On a summer day in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a disagreement that began over a simple request for a ride would end in the tragic deaths of two young people. Verdell Delo Walker, III, a 21-year-old male, and his friend, 21-year-old Tiara Sawyer, had recently become acquainted with Isaac Luna Ashton and his girlfriend. On the morning of August 18, 2014, the couple asked for a ride to a tag agency, which was provided by Ashton's girlfriend.
However, the events that unfolded upon their return to the apartment complex at 47th and Darlington would prove fatal.
In the parking lot of the apartment complex, a verbal altercation erupted between Walker and Ashton. Witnesses at the scene reported that after Walker cursed at him, Ashton became the aggressor. Despite the fact that neither Walker nor Sawyer was armed, Ashton produced a. 38 special handgun and opened fire. The attack was sudden and brutal, leaving both Walker and Sawyer with fatal gunshot wounds. The subsequent autopsy would reveal that Walker had been shot in a manner consistent with the shooter firing at him while he was already on the ground. Sawyer died from a single gunshot wound to her left temple.
In the investigation that followed, law enforcement executed a search warrant at the home of Ashton's mother, where they discovered the handgun used in the shooting. Ballistic analysis confirmed that the projectiles recovered from the bodies of both victims were fired from Ashton's weapon. Isaac Luna Ashton was arrested and stood trial for the murders. Eyewitness testimony painted a clear picture of an unprovoked attack. Despite a differing account from one of Ashton's friends who testified on his behalf, the evidence against him was overwhelming.
A jury found Isaac Luna Ashton guilty on two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Verdell Walker and Tiara Sawyer. He was also convicted of unlawfully carrying a weapon. For the murders, Ashton received two consecutive sentences of life in prison without the possibility of parole, ensuring he would be held accountable for the senseless act of violence that cut two young lives tragically short.
