Farmersville Man Convicted of Murdering Sleeping Roommate

A Tulare County jury has convicted a Farmersville man of murdering his sleeping roommate with a metal bar in December 2018.

The jury convicted Alexander Shinn, 28, of first-degree murder on Monday. Shinn’s sentencing is scheduled for March 29. He faces life in prison.

According to Tulare County prosecutors, tensions built up over several weeks precipitated Shinn’s murder of Brian Garza, 25.

Body Dumped in Orchard

Alexander Shinn

Prosecutors said during the trial that Shinn disposed of the victim in an orchard near Strathmore.  After the body was found that afternoon, Shinn called dispatch at the
Farmersville Police Department and admitted to the killing.

A search of the residence and a vehicle in the 900 block of West Ponderosa Street uncovered trash bags filled with bloody clothes, gloves, a mask, packing tape, and a 30-inch metal breaker bar.

Supervising Deputy District Attorney Douglas Rodgers prosecuted the case. Farmersville police and the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office investigated the murder.

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