ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Two males have been sentenced Wednesday to lifelong phrases in jail in the shooting death of an 11-year-old boy exterior an Albuquerque baseball stadium in 2023 that prompted the New Mexico governor to issue a controversial gun ban, the district legal professional’s workplace in Albuquerque stated.
Investigators say a truck carrying a mom and three younger kids was mistaken for an additional automobile within the taking pictures as automobiles have been leaving the stadium. Gunfire killed 11-year-old Froylan Villegas and paralyzed cousin Tatiana Villegas, whereas Foylan’s mom and child brother have been unhurt.
A jury in February convicted Jose Romero and Nathen Garley, each of their early 20s, of first-degree homicide, tampering with proof, taking pictures at or from a automobile and different fees within the demise of Villegas.
The boys have been sentenced to life in jail plus 46 years, guaranteeing they’ll keep underneath Corrections Division custody completely, prosecutors stated.
Within the aftermath of the taking pictures and others that killed kids, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham declared a public well being emergency over gun violence, briefly suspending the best to hold weapons in some parks and playgrounds within the larger Albuquerque space. The choice touched off protests and legal challenges by advocates for gun rights.
District Lawyer Sam Bregman, a Democratic candidate for governor in 2026, stated in a press release that the shootings “shook our whole group” and praised his employees for pursuing accountability.
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