Military Couple Killed By Gunman Who Wanted To Confront Victims' Son, Witness Says

A military couple who were fatally shot outside their Virginia home earlier this year were allegedly targeted over their son's suspected involvement in an earlier robbery.

Edward McDaniel Jr., a 55-year-old Army colonel and doctor, and his 63-year-old wife Brenda McDaniel, a retired Army colonel and a nurse, were found shot to death from a point-blank range in the driveway of their home in Springfield, Virginia, on May 26.

Two suspects, identified as Ronnie Marshall, 20, and D'Angelo Strand, 19, were arrested shortly after and each charged with two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of use of a firearm in commission of a felony.

The reason behind the killing has remained a mystery since then. But in early December, Strand testified during a preliminary hearing in Fairfax County General District Court that the suspects' original target was not the couple but their son, Mike McDaniel, Washington Post reported.

Strand, who agreed to testify against his fellow suspect and acquaintance in exchange for having his charges downgraded, testified that Marshall looked for Mike because the son was part of a group that allegedly jumped and robbed Marshall a few days before the shooting. All three men knew each other because they worked together at a FedEx warehouse.

Mike denied allegations that he assaulted and robbed Marshall, and his lawyer said he has not been charged with any crime.

Following the hearing held Dec. 6, the judge found sufficient evidence to send Marshall’s case to a grand jury.

Strand's charges were downgraded to a single count of accessory after a homicide. He is expected to plead guilty when he appears in court next month.

Marshall's attorney Michael Sprano said in court that Strand's account of the incident had changed over time in interviews with detectives.

In a filing earlier this year, a former attorney for Marshall wrote that prosecutors assert Mike and two others jumped Marshall, took money from him and called the police on him while he was at the McDaniel family’s home on May 24, two days before the couple was fatally shot.

Fairfax County police had previously said they were called to the McDaniels' home that day for a report of a burglary.

The day after the alleged assault, co-workers at the FedEx warehouse where Mike, Marshall and Strand worked learned about what had happened, according to the filing. Marshall was said to have been angry and embarrassed, his former attorney said.

On May 26, Mike was on a FaceTime call with one of the people who allegedly helped jump Marshall when he told the person that Marshall was outside with a gun and he needed to call police, the filing said.

Edward and Brenda had just returned from walking their dogs when they were allegedly confronted by Marshall and Strand in their driveway.

Strand testified that Marshall asked the couple where their son was and whether he would get his property back. The couple appeared to recognize Marshall and called him by his first name. Marshall then pulled out a gun and shot and killed both, Strand told the judge.

Strand testified Marshall told him as they fled that he had to shoot them because "they knew his name."

Strand told managers at his workplace the next day that he wanted to turn himself in, according to a search warrant. Marshall was arrested later in the day after authorities spotted him in Fairfax County.