JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — A 65-year-old man will spend the next 40 years in prison after being found guilty of second-degree murder in connection with the shooting death of his girlfriend at a home in Morrison.
Jerald Cross was sentenced Dec. 20 in relation to the Oct. 7, 2018 killing of 61-year-old Julene Isaacson, who was a teacher at Red Rocks Elementary School.
Deputies with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office (JCSO) were called to 5288 Pintail Court, where they found Isaacson's body. She had been shot twice in the head, according to the First Judicial District Attorney's Office.
During his trial, jurors heard testimony that Cross had been "physical with" Isaacson in the past, and that she had planned to break up with him.
Isaacson told family and friends that she had an "exit strategy" to end the relationship but wanted to wait until the end of the school term to lessen the impact on her students.
Jurors heard testimony from Cross saying he committed the murder because he "couldn’t give her up."
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