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 sta

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