Bio 

Ronald James Hamilton Jr. was born on April 21, 1977, in Texas. Public records indicate that he was from Harris County, Texas. According to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Hamilton completed school through approximately the seventh grade. Before his incarceration, he worked in various labor positions, including painting, construction work, and other manual labor jobs.

Hamilton had a prior criminal record before the 2001 murder. Texas prison records show that he previously served a two-year sentence from Harris County for possession of cocaine. He was released on mandatory supervision on October 12, 1999, and received a mandatory supervision discharge on September 12, 2000.

By late 2001, Hamilton was living in Houston and associated with Shawon Smith. The pair would later become involved in the robbery that resulted in a fatal shooting and Hamilton's conviction for capital murder.

Murder Story

On November 7, 2001, Ronald James Hamilton Jr. and co-defendant Shawon Smith carried out an armed robbery at a convenience store in Houston, Texas. According to court records and Texas Department of Criminal Justice summaries, Hamilton entered the store carrying a handgun. During the robbery, he shot a 36-year-old Iranian convenience store clerk, killing him. He then shot a second man, a 38-year-old Iranian male, who survived the attack.

After the shootings, Hamilton removed the store's cash register and fled the scene. The killing was classified as capital murder because it occurred during the commission of a robbery. Texas law permits the death penalty when a murder is committed while carrying out certain underlying felonies, including robbery.

Hamilton was arrested and charged with capital murder in Harris County. The case eventually proceeded to trial in 2002. During the proceedings, Hamilton entered a guilty plea before a jury. Under Texas law, even after a defendant pleads guilty to capital murder, a jury must still answer special sentencing issues to determine whether a death sentence should be imposed.

In November 2002, Hamilton was convicted of capital murder. Following the jury's answers to the statutory special issues under Article 37.071 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, the trial court sentenced him to death on November 19, 2002.

Hamilton automatically appealed his conviction and sentence to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. On appeal, he raised several issues, including the trial court's failure to admonish him regarding the range of punishment before he entered his guilty plea, alleged violations of his constitutional rights, claims concerning jury instructions, and arguments that his trial counsel had been ineffective.

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals rejected all eight points of error. The court held that although the trial judge failed to expressly discuss the range of punishment on the record, the error was harmless because Hamilton was present during jury selection and had been exposed to extensive discussions regarding the possible penalties, including death and life imprisonment.

The court further ruled that Hamilton had not demonstrated that his guilty plea was involuntary or that his constitutional rights had been violated. His conviction and death sentence were affirmed on October 13, 2004. Ronald James Hamilton Jr. remains incarcerated on death row in the custody of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.