Teen Gets 27 Years For Killing Cottage Grove Teacher
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A 19-year-old Pine Springs man who pleaded guilty in the shooting death of a popular Cottage Grove teacher learned his fate Friday afternoon.
Bailey Garcia was sentenced in a Washington County court to 27 years for second-degree murder in the January drive-by shooting death of David Frigaard in Mahtomedi.
The criminal complaint says Garcia had a fight with his father and brother and had been drinking before he parked near Stillwater Road and Mahtomedi Avenue.
That is where he saw Frigaard's truck come to a stop sign. The complaint says Garcia shot at the truck with his rifle and took off.
The medical examiner's report says the bullet perforated Frigaard's lungs and aorta.
Washington County Attorney Pete Orput says the crime "boggles the imagination."
"The only saving grace is that this case came to a swift resolution so as to give the victim's family as much closure as the system can provide," Orput said.
Following the sentencing, Garcia's family said they understood the judge's decision.
"Only thing we can do is make a positive of it, which we plan on doing as a family, which my son plans on doing, and we will honor Mr. Frigaard," Craig Garcia, Bailey Garcia's father, said
The defendant's cousin, childhood friend, mother, father and two brothers took the stand to speak on his behalf.
They say the man who pleaded guilty to murder is not the person they know. They describe him as honest and trustworthy.
Garcia's friends and family asked the judge to take his history of depression, suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts into consideration when she hands down his sentence.
His defense attorney stated in court that the night of David Frigaard death, Garcia had set out to take his own life.
He says his client is remorseful and has taken responsibility for his actions.
Garcia told investigators he was intoxicated and suicidal when he fired his rifle and shot the victim, according to police reports.
Frigaard was an art teacher at Park High School in Cottage Grove. He served as an at-risk program teacher, and also coached football, basketball and track over the years.
Garcia's defense attorney asked the judge to depart from Minnesota sentencing guidelines based on his client's nonexistent criminal history and the claim that his client did not intentionally set out to kill someone.
The state's guidelines lay out a range of 21 to 30 years in prison, but Garcia's defense attorney wanted the judge to consider a range between 12 and 21 years.
