A 38-year-old man is now facing one charge of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder after a series of violent incidents in downtown Hamilton earlier this week.
Keith Overholt is accused of randomly attacking three different people in downtown Hamilton between Monday evening and Tuesday morning.
The first incident happened at around 6:30 p.m. on Monday at the intersection of Queen Street and York Boulevard when police say a 46-year-old woman was assaulted by a man with a large stick.
Bystanders managed to intervene and the suspect fled.
Investigators say in a second attack, at around 1:15 a.m. on Tuesday, 29-year-old Andrew Ainscow was fatally stabbed in an alleyway near James and Bold streets.
About 10 minutes later, police say a 39-year-old man was attacked near MacNab and Bold.
That’s where Overholt was arrested at about 1:30 a.m.
He was initially charged with attempted murder in the first attack on the woman but has now also been charged with first-degree murder in the killing of Ainscow, as well as attempted murder in the incident at MacNab and Bold.
Investigators say there’s no connection between Overholt and the victims, alleging that they were randomly targeted.
Police believe they have the knife used to kill Ainscow and aren’t seeking any more suspects.
Overholt will be arraigned on the new charges during his next court appearance on Nov. 19.