Aurora teen sentenced to 35 years in prison for deadly rental hall shooting

A 17-year-old who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in a shooting at an Aurora rental hall was sentenced to 35 years in the Colorado Department of Corrections, the district attorney’s office said.

Xavier Garcia, 17, was arrested after a shooting during a party in the 2000 block of Tower Road on March 23, 2024.

The victim, 19-year-old Joseph Martinez, was standing against a wall when a fight broke out and Garcia approached him, pulled out a handgun and shot him in the chest, according to the 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.

Martinez was taken to the hospital and later died.

Garcia pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on July 28, and prosecutors dismissed charges of first-degree murder and possession of a handgun by a juvenile as part of the plea agreement.

In a statement, District Attorney Brian Mason described Garcia’s actions as “outrageous, unjustified and devastating.”

“This case is yet another tragic example of the devastation caused by youth gun violence,” Mason said. “A 19-year-old lost his life, and a 17-year-old threw his future away with senseless act of violence.”

An attorney for Garcia could not immediately be reached for comment.

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