On a cold February morning in 2022, the body of a Hispanic/Latino male, 17-year-old Isaiah Rodriguez of Springfield, Massachusetts, was discovered on the side of Danby Mountain Road in Danby, Vermont. An autopsy would later confirm that the young man had died from multiple gunshot wounds to the torso, and his death was ruled a homicide. Investigators believe the shooting occurred on the night of February 2nd.
For nearly two years, the case remained a mystery, a source of quiet unease in
the small Vermont town. Then, in January 2024, a significant breakthrough occurred. The Vermont State Police announced the arrests of 32-year-old Ashley Wicks and 28-year-old Shawn Bulson, both from Bennington. Wicks was charged with conspiracy to commit murder and being an accessory after the fact, while Bulson was charged with being an accessory. A complex and lengthy investigation revealed the motive behind the killing was a dispute among a group of people concerning drug trafficking and stolen firearms.
Further investigation led to a third arrest in February 2024. Elijah Johnson, 22, of Manchester, was taken into custody and charged with being an accessory after the fact, with prosecutors adding charges of conspiracy to commit murder and aiding in the commission of a felony. It was revealed that Rodriguez was allegedly involved with a gang and had been kidnapped in Massachusetts before being driven to Vermont. He was reportedly in a vehicle with Wicks, Bulson, and other gang members on that fateful night.
In a later development, Ashley Wicks and Shawn Bulson accepted plea agreements. Wicks, who was accused of driving the vehicle, will serve 18 months to seven years in prison, while Bulson will serve six months to five years for providing false information to the police during the investigation. Three other men, John Pena-Baez, Joerick Johnson, and Christopher Morgan, have been identified as suspects in the fatal shooting and are currently incarcerated on unrelated charges in another state.
