NASCAR HERE I COME: Brentsville High grad Mason Diaz raced well at Richmond last week.
September 26, 2018 | Serving Prince William County | Vol. 17, No. 39 | www.PrinceWilliamTimes.com | 50¢
Prosecutors, defense rest in Hamilton case
Army staff sergeant faces death penalty or life in prison
Prince William County police Officer Ashley Guindon, 28, left, and Crystal Hamilton, 29, were fatally shot Feb. 27, 2016, at Ronald and Crystal Hamilton’s Woodbridge home. Ronald Hamilton is on trial for capital murder for their deaths.
By Amanda Heincer Times Staff Writer
The case of the Woodbridge man charged with capital murder and other crimes for the fatal shootings of his wife and a Prince William County police officer in February 2016 is now in the hands of the jury. Ronald Williams Hamilton, 34, has pleaded not guilty to the fatal shootings Feb. 27, 2016, of his wife, Crystal Hamilton, and Prince William County Police Officer Ashley
Guindon, and to the shootings of two other police officers who suffered serious injuries but survived the incident. Jurors were scheduled to hear closing arguments in the case Tuesday. After six days of witness testimony,
prosecutors rested their case against Hamilton Wednesday, Sept. 19. During the prosecutors’ case, which they presented over the course of six days, jurors heard testimony from about two dozen witnesses, including the two surviving officers; other officers who responded to the
scene; neighbors and others who witnesses part of the day’s events. Prosecutors also questioned doctors and paramedics who treated the injured officers and a medical examiner who performed autopsies on the victims. On the first day of testimony, Tuesday, Sept. 11, jurors heard a statement from Ronald and Crystal Hamilton’s then-11-year-old son who hid in his bedroom as his mother was shot with a handgun and when his father shot at officers with his AK-47 from inside the foyer of their Woodbridge home. The boy’s grandmother, Crystal Hamilton’s mother, read the statement in court. Defense attorneys called one witness to the stand: Prince William County police Detective Caillen See HAMILTON, Page 3
‘Stonehaven lite’ advances Planning commission green-lights 551 new homes in Bristow By Jill Palermo
Times Staff Writer
PHOTO BY ROGER SNYDER
An aerial view of the 269 acres at Linton Hall and Devlin roads slated to become a community of 551 new homes. The Prince William County Planning Commission recommended the project for approval Wednesday, Sept. 19. INSIDE Classifieds...........................................20 Calendar.............................................17 News....................................................2 Obituaries...........................................19
Opinion...............................................11 Puzzle Page........................................12 Real Estate..........................................18 Sports.................................................13
Despite long-standing concerns about school overcrowding and worsening traffic, the Prince William County Planning Commission gave its blessing last week to the latest iteration of the now-defunct Stonehaven development, now a new project dubbed “the Devlin Community,” which proposes 551 new homes in Brentsville. The project is planned to include only single-family homes offered at a price of $600,000 or more. The community is being developed by Stanley Martin Homes on 269 acres in the area of Linton Hall Road, Devlin Road and University Boulevard. It will be adjacent to Chris Yung Elementary School and the site of the county’s 13th high school, See DEVLIN, Page 2
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FROM PAGE 1
Gainesville / Prince William Times | www.princewilliamtimes.com | September 26, 2018
‘Stonehaven lite’ advances in Bristow DEVLIN, from Page 1
which is scheduled to open in 2021. During its meeting Wednesday, Sept. 19, the planning commission voted 6 to 1, with Commissioner Bruce Edgar Holley (Neabsco) abstaining, to recommend the board of supervisors rezone the land from its current A-1, or agricultural designation, to “planned mixed residential” to allow for the new development. The lone dissenting vote came from Commissioner Patti McKay, whose Brentsville District would encompass the new development. McKay acknowledged the number of homes planned “is not bad” given the size of the development. By comparison, the failed Stonehaven development proposed more than 1,000 homes on 714 acres. Still, McKay said the new homes’ residents will only exacerbate school overcrowding and traffic woes – two topics repeated by 15 residents who spoke against the development during a public hearing that preceded the vote. Six people spoke in favor of the development. “Yes, there will be a 13th high school, but it’s going to be overcrowded, and this isn’t going to help,” McKay said, adding that the area already suffers “serious [traffic] gridlock.” “I feel your pain,” she said to
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unhappy area residents in the audience. “And I feel that it should weigh heavily upon us.” McKay moved to deny approval of the project, which failed in a 2-to6 vote. She then proposed a second motion to defer it, which failed in a 3-to-5 vote. Only Holley voted with McKay to deny approving the development, while Holley and Commissioner Richard Berry (Gainesville) voted with her to defer it. Commissioner William Milne (Occoquan) made the motion to recommend that the board of supervisors approve the Devlin Road development with a long list of conditions. Among other things, Milne asked developer Stanley Martin to: increase lot sizes from a minimum 6,000 to 10,000 square feet; move 43 lots further away from the existing high-voltage power lines on the northern edge of the development; add pedestrian paths to Chris Yung Elementary and nearby Bristow Commons shopping center; add a bus stop on Devlin Road; and boost overall open space to 30 percent. In approving the project, the commissioners noted its $24.9 million in promised proffers, including $11.4 million to the school division and $9.2 million for transportation improvements.
Associate Editor John Toler, 540-351-0487 jtoler@fauquier.com Community Editor Anita Sherman, 540-351-1635 asherman@fauquier.com Staff Writers Amanda Heincer, 540-878-2418 aheincer@fauquier.com James Ivancic, 540-878-2414 jivancic@fauquier.com Jonathan Hunley, 540-351-0431 jhunley@fauquier.com Karen Chaffraix, kchaffraix@fauquier.com Sports Editor Peter Brewington, 540-351-1169 pbrewington@fauquier.com Sports Staff Writer Jeff Malmgren, 540-874-2250 jmalmgren@fauquier.com ADVERTISING Ad Manager Kathy Mills Godfrey 540-351-1162 kgodfrey@fauquier.com Classified Sales Consultant Jeanne Cobert, 540-878-2491 jcobert@fauquier.com
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Prince William County, Virginia
Personal Property Tax Payment Deadline October 5, 2018
Payments must be postmarked no later than Friday, October 5, 2018. If paying online, you must authorize the payment to be effective on or before October 5th. A 10% late payment penalty and interest is added to the unpaid balance starting October 6th. Our offices and telephone call center will be open until 6:30 PM October 3, October 4, and October 5. See reverse side of your tax bill for office locations and online payment options. Please call 703 792-6710 if you have questions or need to correct information on your bill. Published in accordance with Code of Virginia Title 58.1-3911
Brentsville supervisor opposed
Still, Supervisor Jeanine Lawson, R-Brentsville, said Friday she continues to oppose the development as proposed. She said her top concerns are impacts to schools and roads. Lawson said she had asked the developer “not to be in a hurry” with the project because of those issues. “Patti did an excellent job,” Lawson said of McKay’s efforts to deny or defer the project. “I was thankful, that when it was approved it was with a long list of things to be corrected… But I, too, was also disappointed the other [planning] commissioners didn’t show more deference to the district commissioner.” Lawson notes that a new grade-separated intersection at Balls Ford Road and Va. 234, funded as part of the Interstate 66 widening project, will include the widening of Devlin Road to Janell Road, but not until 2023. The first homes are slated to be finished in 2021. Although the developer has promised more than $9 million in transportation proffers, used in part to widen Devlin Road from Janell to University Boulevard, the result will leave what Lawson called “an hourglass effect” on Devlin Road.
376 new students projected
And, while the 13th high school will also be ready to open in 2021, Lawson notes that it will already be filled to capacity, or nearly so, by re-
lieving overcrowding at other western Prince William high schools: Battlefield, Patriot and Stonewall Jackson. According to school division estimates, the new homes will produce a total of 376 school-age students, including 164 at the elementary level, 90 at the middle school level and 122 at the high school level. Of the area’s schools, the middle and high schools are overcrowded now and will remain so in 10 years, even with the addition of a 2,500-student 13th high school. A new middle school is slated to be built in the area in 2024, but it too will be relied upon to relieve existing overcrowding in nearby middle schools. Similarly, Chris Yung Elementary, while not currently overcrowded, is slated to be overcrowded in 10 years with no relief planned. Lawson led the opposition to the former Stonehaven project, which included a proffered site for the 13th high school, on the argument that the previously proposed 1,000 homes would perpetuate school overcrowding. The school division ended up purchasing land for the 13th high school from the owners of the Devlin Road property after the Stonehaven application was withdrawn. “There’s so much pressure on our school system, I just continue to believe we are repeating this failure by approving this project,” Lawson said. Reach Jill Palermo at jpalermo@ fauquier.com
FROM PAGE 1 / NEWS
Gainesville / Prince William Times | www.princewilliamtimes.com | September 26, 2018
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Man guilty of felony murder, arson in 2016 Manassas fire By Amanda Heincer Times Staff Writer
A man charged in connection with a Manassas-area house fire that killed a 36-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy in 2016 was convicted Monday in Prince William Circuit Court of felony murder and arson charges. Noe Antonio Nolasco Amaya entered Alford pleas of guilty to two counts of felony murder and one count of arson for the July 31, 2016, fire on the 10300 block of Lomond Drive, in the Manassas area of Prince William County, that killed Willian Alexander Molina-Rivas, 36, and Jose Javier Avalos, 17. In an Alford plea, a defendant does not admit guilt but acknowledges prosecutors have enough evidence to convict him if the case were to go to trial. The felony murder charges allege that Nolasco Amaya accidentally killed the victims while committing another crime. As part of a plea agreement, prosecutors dropped two charges of first-degree murder. Just before 12:30 a.m. on July 31,
Prosecutors, defense rest in Hamilton case HAMILTON, from Page 1 Smith, the lead detective in the case who interviewed Ronald Hamilton on the night of the shootings. The defense rested their case on the same day they began, on Thursday, Sept. 20. Smith testified that he interviewed Officer David McKeown, one of the injured officers, at his home about a month after the shooting.
Defense: Shootings not proven premeditated
Smith also testified that he interviewed Hamilton twice on the night of the shooting, at the police station. Smith testified that Hamilton told him that he and his wife had been arguing before the shooting. Smith did not testify about exactly what Hamilton said in the interviews, because prosecutors successfully argued that would be inadmissible hearsay. Defense attorneys argued unsuccessfully that Judge Steven S. Smith should strike some of the charges against Hamilton before the case went to the jury. In part, defense attorney Gene Hart argued that prosecutors did not present enough evidence to prove that the shootings were premeditated and failed to prove that Hamilton acted with malice and not “in the heat of passion.” Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Richard Conway argued that Hamilton’s actions – particularly Hamilton’s choice to switch from
2016, police responded to reports of a fire at a house on the 10300 block of Lomond Drive, Prince William County police said at the time. Noe Antonio In court Nolasco Amaya Monday, Sept. 24, Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Claiborne Richardson said the first officer who arrived on scene tried to extinguish the flames at the house but couldn’t. Firefighters then arrived and were eventually able to force their way into the home, he said. “The firefighters were able to gain access by kicking in the door. The door was locked,” Richardson said. Once in the home, firefighters found Avalos’s body lying face down in the house by the door, Richardson said. Firefighters then found the second body, Molina-Rivas, and pulled both from the home. Both men died a handgun to an AK-47 rifle when confronting police officers after he fatally shot his wife – showed his intent. In a secRonald Williams ond motion to Hamilton strike, Hart unsuccessfully argued prosecutors had not presented evidence to prove the cause of death of the two homicide victims. In a previous motion hearing, Smith ruled that expert opinion testimony, including the medical examiner’s cause of death opinion, would not be allowed in the case because prosecutors missed a key deadline related to that evidence. “There is simply no evidence in the record to establish a cause of death,” Hart said. Conway argued that “there are many ways the commonwealth can show cause of death in a homicide case.” While the medical examiner didn’t testify about the cause of death, Conway said, other evidence to prove cause of death was presented to the jurors. The judge denied the defense motions. Jurors are expected to begin deliberations this week. If the jury convicts Hamilton, a second phase of the trial, the sentencing phase, will begin. If convicted of any of the three capital murder charges he faces, Hamilton could be sentenced to death or to life in prison. Reach Amanda Heincer at aheincer@fauquier.com
of their injuries. The medical examiner’s report said the cause of their deaths was “thermal and inhalation injuries” from the fire, Richardson said. A short time later, around 1:45 a.m., police found Nolasco Amaya walking in the area of Manassas Mall, police said at the time. He had burns below his knees and on the front of his legs and the top of his feet, Richardson said. He was taken to an area hospital for treatment. Police and rescue workers responding to the house at the time of the fire reported “smelling gasoline throughout the foyer area of the home,” Richardson said. Investigators found gasoline throughout the house and on the clothes Avalos and Molina-Rivas had been wearing, Richardson said. No gasoline was found on Nolasco Amaya’s clothes. Investigators determined that the fire had been set, Richardson said. Sylvia Flores, the mother of the 17-year-old victim, told investigators “there had been some problems” between Avalos and Molina-Rivas and Nolasco Amaya, who all lived in the home. Just before the night of the fire, Flores argued with Nolasco Amaya and “told him to leave the house,” Richardson said. Flores and her husband were not home at the time of the fire, Richardson said, and “a couple of people”
who lived in the basement were able to escape the fire safely, he said. Richardson said Nolasco Amaya made several conflicting statements to police, first saying he didn’t know what happened the night of the fire, then saying someone else came into the house and threw gasoline on him and later saying he might have run into the room to try to help after the fire broke out, Richardson said. Family members of the victims filled one row of the courtroom at Monday’s hearing. “They have suffered a great loss,” Richardson said of the family. “Not only the loss of a beloved family member and friend [but also] the damage that was done to their home.” Prosecutors agreed to recommend a sentence of 15 years in prison, with five years suspended, for each charge. The recommended sentence would give Nolasco Amaya a total of 15 years to serve in prison. A judge will sentence Nolasco Amaya on Feb. 7. The judge is not required to follow the prosecutors’ recommendation. At the end of the hearing, Judge Steven Smith addressed the victims’ family members, thanking them for coming and expressing his sympathy. “My heart goes out to you,” he said. Reach Amanda Heincer at aheincer@fauquier.com