Which was pretty much his only option, since in the immediate aftermath of the slaying, he texted a confession and admitted on his Facebook page that he'd done something unforgivable.
The Colorado Springs Police Department identifies Laster as a gang member. Last September, he and two men were arrested with what 7News described as "a stolen gun in the car, 265 grams of marijuana and three under-age girls."
Cops got another call about Laster on December 30. Seems he'd gotten into an argument with his mother, Brenda Laster-Taylor, 49 -- one concerning enough to her that she called the authorities. By the time officers arrived, he'd already split, but the Colorado Springs Gazette reports that he allegedly returned around 7:30 p.m. and shot his mom in the head while she talked on her cell phone.Afterward, Laster is said to have sent a text to a neighbor that read, "i killed brenda." And while he didn't repeat this phrase on his Facebook page, he shared a number of other highly pointed sentiments.
They include:
"Im sorry for nothing. My journey has come to an end."
"Alot of people will never understand. Why? Only a few know the truth. Life goes on. Solid."
"Thank u for everything u have ever did for me. U will never forgive me. That I kno. But im not askin for that. Just know i love u."
That Laster had time for Facebooking in the hours after the shooting is remarkable given that he also apparently tried and failed to carjack a vehicle outside a tavern -- he couldn't get the vehicle to start -- and was the subject of a sweeping dragnet. Still, he kindly kept his Facebook followers informed. At around 10:20 p.m. that evening, for instance, he wrote, ""They are all over. Everywhere around me so its only a matter of time."
He was right about that. By early the next morning, Laster was in police custody -- a situation that no doubt made engaging in social media difficult. And now that he's pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, he'll have to bid farewell to his Facebook friends once and for all.
Look below to see a larger version of Laster's mug shot.
Click here to follow and like the Michael Roberts/Westword Facebook page.More from our Colorado Crimes archive: "Karyn Roth accused of murder try for slashing Monica Trujillo's face in road rage incident."
