Farmersville police say Brian Garza was assaulted by his roommate with 2½-foot chrome bar while sleeping on Saturday
@TheSunGazette
FARMERSVILLE – Farmersville police responded to calls of a kidnapping on Saturday, Dec. 8, but what had actually happened was far more violent.
Alexander Shinn
At the 900 block of West Ponderosa in Farmersville, Brian Garza, 25, lived with three other roommates. According to a Farmersville police report, Alexander Shinn, 25, and one of Garza’s roommates woke up around 4 a.m. on Saturday. Shinn then armed himself with an approximately 2½ foot chrome bar and violently assaulted Garza while he was asleep on the couch in the living room.
“Garza was struck numerous times by Shinn with the bar and in addition Shinn physically assaulted the victim including kicking, strangling and hitting his head against the tile floor of the residence,” Farmersville police reported.
Shinn took Garza out to an SUV that he drove often, after attempting to clean the scene. Shinn drove Garza just outside of Strathmore and left him in a grove. When he returned home, Shinn told his roommate that Garza had been abducted by a lone assailant wearing all dark clothing and a mask.
“Later in the day roommates called police to report the possible kidnapping and Shinn was ultimately contacted by police at the residence,” the Farmersville police report revealed.
Farmersville police found a large amount of physical evidence linking Shinn to the crime including the chrome bar used in the assault.
Farmersville police says the exact cause of death is pending an autopsy by the Tulare County Coroner’s Office.
The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information in this case is encouraged to contact Detective Barklow with the Farmersville Police Department at 559-747-0321.
