David Hamilton didn't speak during his first appearance in Mecklenburg Court Tuesday, where a judge told the 25-year-old he has been charged with murder in connection with the deaths of his parents.
Hamilton was apprehended in Myrtle Beach on Sept. 30, the same day Huntersville police discovered James and Stephanie Hamilton dead in their home in the Centennial neighborhood off Huntersville-Concord Road.
David Hamilton was being held in South Carolina in connection with violating his probation, but on Monday, Huntersville Police officers picked him up and returned him to North Carolina.
In court Tuesday, Hamilton fidgeted with his shackled hands and looked at the paper showing him that Judge Philip Howerton had appointed him a public defender.
After Tuesday's hearing, Hamilton was returned to Mecklenburg jail. He's being held with no bond after being charged with two counts of first-degree murder.
James and Stephanie Hamilton were pilots who worked for Piedmont Airlines. James "Jim" Hamilton, 73, had retired, but Stephanie, 56, worked with US Airways, friends have said.
Court records show David Hamilton was arrested in 2007 on charges of breaking and entering, larceny and burglary at a home in Iredell County.
Iredell authorities told WSOC-TV that Hamilton sneaked into a home on Chinook Court in Mooresville at night and washed clothes and showered.
Records show James and Stephanie Hamilton previously lived in the same home with their son before moving to Huntersville.
After his arrest, David Hamilton underwent an examination at a state mental hospital, reports WSOC-TV, and he called himself the "Lamb of God" and a "prophet." He claimed the lord had told him to enter the home, according to court documents.
He was later convicted on the break-in charges and sentenced to five years on probation. Court records indicate he was to participate in a Christian-based drug and alcohol rehab program in Caldwell County as part of his probation. He was also ordered to stay away from a family who apparently lived in the home on Chinook Court.
Hamilton apparently violated his probation in April when he was arrested for jumping the fence at Germany's embassy in Washington, D.C., according to WSOC-TV, but probation officers had not yet arrested Hamilton.
