VOLLEYBALL SHOWDOWN: Colgan held off Patriot in five sets Monday. Sports, Page 13
October 10, 2018 | Vol. 17, No. 41 | www.PrinceWilliamTimes.com | 50¢ Covering Prince William County and surrounding communities, including Gainesville, Haymarket, Dumfries, Occoquan, Quantico and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park.
‘Ashley was my whole world’ Mothers of slain women testify in Ronald Hamilton’s capital murder trial By Amanda Heincer Times Staff Writer
Ashley Guindon, Crystal Hamilton
In emotional testimony Tuesday morning, two mothers spoke to a jury in Prince William Circuit Court about the shooting deaths of their daughters. “Ronald Hamilton, you not only killed my daughter that fateful night of
February 27, 2016,” Sharon Guindon said, reading a written statement from the witness stand about her daughter, Prince William County police Officer Ashley Guindon, who was killed during her first day on the job.
“You killed me, too,” she said. “Ashley was my whole world.” “I’m broken,” Cherry Murphy said as she spoke about the death of her daughter, Crystal Hamilton. “My life will never be the same… When she died, I died along with her.” The jury found Ronald Williams Hamilton, 34, guilty of 17 charges including capital murder for the deaths of Ashley Guindon, 28, and his wife, Crystal Hamilton, 29, and for shooting two other officers, who survived. The Oct. 9 testimony came during the sentencing phase of Hamilton’s trial, when jurors must decide
whether Hamilton should be sentenced to death or to life in prison. Murphy said she was at home in South Carolina on the night of Feb. 27, 2016, when she got a call from one of Ronald Hamilton’s sisters, telling her Ronald and Crystal “had an argument” and she needed to go to Virginia. “I asked, ‘Why? If it’s just an argument,’” Murphy said. After a few more phone calls, Murphy said she became concerned enough to pick up her older daughter and the two then drove to Virginia. See HAMILTON TRIAL, Page 2
Officials mull new plan to eliminate school trailers Estimate: $143 million more needed to build additional schools by 2028 By Jill Palermo
Times Staff Writer
PHOTO BY DELIA ENGSTROM
Hylton High seniors make their mark in the school parking lot. Davida Alumbaugh, a member of the Woodbridge school’s Class of 2019, paints a cheery design on her parking space as part of a fundraiser for senior class activities. Students paid $25 for the privilege of painting their spaces. Last year’s graduating class made its mark by posting a 92 percent on-time graduation rate. Story on page 6. INSIDE Calendar.............................................18 Classified............................................21 News....................................................3 Obituaries...........................................20
A joint committee of Prince William supervisors and school board members has a new number in mind to eliminate the 206 portable classroom trailers used across the county to deal with school overcrowding: $143 million. That’s the amount school division officials say it will cost to the build two additional elementary schools and “40 percent of a new middle school” needed to educate all of Prince William County’s schoolchildren in actual buildings rather than metal- and vinyl-sided trailers. That’s on top of the 12 new schools and 70 classroom additions already included in the school division’s $1.2 billion 10-year construction plan. A group of six school board members and supervisors – three from each board – has met occasionally for more than a year to devise a plan to nearly eliminate the portable classroom trailers the school division has relied on for decades to mitigate persistent overcrowding. The group recognizes the school division will likely never completely eliminate trailers. Some will always be needed to house students during periods of construction or renovation, they say. But the goal is to stop relying on them for an overall lack of classroom space. After a nearly four-month-long summer break, the group returned to its work Saturday, Sept. 29, and will meet again this month See SCHOOL TRAILERS, Page 6
Opinion...............................................11 Puzzle Page........................................12 Real Estate..........................................19 Sports.................................................13
86 WARRENTON, VA
2
FROM PAGE 1
Gainesville / Prince William Times | www.princewilliamtimes.com | October 10, 2018
Mothers of slain women testify in sentencing phase of Ronald Hamilton’s capital murder trial HAMILTON TRIAL, from Page 1 “I felt like I knew. Something was wrong,” Murphy said. When they arrived at the Hamilton home early the next morning, they were met by an FBI agent. “They said they were sorry, and that’s all I remember,” said Murphy, who said she then lost consciousness. Wendy Howard, Crystal Hamilton’s older sister, testified that on the drive up to Virginia she also felt something was wrong. “I think I knew in my heart and in my spirit that something was not right,” she said.
ISSN 1050-7655, USPS 188280 Published every Wednesday by Piedmont Media LLC How to reach us ADDRESS: 41 Culpeper Street Warrenton, Virginia 20186 PHONE: 540-347-4222 FAX: 540-349-8676 HOURS: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, 24-hour answering service Publisher Catherine M. Nelson, 540-300-4780 cnelson@fauquier.com NEWSROOM Editor in Chief Chris Six, 540-212-6331 csix@fauquier.com Managing Editor Jill Palermo, 540-351-0431 jpalermo@fauquier.com
When the FBI agent told her and her mother Crystal had been shot, Howard said she felt her own knees buckle and then caught her mother as she fainted and fell. “I’ve never heard a cry like the cry she let off,” Howard said of her mother. “It was a wailing. I knew that she was broken and I couldn’t fix that.” Both women said they still struggle with the loss of Crystal, who was seen smiling broadly in a large photo displayed on a monitor behind the witness stand as they testified. “She was such a sweet person,” Murphy said. “If she was in here right
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
Chairman Emeritus George R. Thompson To place Classified and Employment ads: Call 540351-1664 or fax 540-3498676, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday — Friday or email fauquierclassifieds@fauquier. com SUBSCRIPTIONS Call 540-347-4222 Help with your subscription? Call 540-878-2413 or email CirculationFT@fauquier.com Missed your paper? Call 540-347-4222, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursdays Subscription: $39.95 per year within the United States. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Fauquier Times, 41 Culpeper St., Warrenton, VA 20186. Periodicals postage paid at Warrenton, Va. and at additional mailing offices
now you’d see that big, huge smile.”
‘A hole in our family’
Sharon Guindon and Walter Nowak, Ashley’s uncle, described Ashley as a loving, active and ambitious girl who grew into a woman who wanted to serve others. Nowak stood at the witness stand and read from a prepared statement in his testimony, speaking to jurors about the holidays and family gatherings that will never be the same without Ashley. “The death of Ashley has devastated me and my family and has definitely left a hole in our family,” he said. Sharon Guindon said she was at her home in New Hampshire when she got a call from a Virginia phone number. She thought Ashley was calling her on her first night on patrol as a Prince William County police officer. “I knew she was starting her first night out that evening, so I thought, ‘Oh, maybe she’s calling me,’” Sharon Guindon said. But when she answered, she heard a male police officer on the other end of the phone. “I immediately knew something was wrong,” she said. She was told her daughter had been shot while responding to a domestic call. Sharon Guindon said she called the hospital where her daughter and the other officers were being treated and was first told that Ashley had been shot in the shoulder but would survive. Shortly after that, she got another phone call, this time from the trauma surgeon who had operated on her
daughter. “She told me Ashley died due to her injury to her shoulder and that she did everything that she possibly could to save her,” Guindon said, speaking through tears. Guindon said she was shocked and began to wonder “where do I go from here?” “I lost my only daughter, my only child,” she said. “It’s just such a big void, not having her in my life anymore.” Prosecutors rested their case in the sentencing phase after Guindon’s testimony. Defense attorneys were expected to begin presenting their witnesses during the afternoon of Tuesday, Oct. 9.
Surviving officers testify
Last week, jurors heard from a string of witnesses who testified about Ronald Hamilton’s sometimes volatile and unpredictable behavior with his wife, acquaintances and other police officers in the years, months and weeks leading up to the February 2016 shootings. The jury also heard a second time from Prince William County police Officers Jesse Hempen and David McKeown about the lasting impact the shootings have had on them and their families. Both were seriously injured when Ronald Hamilton opened fire on the arriving officers with his AK-47 rifle. Hempen, who was shot in the upper leg, was the first officer to arrive at the Hamilton’s Lashmere Court home, in Woodbridge, after Crystal Hamilton called 911 for help. He said he is proud of how he and his fellow officers responded that day, despite the tragic outcome. “I think we handled things the right way and it ended up being a bad situation,” Hempen said. But, he said, he also sometimes feels guilty and thinks about “any number of things could have gone differently.” He said he also often thinks of Ashley Guindon and wishes he could have done something more to help her. “I was more or less watching her die,” he said. “I wish I could have done more for her.” McKeown told jurors he is still healing from his serious injuries after being shot in the chest, groin and right elbow. He is assigned to the police academy and said he misses being a patrol officer. “I enjoyed doing patrol work, going on calls and being on the front lines, so to speak,” he said. The day of the shooting was Guindon’s first day on duty. McKeown was assigned to train her. “It was my responsibility to take care of her,” McKeown said, his voice cracking with emotion. “I failed… I can’t change it so I just have to accept it.” Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Matthew Lowery asked McKeown who he blames for what happened that day. “Ronald Hamilton,” he said. Reach Amanda Heincer at aheincer@fauquier.com
NEWS
Gainesville / Prince William Times | www.princewilliamtimes.com | October 10, 2018
3
Williams’ ad recounts family’s struggle with health-care costs The Democratic candidate aims to be Virginia’s first black congresswoman By Karen Chaffraix Times Staff Writer
Gentle piano music tinkles in the background. The candidate is in a recording studio. “I’ve been called a girl, sweetheart, well-spoken and even ‘a nice colored lady,’ and I’ve heard a lot of stories like my own. I’m Vangie Williams, and all I wanted was to be heard.” So begins the two-minute video put out by a campaign that aims to send Virginia’s first-ever woman-of-color to Congress in January. “Living in rural Virginia,” the candidate shakes her head, “no hospital around us could treat her.” Williams is referring to her youngest daughter, Lylia, who was 2 years old when diagnosed with a rare, chronic lung condition. A montage of scenes shows the child, now 12, in hospital rooms over the years. In telling her story, Williams, who appears consistently in a red blazer (a “symbol of love,” says campaign assistant Sheri Shannon) recounts a struggle not unfamiliar in post-2008 America. “We spent our life savings, lost our home and went bankrupt,” she says in the video, “because that’s what you do when you have a sick child.” A team of videographers that worked on President Obama’s 2008 campaign, Alexandria-based MVAR
The
Vangie Williams with her husband, Glen Williams, during a fundraiser in Springfield Monday night. PHOTO BY MIKE BEATY
Media, followed Williams around for two days, she explained later. “They heard me telling someone that story and asked me if I could sit with them and recount it.” With the campaign short on cash, raising just more than $97,000 compared to the $1.1 million her opponent, Republican incumbent Rep. Rob Wittman has raised since 2017, Williams is making the most of social media and the goose-bump-raising ad, which her supporters are sharing widely online.
“My congressman wouldn’t listen,” the video goes on. “I reached out to Congressman [Rob] Wittman again and again. I wrote letters. I even went to his office on Capitol Hill. But the only sound I heard was, ‘The congressman is busy.’ Yet he found time to vote against Obamacare, and to attempt to repeal it again and again.” Williams, 50, was on the phone from her King George home one recent afternoon, her dog Rocky sleeping underfoot. The full-time federal
government contractor, mother of six, and online student – she’s working on a doctorate in business administration – seems tireless, optimistic and unflappable. She explained the story behind the video, and what brought her to challenge the current five-time Republican incumbent in a district redrawn in 2016 to favor Republicans.
Hard times
In the ad, Williams explained, she is referring to a period when life for her middle-class family began to spin out of control. The problem began when Williams left her job at NASA in 2007. She had 30 days to submit her COBRA form, a document that would continue the family’s health insurance. But before she submitted the form, 2-year-old Lylia was hospitalized with a life-threatening lung condition. The bills were staggeringly high. There was no health insurance for the child’s three-week stay, and she still needed to be moved to a hospital better equipped to treat her. At the time, Williams had left NASA to grow her real estate work. “I had closings coming up. I had money in the bank.” The Williams decided to pay the medical bills, using up their savings. “I was afraid a new hospital wouldn’t accept her if those bills were outstanding. I didn’t realize bills could be negotiated, and I never expected the housing market meltdown.” The Williams were wiped out. See WILLIAMS, Page 4
WONDER WOMEN of Customer Service!
ic e off e l– n th e s i h e l p fu i o n ! i d la at y T h e r e v e r mu n i c . H a m t c o oseph a e gr -J
Appleton Campbell is the best. Great office staff! - Robin W.
Best
20I8
Lifestyle
the W A R R E N T O N L I F E S T Y L E
M AG A Z I N E
of
FA U Q U I E R
appletoncampbell.com
703.754.3301 Gainesville | 540.825.6332 Culpeper 540.347.0765 Warrenton | 540.645.6229 Fredericksburg AC PrinceWilliamGainesvilleTimes_Ad.indd 1
8/28/18 2:30 PM