A 19-year-old Richfield man was sentenced to 21 years and 9 months in prison on Oct. 19 for shooting his cousin to death in a Bloomington driveway. The victim's family says the plea deal that led to that sentence fell short.
Exon Alfonzo Sanchez Garzon pleaded guilty to second-degree murder with intent, but not premeditated, in the death of Andy Tapia Negrete, 24. Sanchez Garzon was 18 at the time of the killing. He gets credit for 485 days already served. Under Minnesota's sentencing rules, he has to serve 2/3 of the term in prison, and up to 1/3 can be served on supervised release. That puts his possible release about 14 years from now.
The shooting happened early on June 22, 2025, in the 200 block of West 92nd Street. A group had gathered in a driveway there. According to the case details, an argument started after Tapia Negrete told Sanchez Garzon he wasn't welcome because of his past actions against Tapia Negrete's sister. Surveillance video showed Tapia Negrete being punched and a fight breaking out. Then Sanchez Garzon pulled a pistol from a cross-body bag and fired about 3 shots. He stepped back, aimed at his cousin, and fired about 5 more.
Police arrived around 6:45 a.m. and found Tapia Negrete with multiple gunshot wounds. He died at the scene. Sanchez Garzon ran off on foot and was arrested hours later in Minneapolis. His girlfriend, who was there when he was arrested, told police that he was crying and said he had killed his cousin.
Tapia Negrete graduated from Bloomington Kennedy High School. He had a 3-year-old son and hoped to run his own business someday.
His mother, Briselda Negrete, spoke through an interpreter. She said no sentence would bring her son back. She also called the plea deal and sentence lenient and said they were offered under the guise that Sanchez Garzon deserved a second chance because of his age and criminal record. He had no adult record when the shooting happened but had committed a crime as a minor. She believes the security video would have won a longer sentence if the case had gone to trial.
She said her grandson has had a hard time understanding his father's death. He wonders why his dad isn't around and asks when he'll come home.
