A Toledo man was arrested this morning for the murder of a Wood County man last summer.
Wood County Sheriff Mark Wasylyshyn and Wood County Prosecutor Paul Dobson announced that the Wood County Grand Jury on Wednesday issued an indictment against Joshua C. Morales, 45, of Toledo, for two counts of aggravated murder, one count of murder, one count of aggravated robbery and one count of tampering with evidence.
Morales was taken into custody without incident this morning at his home. He is being held at the Wood County Jail, awaiting his arraignment before Wood County Common Pleas Judge Molly Mack on April 19.
The charges stem from the slaying of 67-year-old Billy L. Hamilton Sr., who was found in his home in Stony Ridge on July 10, 2020. The Lucas County Coroner, who provides autopsy services for Wood County under contract, ruled Hamilton’s death a homicide from multiple stab wounds.
Hamilton, a person with a disability who primarily used a wheelchair, lived alone in the Stony Ridge duplex. Authorities believe Hamilton and Morales had been acquaintances for some time before the incident.
As stated in the indictment charges, it is believed that Morales developed a plan to rob Hamilton and kill him, which they believe he executed in the early morning hours of July 8.
The two counts of aggravated murder and the count of murder are issued “in the alternative,” meaning that should Morales be convicted of all three, he would only be sentenced on one. The aggravated murder charges carry a penalty of life imprisonment with parole eligibility after 20, 25 or 30 years or without the possibility of parole eligibility, determined by the sentencing judge.
There is no death penalty specification in the indictment. The murder charge carries a penalty of life imprisonment with parole eligibility after 15 years. Aggravated robbery is a felony of the first degree, carrying a maximum penalty of 11 years imprisonment. Tampering with evidence is a third degree felony, carrying a maximum penalty of three years in prison.
The investigation has been handled by the sheriff’s office with the assistance of a prosecutor’s office investigator. In a joint statement, Dobson and Wasylyshyn said they were pleased with the progress of the case and the uneventful manner in which Morales had been taken into custody.
“While we are just at the beginning stages of the prosecution and Mr. Morales is innocent until he is proven guilty, we are hopeful that we have taken the first steps to bring closure to Mr. Hamilton’s family for this violent act,” the statement read.
