In the small, rural town of Cope, Colorado, a family argument on a summer evening in 2017 ended in tragedy, leaving a son dead and a father facing a murder charge that would ultimately be dismissed. On August 13, 2017, 31-year-old Leyton Laybourn was shot and killed by his father, 65-year-old Stanley Laybourn. The incident occurred at Stanley's home, where a dispute between the two men escalated into a physical altercation.
The Washington County Sheriff's Office responded to the scene
and Stanley Laybourn was subsequently arrested and charged with second-degree murder in the death of his son. He was held at the Washington County Justice Center on a $250,000 bond. The investigation into the shooting was taken over by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation due to a potential conflict of interest, as Leyton's mother was a Washington County commissioner. The Weld County District Attorney's Office was also brought in to handle the prosecution as a special prosecutor was appointed.
Further investigation revealed a more complex story. It was reported that during the argument, Leyton had pushed his partially paralyzed father, causing him to fall into a planting pot. It was from this position on the ground that Stanley Laybourn fired the single shot that killed his son. Leyton was transported to Yuma District Hospital, where he later died.
After a thorough review of the evidence presented by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, the Weld County District Attorney's Office concluded that Stanley Laybourn had acted in self-defense. As a result, the second-degree murder charges against him were dropped on the Friday following the incident. The case was officially closed, leaving a family and a community to grapple with the devastating consequences of a domestic dispute that turned fatal.
