Details emerge in juvenile homicide case; suspect held on $3 million bail

16-year-old suspected of stabbing younger boy in neck, attacking mother with baseball bat

A 12-year-old boy was allegedly stabbed to death by Isaac Lawrence, 16, Thursday morning at 122 Snowy Peaks Way in the Southwest Horizon Ranch subdivision on Florida Mesa, about a mile south of Elmore’s Corner. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald file)

A 16-year-old boy suspected of stabbing and killing his 12-year-old brother and trying to kill his mother was ordered Friday to remain in a juvenile detention center on $3 million bail.

An arrest affidavit paints a disturbing picture in which 16-year-old Isaac Lawrence allegedly stabbed his brother in the neck as the boy lay in bed and then beat his mother with a baseball bat hours later when she discovered the boy. deceased child.

La Plata County Coroner Jann Smith identified the deceased child as Samuel Ross.

Lawrence is being held on suspicion of first-degree murder and attempted murder. Sixth Judicial District Attorney Sean Murray indicated Friday that he plans to file formal charges against Lawrence as an adult.

The series of events was first reported shortly after 7 a.m. Thursday in the Southwest Horizon Ranch subdivision, about a mile south of Elmore’s Corner, southeast of Durango.

Prosecutors on Friday asked Sixth Judicial District Court Judge Anthony Baca to set bail at an “unattainable” amount, saying Lawrence poses a significant risk of flight and harm to others if released.

Lawrence was arrested by La Plata County sheriff’s deputies Thursday morning about 6 miles from the home of Sasha Day Ross, his mother.

According to the affidavit, Ross called 911 around 7:15 a.m. Thursday and told dispatchers she was bleeding from her head after being attacked with a baseball bat.

When officers arrived at Ross’ residence, he appeared to have a broken left arm, according to the affidavit. A baseball bat lay on the floor inside Ross’s residence, and a trail of blood led up a staircase to the second floor of the home.

On the second floor of the residence, officers discovered a 12-year-old boy in bed, partially covered by a blanket, with a knife protruding from his neck. There was no one else in the house.

According to the affidavit, Ross told authorities that Lawrence had been in foster care but partially under his care, and that he had been “working with foster care to assimilate Issac (sic) into his home.”

Lawrence was allowed to stay at Ross’s house for several days at a time, he told police. She picked him up from the foster home on October 17 and he stayed with her and her son since then, about seven days.

Around five in the morning, Ross woke up and saw Lawrence standing over his bed. Lawrence reportedly said he was not in a “good frame of mind,” according to the affidavit.

Lawrence asked if he could lie in bed with Ross and Ross agreed. He got out of bed to take a shower around 6am. He pulled back the shower curtain and found Lawrence standing there wielding a baseball bat.

She asked him what he was doing. He reportedly responded that he was going to scare her by breaking a shampoo bottle with the baseball bat. She asked him to go get her phone, which she had lost, according to the affidavit.

Ross went to his son’s room and yelled at him to wake up. But there was no response. He knocked on the bedroom door and called for his son again. No response.

The bedroom door was locked. Ross took a key out of his room and opened the door to find his son lying on the bed, with one leg dangling off the bed. She tried to shake her son’s leg and found it cold to the touch, noticing a “strange” color, according to the affidavit.

Authorities later discovered the boy with a knife still stuck in his neck, prosecutors said Friday.

“(Redacted) isn’t going to (expletive) wake up because (redacted) is dead,” Lawrence allegedly said while standing behind her.

Investigators with the La Plata County Sheriff’s Office are preparing to enter the home where a fatal stabbing occurred Thursday in the Southwest Horizon Ranch subdivision southeast of Durango. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)

Lawrence allegedly assaulted Ross with the baseball bat, hitting Ross in the head and then hitting her in the arm and ribs multiple times.

Ross attempted to wrestle the bat away from Lawrence without success, according to the affidavit. She fell to the ground and Lawrence tossed the bat aside, straddling Ross and grabbing his throat.

Ross reportedly saved himself by looking Lawrence in the eyes and saying, “It’s okay, you did me a favor.”

The affidavit said that caused Lawrence to end his attack; He got up and headed to his room. Ross took advantage of the moment to flee the house. He screamed for help and ran towards two neighbors who were outside. They saw Lawrence try to flee the scene, speeding in his car.

Lawrence didn’t get very far before crashing the vehicle, prosecutors said in court Friday.

Prosecutors said Lawrence rolled Ross’s car before leaving the neighborhood.

Public defenders for Lawrence, who is incarcerated at the Grand Mesa Youth Services Center, did not challenge prosecutors’ request to set bail at $3 million or no-contact orders between Lawrence and Ross. They said Lawrence is a minor a week shy of his 17th birthday.

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