Isaiah Rodriguez was a beloved son, brother, and friend, a young man his family called a "beacon of joy." On the morning of February 3, 2022, just three days before his 18th birthday, the body of the 17-year-old Hispanic/Latino male from Springfield, Massachusetts, was found by a passerby in a snowbank on the side of Danby Mountain Road, a rural dirt road in Danby, Vermont. An autopsy determined that Isaiah had died from multiple gunshot wounds to his torso, and his death was ruled a homicide. Investigators believe he was shot and killed late on the night of February 2, between 10:30 and 11:30 p.m.
For nearly two years, the case remained without an arrest. Then, in January 2024, Vermont State Police announced a breakthrough, arresting Ashley Wicks, 32, and Shawn Bulson, 28, both of Bennington. A complex investigation revealed the killing stemmed from a dispute among a group of people over drug trafficking and stolen firearms.
Police alleged that Isaiah, who was associated with a gang, was kidnapped in Massachusetts after a falling out over a missing handgun. He was then driven to the secluded road in Danby, where he was shot and left for dead. Wicks was accused of driving the vehicle that took Isaiah and his killers to the scene, while Bulson was accused of helping to cover up the crime.
A month later, in February 2024, police arrested a third person, 22-year-old Elijah Johnson of Manchester. Investigators also identified three other men as primary suspects in the shooting: John Pena-Baez, Joerick Johnson, and Christopher Morgan. All three were incarcerated in other states on unrelated charges at the time they were identified.
In October 2024, Ashley Wicks and Shawn Bulson accepted plea agreements. Both pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact. Wicks, who drove the vehicle on the night of the murder, was sentenced to serve 18 months to seven years in prison. Bulson, who provided false information to investigators, was sentenced to six months to five years. During the sentencing, Isaiah’s aunt told the court, "The void that he left us affects us in ways that we are only beginning to understand. The root effects of his absence will be felt forever."
The cases against the men accused of carrying out the murder have continued to move forward. Plea negotiations for Elijah Johnson collapsed, and he is now facing trial on charges that include first-degree murder. Christopher Morgan and John Pena-Baez, who remain in federal custody, were formally charged with murder in Vermont under active state warrants. In February 2025, Joerick Johnson was extradited from Massachusetts to Vermont to face charges. He pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and related counts and is being held without bail. As of March 2025, the legal proceedings against the three alleged shooters were ongoing.
