St. Cloud man gets 23 years for May 2022 homicide

ST. CLOUD – A Stearns County judge on Monday sentenced a 44-year-old St. Cloud man to nearly 23 years in prison for fatally shooting a St. Cloud man outside his house two years ago.

Alphonso D. Cotto was charged with one felony count of first-degree murder, one felony count of second-degree murder and one felony count for illegal firearm possession following the death of 38-year-old St. Cloud resident Michael Batsche, who was shot in the head at a southside residence in May 2022.

In March, Cotto entered an Alford plea to the count of second-degree murder. Such a plea does not admit guilt, but says the defendant believes prosecutors would have a high probability of proving the case beyond a reasonable doubt. As part of the deal, the other two counts were dismissed.

According to court documents, police responded to gunfire just before 8 p.m. on May 24, 2022, and found Batsche lying in a pool of blood inside the back door of a home in the 1200 block of 10th Avenue S. He was taken to St. Cloud Hospital, where he died.

A video recording from the residence captured footage of Cotto and 54-year-old St. Cloud resident Paul E. Coleman near a detached garage and a gunshot being fired at about 7:40 p.m. Authorities found nine cartridge casings outside the home.

Batsche’s girlfriend told police that Cotto was angry at Batsche and had argued with him several times in the days before the shooting; text messages between the men show Batsche reportedly owed Cotto money for drugs and a firearm, documents state.

The investigation showed Cotto and Coleman had known each other for about a year at the time of the shooting; Coleman told police he drove Cotto to Batsche’s residence on May 24 to “help Cotto and make sure Cotto was OK,” documents state.

In February, Coleman pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting second-degree murder. He is slated to be sentenced June 18.

On Monday, Judge Shan Wang sentenced Cotto to 23 years with credit for 664 days served.