A 34-year-old man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading no contest to charges in connection with an armed hostage incident at a Marion County home in 2021.
On Monday, May 20, 2024, Marvin Nathaniel Hamilton, Jr. pleaded no contest in Marion County Court to false imprisonment (four counts) and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon (two counts). The judge then sentenced him to 20 years in prison, with 924 days of credit for time already served.
The plea agreement stems from an incident that occurred on November 9, 2021, at a residence located on NW 29th Terrace in Reddick.
According to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office arrest report, multiple deputies and sergeants responded to the residence in response to reports of a hostage situation. One of the victims inside the home had called 911 to report that adults and children were being held at gunpoint by Hamilton.
The caller further stated that Hamilton had been holding everyone in the residence at gunpoint since the evening of November 8, 2021.
The report stated that Hamilton had accused the caller of being involved in his father’s suicide, which had occurred 25 years earlier.
On the evening of November 8, the caller stated that they received a phone call from their son stating that he was stopping by to visit. When the caller’s son arrived at the residence, the caller was being held at gunpoint by Hamilton, according to the report.
Hamilton ordered the occupants of the house, which included adults and children, to be seated in the living room, and he prohibited them from using their phones. The report stated that during the incident, Hamilton was armed with two handguns, and pointed the gun at the caller while accusing him of being involved in the alleged killing of his father.
According to the caller’s statement to law enforcement, Hamilton told them over a dozen times that, “I don’t think you’re going to make it through the night.” Hamilton allegedly interrupted the caller every time that they tried to discuss the suicide of Hamilton’s father.
The report stated that a one-year-old child was among those being held in the living room, and permission was given by Hamilton for the child and another victim to enter the kitchen. Moments later, the child dropped a cup, and Hamilton peered into the kitchen.
The caller and another victim proceeded to jump onto Hamilton and grab the firearms. They then demanded that Hamilton leave the residence. According to the report, there was a gap of time between him leaving the incident location and law enforcement being contacted.
Hamilton later called his mother, and the call was placed on speakerphone while an MCSO deputy was present to overhear the conversation. Hamilton told his mother, “Y’all are tripping, you know why I did what I did,” according to the report.
During that phone conversation, Hamilton mentioned that he was going to take his own life. Deputies rushed to Hamilton’s home and were able to apprehend him without further incident.
Hamilton told law enforcement that he visited the residence on November 8, and that he had a conversation in the living room until 5 a.m. the following morning. He questioned why the victims would get law enforcement involved since “no one was hurt.”
Hamilton was arrested and transported to Marion County Jail, where he remained in custody. After his sentencing in court last week, Hamilton will spend the next 17 years and 8 months behind bars.