he shot them with an AK-47, the documents said. “The officers showed a lot of restraint,” Hamilton said to Medawar, according to court records. The sergeant asked Hamilton if he was trying to commit suicide by cop. He said he wasn’t, according to Medawar. “He said he snapped and he did not know why he fired at them,” wrote Medawar. “He then said that he might have PTSD.” During the July 27 hearing, Ungvarsky, Hamilton’s attorney, said his client would not dispute his role in his wife’s death, suggesting his defense will focus on the “willful delivery and premeditation issue” during the sentencing portion of the trial. Ungvarsky asked the court to accommodate video testimony from Hamilton’s former military colleagues, some of whom are deployed overseas, during the sentencing phase of the trial. “Mr. Hamilton does not and will not deny that he killed his wife by shooting her with a gun,” Ungvarsky said. Reach Jill Palermo at jpalermo@ fauquier.com
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Unbelted fatalities double among young drivers State officials remind drivers to buckle up
The number of people ages 15 to 20 who died as a result of a motor vehicle crash during which they were not wearing a seatbelt doubled from Jan. 1 through June 30, compared to the same time period last year. Eighteen unrestrained fatalities have been recorded this year, compared to nine from January to June 2017 and 10 in 2016, according to the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. “We must find a way to reverse this startling trend,” said Secretary of Transportation Shannon Valentine. “Safety is our highest priority. Simply by wearing a seatbelt, you can reduce the risk of
dying in a vehicle crash by 45 percent.” The localities in which the 18 unrestrained fatalities for ages 15 to 20 occurred include Prince William and Fauquier counties, both of which had one traffic fatality involving people not wearing seatbelts. The others were in Amherst, King William, Appomattox, Mecklenburg, Campbell, Shenandoah, Frederick, Goochland, Washington and Henry counties and Richmond City, all of which had one fatality. Bedford and Southampton counties had two fatalities. Virginia also recorded a 34-percent increase in the number of people age 21 to 35 who died not wearing seatbelts in crashes. From January to June 2017, 41 unrestrained fatalities were recorded; in 2018, 55 were recorded. The total number of unbelted fatalities for the first six months of
Armed robbery suspects crash on I-95 Two Woodbridge men were arrested after they allegedly robbed two 7-Eleven convenience stores and then overturned their vehicle on an onramp to Interstate 95 while trying to flee police. Officers were called to the 7-Eleven at 16170 Country Club Drive, in the Montclair area, at 12:02 a.m. on Tuesday, July 24, to investigate a robbery, Prince William County police said in a news release. A store employee told police a man walked behind the counter and pointed a handgun at him before taking an undisclosed amount of money and cigarettes and then fleeing the area on foot. No injuries were reported, police said. Police searched the area with a police dog, but did not locate the suspect. A short time later, at 12:23 a.m., police said the same suspect entered the 7-Eleven at 14820 Cloverdale Road in Dale City. Police said the suspect again displayed a handgun, took an undisclosed amount of money and cigarettes and fled the store on foot. Officers responded and “observed
a suspicious vehicle believed to be involved” in the robberies in the area of Benita Fitzgerald Drive and Cloverdale Road. Officers tried to stop the vehicle, but it “accelerated at a high rate of speed,” police said. The vehicle traveled on Dale Boulevard and “attempted to navigate the onramp to southbound Interstate 95, lost control and overturned,” police said in the news release. The two men in the vehicle were then arrested. No injuries were reported police said. Avery Brooks, 30, of Mipalsal Court in Woodbridge, was arrested and charged with two counts of robbery, two counts of use of a firearm in commission of a felony and two counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Keith Delmar Moon, 28, of Pomander Loop in Woodbridge, was arrested and charged with two counts of robbery and two counts of use of a firearm in commission of a felony. Both were held without bond and have a pending court date.
2018 is the same as this time last year, 138. In all of 2017, 52 percent of motor vehicle occupant fatalities were people who did not put on their seatbelts. A total of 843 people died last year as a result of crashes, including motorcyclists, bicyclists and pedestrians. “Think about it this way. When you’re in a moving vehicle, your body is moving at the same speed. When the vehicle stops, you need to stop, too. The only way to ensure that happens is by being buckled into the vehicle,” said Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Richard D. Holcomb. “Otherwise, your body’s unbelted momentum can result in being tossed around inside or even ejected from the vehicle,” he said. “That’s how people get killed and injured in crashes.”
Police searching for man who raped Lake Ridge woman at gunpoint Prince William County police are asking for the public’s help in providing information in connection to a rape reported at a Lake Ridge apartment building Wednesday, July 25. According to police, the woman was returning to her apartment building, on the 12200 block of Stevenson Court, at 6:05 a.m. when she was confronted by an unknown male standing in the enclosed stairwell brandishing a handgun. The suspect forced the victim outside to the rear of the apartment building where he sexually assaulted her, according to a police press release. A police K-9 searched the area for the suspect who was not located. De-
tectives with the police department’s special victims bureau and other officers remained on scene actively investigating the incident and canvassing for information to identify the suspect, police said in a news release Thursday. Police released an updated description of the suspect, who is described as black, between 25 and 30 years old, 5 feet 10 inches tall, with a heavy build and a “beer belly,” a short black afro and a half-sleeve tattoo with writing and angel wings on his right arm. He was last seen wearing a white T-shirt and black “Jordan” tennis shoes, the press release said.
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Police: Man threatened with a machete in Dale City Prince William police are looking for a Woodbridge man who threatened another man with a machete early Saturday morning in a residential area of Dale City. At 5:34 a.m. July 28, officers responded to the 14700 block of Anderson Street in Woodbridge to investigate a possible fight. The investigation revealed that the victim, a 42-year-old Woodbridge man, was involved in a verbal altercation with the accused, an acquaintance, which escalated. During the encounter, the accused brandished a machete at the victim, according to a
police press release. The accused then followed the victim as he attempted to walk away until the victim was eventually able to get into his vehicle and drive away. The accused fled the area prior to officers arriving, the press release said. Following the investigation, officers obtained an arrest warrant for Jose Simon Reyes Alfaro, 51, of the 14700 block of Anderson Street in Woodbridge in connection with the incident. He is described as a Hispanic man, 5 feet 6 inches tall, 145 pounds.
Police investigate robbery at Dale City Cricket Wireless store A man who robbed a Dale City store forced the store employee into a bathroom before fleeing, Prince William County police said. Officers were called to the Cricket Wireless store at 4377 Dale Blvd. at 6:17 p.m. Wednesday, July 25, to investigate a robbery, Prince William County police said in a news release. The police investigation found that an unknown man entered the store and “forced an employee to open the cash register,” the police news release said.
No weapons were seen during the robbery, and no injuries were reported, police said. Police searched the area with a police dog but did not locate the suspect. The investigation continues. The suspect is described as black, about 6 feet tall and thin. His age is not known, police said. He was last seen wearing a light-colored bandana over his face, a sleeveless grey hooded sweatshirt, a long-sleeved black shirt, black-colored pants, a black hat, black and white shoes and gloves.
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