Isaiah Brown pleads guilty in Bloomfield double homicide case

Isaiah Brown pleaded guilty in Aztec to the Bloomfield double homicide that killed Stoney Torres and Jessica Aragon, ending the need for a seven-day trial set for March 24. The plea also moved the 23-year-old defendant’s case toward sentencing in the 11th Judicial District Court, where the hearing ended with a reaction from the victims’ family.

As Brown was being escorted out, Laurie Aragon, Jessica Aragon’s mother, shouted at him, “You’re dead!” Benjamin Salazar also yelled, “Street justice!” Outside the courthouse, protesters demanded, “No plea deals for murder.”

The killings unfolded on Aug. 28, 2024, at a home on County Road 4909 in Bloomfield, in the Harvest Gold neighborhood, after an argument over $80 and fentanyl escalated into gunfire. Brown and his girlfriend at the time, Ravyn Burns, were staying at the home with Lester Browning and Amanda Green. Brown told Browning that his friend owed about $80 from a prior fentanyl purchase. When Torres and Aragon arrived, Torres pulled out a bag of suspected fentanyl pills, Brown demanded the money and then pulled a gun from his waistband and fired. Torres was 25 and Aragon was 28. Browning said Burns and Aragon tried to calm the dispute before the shooting. Brown was also tied to a silver 2016 Kia Sportage taken from the scene.

Brown admitted in court that he also shot at two police officers while trying to escape arrest on Aug. 29, 2024, at a mobile home near Waterflow on County Road 6693. Brown and Burns were found there after fleeing the Bloomfield killings, and Brown was later hospitalized with serious but nonlife-threatening gunshot wounds. No law enforcement officers were injured in the standoff. The Farmington Police Department identified the officers who fired shots as Bing Lin, Rhett Silver and Brandon Downs, and all three were back on full duty by Sept. 23, 2024.

Brown’s case had already been moving toward trial after a judge denied a change-of-venue request and a defense motion to suppress his interviews with detectives. Brown faced two counts of first-degree murder and other allegations including armed robbery, unlawful taking of a motor vehicle, tampering with evidence, possession of a controlled substance, aggravated assault on a peace officer, attempted murder, arson and resisting, evading or obstructing an officer. Burns faced separate charges tied to the same case, including tampering with evidence and resisting, evading or obstructing an officer. Laurie Aragon’s petition seeking public input on the plea deal had 281 signatures as of July 7, 2026.