Farmersville Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murder

Today in Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, the court sentenced Alexander Shinn, age 28, to life in prison for the 2018 murder of his roommate.

In the early morning of December 8, 2018, after several weeks of tension in their Farmersville residence, Shinn bludgeoned his 25-year-old roommate with a metal bar while he was asleep on the couch. Shinn disposed of the victim in an orchard near Strathmore. After the body was found later that afternoon, Shinn called dispatch at the Farmersville Police Department and admitted to the killing. Officers met Shinn at his residence and placed him into custody. A search of the residence and vehicle revealed trash bags filled with bloody clothes, gloves, a mask, packing tape, and a two and a half foot metal breaker bar.

On February 14, 2022, a jury convicted Shinn of one count of first-degree murder, including a special allegation that he personally used a deadly weapon.

According to current sentencing laws, Shinn will be eligible for parole in no more than 26 years.

The case was prosecuted by Supervising Deputy District Attorney Douglas Rodgers and was investigated by the Farmersville Police Department and the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office.

Media inquiries can be directed to the Office of the District Attorney, County of Tulare Assistant District Attorney Dave Alavezos (559) 636-5494