Dominique Lasker Finally Brought to Justice with Life Sentence
On Monday, March 31, 2025, a Waller County jury was selected to hear the Aggravated Robbery trial of Dominique Dontae Lasker. The case against Lasker was among the oldest pending in Waller County..
In 2010, under then DA Elton Mathis, Lasker was indicted for Capital Murder and two counts of Murder stemming from the aggravated robbery and murder of Stanley Jackson and the murder of Janella Edwards in their home in Brookshire, Texas. Lasker subsequently pled to two counts of Murder and was sentenced to 45 years with a dismissal of the Capital Murder charge. However, in 2019, the First Court of Appeals of Texas reversed his convictions and barred retrial on the Murder and Capital Murder charges because the Defendant had not been brought to trial within 180 days of an interstate transfer request he had made from a federal prison from California.
In 2019, following the decision of First Court of Appeals, a Waller County grand jury indicted Lasker on charges of Aggravated Robbery for each of the victims in the Murder cases. A Trial setting was significantly delayed due to COVID, and pre-trial hearings and pre-trial appeals by the Defendant related to his prior overturned conviction. During one of these pre-trial hearings, the trial court dismissed the Aggravated Robbery of Stanley Jackson as barred due to its’ inclusion in the original Capital Murder indictment. This left only the Aggravated Robbery of Janella Edwards remaining.
On April 1, the jury began hearing evidence of the deaths of Janella Edwards and Stanley Jackson. Testimony from family members, former Texas Rangers Brian Taylor (currently Chief Investigator, Washington County District Attorney’s Office), and Wesley Doolittle (currently Montgomery County Sheriff) along with various employees and former employees of the Texas Department of Public Safety Crime Lab in Houston established that Lasker not only killed Janella Edwards and Stanley Jackson, but stole a safe, jewelry boxes, and other items from their home after he killed them.
The trial was held in the 506th District Court, before Senior District Judge Albert M. McCaig, Jr.
On April 4, 2025, after four days of testimony from numerous witnesses, the Defendant was convicted by a jury of Waller County citizens. The punishment phase of the trial began immediately following the jury’s verdict.
Waller County Criminal District Attorney Sean Whittmore argued to the jury in the guilt innocence phase that “Dominique Lasker shattered the lives of the Janella Edwards’ and Stanley Jackson’s families. His bullets cut short their lives, his theft and betrayal no doubt broke their hearts. And what is left, is to hold him accountable. It has been 15 years, 24 days. But it’s not too late. It’s never too late to do the right thing. It’s never too late for justice.”
In punishment, DA Whittmore argued that the Defendant had “violated all of his oaths as a Marine, to his country, to the community and to Janella Edwards.” Then DA Whittmore asked Judge McCaig to sentence the Defendant to Life in prison.
Following the brief evidence and arguments from Waller County Criminal District Attorney Sean Whittmore, Lasker was sentenced to Life in prison for the Aggravated Robbery of Janella Edwards by Judge McCaig
Criminal District Attorney Sean Whittmore and Criminal Division Chief, Assistant Criminal District Attorney Lauren Haevischer represented the State of Texas.
We thank the citizens of Waller County who served on this jury for their attention and dedication to justice. We also thank Chief Brian Taylor of Washington County District Attorney’s Office, Sheriff Wesley Doolittle of the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, the Texas Department of Public Safety, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Brookshire Police Department for their assistance with this important investigation and trial.
Waller County Criminal District Attorney Sean Whittmore said “Waller County Criminal District Attorney’s office continue to fight for justice for each and every victim of violent crime. Sometimes the road is long, but it is never too late for Justice.”