ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The district attorney’s office in Albuquerque announced Wednesday that two men were sentenced to life in prison for the shooting death of an 11-year-old boy outside an Albuquerque baseball stadium in 2023, which prompted the New Mexico governor to issue a controversial gun ban.
Investigators believe a truck carrying a mother and three young children was mistaken for another vehicle during the shooting as vehicles exited the stadium. Froylan Villegas, 11, was killed by gunfire, as was his cousin Tatiana Villegas, who was paralyzed. Foylan’s mother and baby brother were not injured.
A jury in February convicted Jose Romero and Nathen Garley, both in their early twenties, of first-degree murder, tampering with evidence, shooting at or from a vehicle, and other charges in Villegas’ death.
The men were sentenced to life in prison plus 46 years, ensuring that they will remain in Corrections Department custody indefinitely, prosecutors said.
Following the shooting and others that killed children, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham declared a public health emergency over gun violence, temporarily suspending the right to carry firearms in some parks and playgrounds throughout the Albuquerque area. The decision sparked protests and legal challenges by gun rights advocates.
District Attorney Sam Bregman, a Democratic candidate for governor in 2026, said in a statement that the shootings “shook our entire community” and thanked his staff for seeking accountability.
