A former Brevard County sheriff's deputy who admitted to an off-duty shooting that killed his roommate and fellow deputy is now staring at a possible murder trial after his earlier plea deal fell apart in court. The January plea would have capped any prison time at seven years, but once the judge refused to go along with it, prosecutors not only let their latest offer expire on April 15, they also upgraded the case to second-degree murder.
Investigators say the shooting happened on Dec. 3, 2022, while then-deputies Andrew Lawson and 23-year-old Austin Walsh were on a break from playing video games at their Palm Bay apartment. According to reporting at the time, Lawson picked up a handgun he believed was unloaded, pulled the trigger once with no discharge, then racked the slide and pulled the trigger again, firing a round that struck Walsh in the head and killed him. The Palm Bay Police Department and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement handled the investigation, as reported by ClickOrlando.
Lawson pleaded guilty in January to manslaughter under a negotiated deal that would have limited his sentence to a maximum of seven years. Circuit Judge Michelle Naberhaus rejected that agreement during a sentencing hearing, and Lawson then withdrew his plea. Prosecutors followed up with a new offer that expired on April 15 before filing an amended information that now charges Lawson with second-degree murder. In a statement to WFTV, Lawson's attorney called the amended filing retaliatory in appearance and said he is confident the case will go to trial and end in acquittal. Lawson also apologized in court, saying he "accepts what I did" and takes responsibility for Walsh's death.
Legal stakes
The upgraded charge dramatically changes Lawson's legal exposure. Under Florida law, second-degree murder is treated as a first-degree felony that can bring decades behind bars, including a possible life sentence, while manslaughter is a second-degree felony that usually carries a maximum of 15 years. Those maximums and the statutory definitions are set out in the state statutes, as outlined in Chapter 782 and the sentencing provisions in §775.082.
What's next
A status hearing later this month is expected to clarify whether the case will head to trial or if the two sides will take one more run at a plea agreement. The decision to reject the earlier deal, combined with the jump to a second-degree murder charge, has drawn sharp attention from the community and from Walsh's family, who previously blasted the January proposal as too lenient, as reported by ClickOrlando. For now, Lawson remains free while his attorney says he will push for a not-guilty verdict at trial.
