ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Sabastian Garcia, who’s been in constant trouble since he was 16, found out he’ll be going to prison for a long time.
Sabastian Garcia had been in the news for killing a dog when he was 16, and the crimes escalated from there. Garcia, who’s now 23, was sentenced to 24 years for murdering 21-year-old Darin Gonzales while out on parole.
In Tuesday’s sentencing hearing when he was sentenced, Gonzales’ mother had a few words for Garcia.
“We are here today to be the voice of my son, Darin, who was brutally murdered at the hands and actions of Sabastian Garcia. Sabastian Garcia has impacted so many lives by the cause of your brutal actions,” said Gonzales’ mother Angelica Gonzales.
Gonzales was shot to death at his apartment near Carlisle and Candelaria in 2021 after an argument over a gun, but Garcia had been a danger for years before that.
In 2016, when Garcia was 16 years old, he broke into a family’s home in the east mountains and killed their dog during the burglary. Garcia was involved with a notorious gang that was causing problems all over the city. In addition to those crimes, Garcia was out on probation at the time of the murder for shooting a man over a hundred dollar debt.
After learning his sentence, Garcia addressed the courtroom, speaking directions to Gonzales’ mother. “I would just like to apologize to the mother, and I ask for her forgiveness,” said Sabastian Garcia.
In addition to second-degree murder, Garcia was also convicted of being a felon with a firearm.
