FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. — A man convicted of killing a decorated military couple on their front lawn in Springfield, Virginia has been sentenced to life in prison.
Army Col. Dr. Edward and Brenda McDaniel were shot to death execution style in their driveway on May 26, 2021 while getting ready to take their dog for a walk. A jury in Fairfax County found Ronnie Marshall guilty of aggravated murder and firearm charges after a week-long trial in November 2022.
On Friday, the 22-year-old was given a life sentence for the murder charge, and eight years total on two counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony; the sentencings are to run consecutively. Marshall will not be eligible for parole.
Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano said Marshall did not show any signs of remorse for his crimes, and in court Friday he was smiling and rolling his eyes. When his sentence was handed down he nodded at a group supporting him and said, "don't cry, heads up."
"This individual needs to be behind bars for the good of the community," Descano said. "To have their lives taken in such a callous and thoughtless manner for no reason at all is a loss not only to the family, but to the entire community at large."
Edward McDaniel's mother and sister were also in the courthouse, and gave a victim statement, along with Brenda McDaniel's sister. They described being anguished to this day.
"I wonder what ran through their minds as they laid dying?" said Felice McDaniel, Edward McDaniel's mother. "I'll have to figure out how to get rid of the images in my mind of Edward and Brenda getting gunned down. I can only call what he did as evil and cowardly."
Felice McDaniel shared how on the day of his death, Edward McDaniel FaceTimed her to show her around the house. He was getting ready to retire and wanted his mother nearby since she was diagnosed with breast cancer. His family described him as someone who loved his family, accomplished, smart, and a big cheerleader for his loved ones.
"He's (Ronnie Marshall) a genuine monster," said Melody McDaniel, Edward McDaniel's sister. "I'll never forgive you."
Fairfax County police said they believe the couple's deaths were connected to a dispute or burglary at the house. Officials said two days before the couple was slain, Marshall broke into the family's home, where Edward McDaniel met him with a shotgun and demanded he leave.
Marshall reportedly was searching for the couple's son because he believed he stole something form him.
Prosecutors said Marshall returned on May 26 and killed the couple when he learned they knew his name.
Their son was inside the home at the time of the shooting.
"For him to be in the house while his parents are being murdered on the front lawn, I can only imagine the trauma and survivor's guilt he must be experiencing," Descano said.
Brenda McDaniel was a retired Army colonel and nurse. Her sister Glynnis Ross said she worked as a nurse for the White House, although she kept that a secret.
Ross described having to remove all of their belongings from their home within the next 30 days. She is now the executor of their estate.
"It's gut-wrenching because of the family now living with all this," said Rick Tackaberry, whose son grew up with one of the McDaniel's children. "They were heroes to the community, they both served their country. I knew them for so long and didn't know so much about them because they're so humble. Those people do exist."
Edward McDaniel was an Army colonel and doctor at Fort Belvoir Community Hospital. He was so beloved that military officials were trying to figure out he can stay on on a civilian capacity.
"It became apparent that he was more than our doctor, he was really our friend very quickly," family friend Chad Manske, who was a patient and friend for seven years, told WUSA9. "His passion was his patients and that hospital. He was clearly dedicated because it wasn't just a job for him. Things haven't been quite the same there."
The defense tried to argue Marshall deserved a lesser sentence because at the time of the murders, his brain was still developing. He said chronic marijuana use may have hindered and delayed his brain development.