Issiah Ross Trial: Verdict, Appeal, and New Law

A jury in Orange County, North Carolina, found Issiah Ross guilty of second-degree murder in the September 2022 shooting death of 18-year-old Devin Clark and deadlocked on the charge tied to 14-year-old Lyric Woods, ending the Issiah Ross trial on January 29, 2026, with a 20-to-25-year prison sentence, a mistrial on the Woods count, and a defense appeal already on file. Ross, 21 at the time of the verdict, had been charged with two counts of first-degree murder and had rejected a plea deal two weeks earlier.

The Charges and the Killings

Ross was 17 on the night of September 16, 2022, when he drove Clark and Woods in his mother’s white 2017 GMC Terrain to a remote area off Buckhorn Road in Orange County. Shortly after 2 a.m. on September 17, a nearby resident, James Rogers, reported hearing gunshots. Both victims were shot multiple times with a 9mm Canik handgun belonging to Clark’s father, who had reported the firearm and 23 rounds of ammunition missing. Investigators recovered at least 12 spent shell casings at the scene, all from the same weapon.¹

An autopsy determined that Clark suffered six gunshot wounds, including fatal shots to the back and neck, and that Woods suffered seven gunshot wounds to the neck, hands, and head.²

Two men on four-wheelers found the bodies on September 18, 2022. Ross had fled the state and was arrested in Delaware on October 5, 2022, in a joint operation involving Orange County investigators, the FBI, and Delaware authorities. He has been held without bond since. District Attorney Jeff Nieman initiated proceedings to try him as an adult in November 2022.³⁴

The Rejected Plea Deal

On January 12, 2026, prosecutors offered Ross the chance to plead guilty to two counts of second-degree murder in exchange for two consecutive sentences of 20 to 25 years, totaling roughly 40 to 50 years in prison. The deal would have taken life without parole, the mandatory sentence for a first-degree murder conviction in North Carolina, off the table. Ross told the judge in open court, “I would like to reject the offer ma’am,” and declined to make a counteroffer. His defense team had already given notice that it would argue self-defense.⁵⁴

What Each Side Argued at Trial

The trial began January 14, 2026, in Orange County Superior Court before Judge Stephanie Reese. Assistant District Attorney Anna Orr led the prosecution; Jonathan Trapp represented Ross.⁶

The Prosecution

Orr told jurors that Ross shot both victims as they tried to flee and that the wound locations proved it. “The backs of these victims tells you everything you need to know,” she said, arguing that follow-up shots to the head were fired as “insurance.” Rogers, the neighbor, testified that he heard two distinct rounds of gunfire roughly 10 minutes apart, which prosecutors used to argue premeditation.⁷⁸

The state’s central witness was Christian Sykes, a friend of Ross’s, who testified that Ross confessed during a Snapchat video call on September 18, 2022. Sykes said Ross showed off a black handgun and said he had “capped” two people, explaining that Clark had pointed a gun at him with a laser sight, that they wrestled for it, and that Ross shot Clark. Ross then allegedly said he shot Woods because “she saw everything.” In a Snapchat exchange later that evening, Sykes said, Ross responded to a question about the victims with their names and a “rest in peace” emoji.⁹¹⁰

Prosecutors also introduced Snapchat messages in which Ross told other friends he did not know what had happened to the victims, and gas station surveillance showing Ross in a black quarter-zip sweater, which they said contradicted his claim that he returned to the scene to retrieve a hoodie. Orr told jurors he went back to dispose of Clark’s phone. As for motive, Orr speculated that a sexual arrangement Clark had allegedly promised Ross involving Woods had fallen through, but acknowledged no specific evidence directly supported that narrative.¹¹⁸

The Defense

Ross took the stand. He testified that an argument broke out after he drove the three of them to Buckhorn Road, that Clark shot Woods and then pointed the gun at him and said Ross “knew what time it was,” and that he wrestled the gun away and fired because he had “no other choice” in what he called “a life-or-death situation.”¹²

Trapp pointed to the absence of bullet holes, shell casings, or significant blood inside the GMC Terrain, which he said contradicted Sykes’s account that shots were fired inside the vehicle. He highlighted a “busted open” lip noted in Clark’s autopsy as evidence of a physical struggle consistent with his client’s account.⁷⁸

The defense also went after Sykes’s credibility. Sykes acknowledged on the stand that he knew Ross to “often stretch the truth” and that when he first heard the alleged confession he “didn’t believe it” because it “sounded crazy.” Trapp also pointed to inconsistencies between Sykes’s trial testimony and a recorded statement he gave investigators in 2022.⁹¹⁰

The Verdict and Sentence

Judge Reese instructed the jury on self-defense, excessive force, second-degree murder, and voluntary manslaughter. Deliberations began the afternoon of January 26, 2026, and lasted four days. Jurors asked for clarification on the legal definition of “malice” and on the distinction between second-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter.¹³

On January 29, 2026, at 2:34 p.m., the jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict on second-degree murder for the death of Devin Clark. On the Lyric Woods charge, the foreperson told the judge the panel was deadlocked 8-to-4 and that more time would not break the impasse. Both sides filed a joint motion, and Judge Reese declared a mistrial on that count.¹⁴¹⁵

Judge Reese sentenced Ross to a minimum of 240 months (20 years) and a maximum of 300 months (25 years) in prison for the second-degree murder of Devin Clark. She granted credit for time served since his arrest in October 2022 and ordered a psychological evaluation along with educational and vocational training.¹⁶

Cassandra Bryant, speaking for the Clark family, delivered a victim impact statement describing Devin as a “gentle giant” who “carried a kindness, a calmness, that drew people in,” and told the court that the killings “shattered two families’ entire lives.”¹⁷

The Appeal and the Woods Charge

Immediately after sentencing, Trapp filed a formal notice of appeal of the second-degree murder conviction and requested a trial transcript to prepare both the appeal and any further proceedings on the Woods count.¹⁶¹⁷

Because the Woods charge ended in a mistrial rather than an acquittal, prosecutors remain free to retry Ross. Orr signaled the state intends to pursue the case, saying that “just because we have ended where we have in this matter does not mean that justice for her is somehow gone by the wayside.” A hearing was initially discussed for March 2026, but the next scheduled court date was set for June 16, 2026, where the parties are expected to address whether the case moves to a retrial, a plea agreement, or another resolution. Trapp said he needed to consult with Ross about whether to retain counsel going forward and whether to pursue a plea.¹⁸¹⁹

The Law the Case Prompted

Frustration over the fact that Ross could not be publicly identified while at large, because North Carolina law then classified 17-year-olds as juveniles, drove a legislative change. In August 2023, Governor Roy Cooper signed House Bill 186, which includes a provision titled “Lyric and Devin’s Law.” The law allows courts to authorize law enforcement to release the names, photographs, alleged offenses, and threat-level assessments of juveniles accused of Class A through F felonies while they remain at large. Once a juvenile is taken into custody, the information must be removed from agency websites and social media.²⁰²¹

1
The News & Observer. Issiah Ross Murder Trial
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WRAL. Ross Murder Trial
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Chapelboro. The Orange County Trial Over 2 Teens’ Violent Deaths Begins: Here’s What to Know
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CBS17. Issiah Ross Double Murder Trial Begins Monday in Orange County
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WRAL. Accused Killer Rejects Plea Deal
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WRAL. Ross Murder Trial
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WRAL. Closing Arguments Issiah Ross Murders
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The News & Observer. Issiah Ross Trial Closing Arguments
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Chapelboro. A Star Witness, Snapchat Messages, and Phone Records
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Alamance News. Former Friend Testifies That Defendant Confessed Double Murders
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Chapelboro. Issiah Ross Completes Testimony, Closing Arguments
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WXII12. Issiah Ross Verdict
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CBS17. Jury Returns to Determine Verdict in Double Murder Trial
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WRAL. Issiah Ross Trial Verdict
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WRAL. Issiah Ross Jury Verdict: Guilty on Clark, Mistrial on Woods
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CBS17. Deadlocked Jury Heads Into 4th Deliberation Day
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The News & Observer. Issiah Ross Trial Verdict and Reactions
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ABC11. Jury Finds Issiah Ross Guilty in 1 Teen’s Death, Hung on Other
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WRAL. Issiah Ross Lyric Woods Murder Charge Hearing
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The News & Observer. Lyric and Devin’s Law Signed
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North Carolina General Assembly. House Bill 186