Senior Airman Charles Wilson III, who police say killed two people and an unborn child, and assaulted another person in three separate incidents will be tried in three separate courts-martialcourt-martials, with the first trial beginning next month in Perry, Georgia, a military judge has ruled. 

Wilson, assigned to Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, is charged with the death of Demetrius Hardy, which occurred during the arson of the accused's rental property in 2011; an assault and subsequent threats against a retired female technical sergeant in 2012; and the premeditated murder of his fiancée, Tameda Ferguson, and her unborn child in 2013, for which he could face the death penalty if convicted, according to a release from the base.

The judge opted to sever the proceedings against Wilson in what are anticipated to be high profile cases.

Wilson, a support team member with the 461st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, could face the death penalty if convicted of the capital murder charge related to the death of his fiancee and her unborn child.

The first proceeding will begin May 23 for the felony murder, arson and related charges that stemmed from the occurred in October 2011 incident. Authorities have alleged Wilson conspired with Demetrius Hardy, a civilian employee at Robins, to set fire to Wilson's trailer to collect insurance money. Hardy died several days later from injuries sustained in the blaze.

In the second court-martial, Wilson will be tried for an alleged assault on Wilson made against a female technical sergeant in July 2012. Wilson allegedly held a gun to her head in a threatening manner, discharged it in her presence by shooting out of the window into a vacant field behind his home and, later, driving his pickup truck toward her in a threatening manner.

During motion hearings March 9 and 10, 2015, presiding military judge Col. Vance Spath, chief trial judge of the Air Force, dismissed three charges — two specifications of communicating a threat and a charge of wrongfully discharging a firearm against the tech. sergeant.

The second court-martial will begin June 6.

Both cases, which could result in felony convictions, were being handled by civilian authorities up until the time Ferguson was killed, while Wilson was in a pretrial diversion program. 

Wilson was arrested in August 2013 and charged with killing Ferguson, who was 8-1/2 months pregnant at the time. She was found shot to death at her home in Dawson, Georgia, about 100 miles south of Robins.

The Air Force took custody of Wilson on Nov. 12, 2013.

The final court-martial date for the capital murder charge has not been determined, the release said.

The case was referred to court-martial as a capital case in October 2014, although it is highly unlikely that Wilson would be put to death if convicted.

In order for Wilson to be convicted of a capital offense, the jury must unanimously agree that there were one or more aggravating factors, defense attorney Lt. Col. David Frakt previously told Air Force Times.

Moreover, the Air Force has not carried out a death sentence since 1954, when two airmen were executed for the rape and murder of a Guam citizen. Only one airman sits on death row: former Senior Airman Andrew Witt, who was also stationed at Robins when he stabbed to death a fellow airmen and his wife and nearly killed a third person in 2004.

Oriana Pawlyk covers deployments, cyber, Guard/Reserve, uniforms, physical training, crime and operations in the Middle East and Europe for Air Force Times. She was the Early Bird Brief editor in 2015. Email her at opawlyk@airforcetimes.com.

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