© 2024 WFAE
90.7 Charlotte 93.7 Southern Pines 90.3 Hickory 106.1 Laurinburg
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Fugitive Arrested In Myrtle Beach In Connection To Huntersville Murders

A 25-year-old man who was being investigated in connection with the slayings of a man and woman in Huntersville was caught Friday night in Myrtle Beach. Police arrested David William Hamilton at the Chelsea House, a condo building, The (Myrtle Beach) Sun News reported. Hamilton was charged with being a fugitive. He is wanted on warrants in connection with the double homicide, but it is unclear what charges he will face. No one from Huntersville police was available to comment Saturday. Police also have not publicly identified the couple found dead Friday in Hamilton's home, where he lived with his parents, James and Stephanie Hamilton. A neighbor reported hearing an argument Friday morning at the house in the Centennial neighborhood off Huntersville-Concord Road, police said. A woman arrived at the home that afternoon to see her parents. No one answered the door, police said, and she called for help. Police who entered the home found blood and the bodies of a man and woman. Huntersville Police Capt. Michael Kee said Friday that they were searching for David Hamilton, who has a history of mental health problems and may not be taking his medication. Kee said police had tracked Hamilton's cellphone and that its most recent activity was in South Carolina, in the area of Myrtle Beach and Charleston. Hamilton was arrested in 2007 in Iredell County on charges of breaking and entering, larceny and burglary, court records show. He was convicted and sentenced to five years on probation. A relative told the Observer that James "Jim" Hamilton, 73, grew up in the Atlanta area, attended law school and served as a Georgia state senator in the 1970s. The Hamiltons were both pilots who worked for Piedmont Airlines. James Hamilton had retired, but his 56-year-old wife continued working with US Airways, friends said. Each had served as president of the Piedmont Silver Eagles, a group of retired Piedmont pilots and supporters. The group's treasurer and the Hamiltons' longtime friend, Ken Duncan, told the Observer he last spoke to Stephanie Hamilton on Thursday night. They were making plans for a Piedmont reunion scheduled for this month. Duncan said Stephanie Hamilton, a Texas native, loved working with glass. She and her husband recently donated hundreds of glasses etched with planes and the Piedmont logo to be sold to raise money for the Silver Eagles' charitable arm. "Between the two of them, they basically supported this organization for 15 years or so," Duncan said. "They've been very, very dedicated."