BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — Andrew Lawson could now be headed to trial after declining the latest plea agreement offered in the shooting death of his former roommate and fellow Brevard County deputy, Austin Walsh.
Back in January, Lawson pleaded guilty to manslaughter as part of a deal that would have capped his sentence at seven years. Investigators say on December 3, 2022, during a break from playing video games, Lawson pointed a gun at Walsh, believing it was unloaded. It was not, and Walsh was killed. In court, Lawson said, “It breaks my soul that I took Austin’s future away from him because of what I did not only will I not be able to talk to Austin again – but you guys won’t be able to either.”
He also told the court, “I have accepted what I did, and I take full responsibility in the taking of Austin’s life knowing full well that because of my actions, I’m here and Austin is not.”
After the judge rejected the plea agreement, Lawson withdrew his plea. Another state offer expired on April 15. The case has now been upgraded from a manslaughter case to a second-degree murder.
In a statement to Eyewitness News, Lawson’s attorney said, “The State filed an Amended Information (charging document) upgrading the charge from Manslaughter to 2nd Degree Murder.
From my perspective, same was in retaliation for not accepting what was a wholly “new” unreasonable plea offer subsequent to Judge Naberhaus rejecting the prior, much more reasonable plea offer.
At this stage of the litigation, I anticipate the case proceeding to trial and have confidence that Mr. Lawson will be acquitted (found not guilty) of all charges.” A status update on the case is expected later this month.
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