FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. (FOX 5 DC) – A man has been sentenced to life in prison for the “execution-style” killing of a husband and wife in front of their Springfield home.
Ronnie Marshall, 22, was sentenced to life in prison for murdering Army (Ret.) Colonel Brenda and Colonel Dr. Edward McDaniel in May 2021.
Evidence submitted at trial showed that two days prior to the murders, Marshall broke into the McDaniel home where Edward met him with a shotgun and ordered him to leave.
Marshall returned two days later and murdered the couple in their own driveway while they were out taking their dog for a walk because Col. Ed McDaniel “used his first name during the conversation,” according to the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.
A jury convicted Marshall of aggravated murder and two counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony in November 2022.
Marshall received an additional 8 years on top of his life sentence for the two weapons charges, which are counted as first and second offenses and have mandatory minimums attached.
“The McDaniels dedicated their lives to serving others: their county, their patients, and their family and friends. To lose both of them, in such a shocking and egregious incident, is every family’s worst nightmare,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano. “My thoughts are with their family and loved ones. I hope that today’s sentencing decision brings this terrible chapter to a close and enables a step towards healing.”
