CEDAR CITY —A man convicted of attempted murder and aggravated burglary after choking a woman with a rubber hose at a Cedar City laundromat has been sentenced to a minimum of eight years in prison.
Iron County Jail booking photo of Zackry Izaac Ross, Cedar City, Utah, Feb. 15, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Iron County Attorney’s Office, St. George News / Cedar City News
Zackry Izaac Ross, 38, was sentenced to serve for one term of five years to life and one term of three years to life in the Utah State Prison by 5th District Judge Matthew L. Bell, who ordered that the terms run consecutive to each other.
“And I’m going to add, the court strongly urges the Board of Pardons to never release you,” Bell told Ross during the April 8 sentencing hearing. “It’s not about rehabilitation or giving you services. It’s about incapacitating you from hurting innocent people for stupid reasons.”
“You are a substantial and intensive risk to the community and you should never be released,” Bell added.
As previously reported, on Feb. 29, an eight-member jury found Ross guilty of entering the laundromat from which he had just been trespassed and attempting to strangle a woman using his bare hands and a rubber hose. The attack, which reportedly lasted more than two and a half minutes, was thwarted by Cedar City Police officers who intervened upon returning to the scene.
The incident in question took place on Feb. 15, 2023.
Earlier in the sentencing hearing, Ross’s attorney, public defender Steven Nielsen had argued for leniency, citing his client’s struggles with mental health issues, along with the difficulty Ross has had in coping with “the trauma and the tragedy that he’s had in his own life.”
Additionally, Nielsen said Ross still maintains his innocence.
“I don’t think Mr. Ross is trying to be insensitive,” Nielsen told the court. “It’s just the fact that he still believes that he is innocent from what he was charged and convicted of. For the reasons in his mind, he still believes what he testified to, that he was acting reasonably in the situation. And obviously, the jury didn’t agree with him, Your Honor.”
Nielsen said Ross is sorry for what happened that day.
“If he could change the past, I’m sure he would have gone to a different place to find warmth on that fateful day,” he said. “He’s willing to take accountability.”
However, Iron County Attorney Chad Dotson countered by noting Ross’s criminal history, which he said includes 27 adult convictions, five of which were felony convictions.
“He had several adjudications as a juvenile, including rape of a child when he was 16 years old,” Dotson said. “He has a history of violence.”
“He’s been in and out of prison multiple times, and his most recent stint on parole ended only two months before this event. December 2022 is when parole was terminated,” Dotson told the court, adding, “Of course, as Your Honor knows, one of the goals of the criminal justice system is incapacitation, and when rehabilitation efforts fail, I think that that’s where we’re at with Mr. Ross. It’s a rare circumstance, but at times, incapacitation is the only way to keep the public safe. I ask the court to do that. Mr. Ross should go to prison for as long as possible.”
Stock image of Fifth District Courthouse, Cedar City, Utah, June 8, 2021 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Judge Bell agreed, handing down the maximum sentence for the two charges and ordering that the prison terms run consecutively.
When Bell addressed Ross just prior to the sentencing, he called Ross’s claims “offensive and pathetic.”
“You’re a lifelong criminal who sees fit to victimize other people,” Bell said. “You were fully prepared to extinguish her life, because you felt slighted because the police officers trespassed you. You could have gone to any other business that was open and left it alone. And, you want to say she attacked you. That’s not what the video shows.”
Bell went on to call Ross’s actions “disgusting.”
“And if that is where your headspace is, if that’s your mindset and mental illness and whatever, that’s even more dangerous,” Bell said. “Because you were prepared to kill this lady over you being offended and being cold. You deserve the maximum sentence. You deserve prison. And Mr. Dotson’s right, this isn’t about rehabilitating or getting you services. You’re no victim. You’re a coward.”
Bell also told Ross that he’ll strongly recommend that he never be released from prison.
“If the Board of Pardons ever considers parole, they should first read that prophetic statement in your pre-sentence report,” Bell said. “And they should also review the video of your unrelenting and merciless assault on this innocent woman.”
The court did not impose any fines or fees but did leave restitution open, with the amount owed estimated to be at least $8,300. A restitution hearing has been scheduled for May 13.
The court also told Ross he could appeal the sentence in writing within 30 days if he so chooses. Court records indicate that a notice of appeal was filed on April 17.
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