Editor’s note: This story contains details of an alleged homicide that some readers may find overly upsetting. If you or a loved one is experiencing a mental health crisis, call Axis Health System’s care line at 247-5245.
A 16-year-old Durango boy accused of killing his half-brother and attempting to kill his mother in 2024 will be tried as an adult, a District Court judge ruled Thursday.
Defense lawyers argued Issac Lawrence was 16 at the time of the alleged crimes and should therefore be tried as a juvenile, where the focus would be on rehabilitation.
District Judge Kim Shropshire said the nature of Lawrence’s alleged actions indicated his intent to kill his half-brother, Samuel Ross, 12, and his mother, Sasha Ross, was deliberate and “exceptionally cruel and unusual.” She ruled he will be tried as an adult.
“This was a deeply personal and deeply aggressive act of violence,” she said.
Lawrence, wearing a jail-issued orange jumpsuit, showed no visible reaction to the ruling.
Shropshire said Lawrence stabbed Samuel Ross in the neck about 2 a.m. Oct. 24, 2024, severing his cervical spine while the boy slept. He had no chance to defend himself. The stabbing occurred at the boys’ home in the Southwest Horizon Ranch subdivision southeast of Durango.
Afterward, Lawrence was waiting by Sasha Ross’ bed when she awoke about 6 a.m., Shropshire said. Her phone was missing, which was unusual, but she got out of bed and went to shower. Lawrence followed her into the bathroom carrying a baseball bat, saying he was “just messing around,” Shropshire said.
After getting out of the shower, Ross went to Samuel’s room to check on him, but the door was locked. She opened it with a spare key and found her son dead. Lawrence had followed her, waited for her to make the discovery and then attacked her with the baseball bat, breaking her arm and causing lacerations, before attempting to strangle her.
He stopped only when Ross reportedly said, “It’s OK, you did me a favor,” in an attempt to make Lawrence believe she supported his actions. Lawrence then stole her car, which he crashed and totaled 6 miles from the house. He did not have a valid driver’s license.
Shropshire said Lawrence’s actions gave the court probable cause to believe he acted deliberately.
She said there was no evidence that his home life prevented him from understanding the severity of his actions. She said he was “raised in a loving, caring and supportive home” by his father and stepmother, with whom he lived for the first 13 years of his life, before being placed in foster care and later reunited with Ross.
There was no evidence that Lawrence had been neglected, abused or otherwise traumatized in a way that would hinder his development, Shropshire said.
Additionally, he had a history of “disproportionate reaction to minimal restrictions,” such as his parents taking away his phone. He was said to slam doors, punch holes in walls and push his siblings. On four occasions between 2021 and 2024, the outbursts were severe enough that law enforcement was called.
Lawrence was also reported to have previously threatened to kill both Samuel and Ross.
Shropshire acknowledged that Lawrence may have been negatively affected by learning his stepmother was not his biological mother at age 13.
However, he had been given “adequate if not exceptional care,” Shropshire said. Ross also made “extraordinary effort” to stop drinking, secure stable housing and care for her children.
Lawrence was reported to be a leader at school and to be mature, Shropshire said. Additionally, the crime occurred only 10 days before his 17th birthday.
She said the request to try Lawrence as a juvenile was denied because of the nature of the crime and the danger he posed to the community. While she expressed sympathy for both Lawrence and Ross, Shropshire said Ross suffered extreme physical and mental trauma after finding her youngest son dead and being stalked and attacked by Lawrence.
Lawrence’s arraignment hearing is scheduled for 8 a.m. March 31.
sedmondson@durangoherald.com
