St. Cloud Man Sentenced for 2022 Murder

(KNSI) — A suspect in a 2022 homicide case in St. Cloud is headed to prison.

Attorneys for Alphonso Cotto entered an Alford plea, meaning Cotto maintained his innocence while admitting there may have been enough evidence to convict him of the crimes he was charged with. Cotto was indicted by a grand jury for first degree murder while committing or attempting to commit aggravated robbery. He was also charged with intentional second degree murder, felon in possession of ammunition or a firearm due to a prior conviction of violence, and aiding and abetting second degree murder. Instead, Cotto pleaded to one count of second-degree murder. As a result, the other charges were dropped. A first degree murder conviction means an automatic life sentence. Instead, Cotto received a sentence of just over 22 years.

On May 24th, 2022, officers were called to the 1200 block of 10th Avenue South for a man shot in the head. First responders rushed 39-year-old Michael Batsche to CentraCare-St. Cloud Hospital, where he died.

According to the criminal complaint, Cotto allegedly fought with Batsche over an unpaid debt before the shooting. Security camera footage from Batsche’s home showed Cotto and another man, identified as Paul Erving Coleman, standing next to the garage with something in their hands minutes before first responders received 911 calls for gunshots in the area. Investigators located additional camera footage showing an SUV owned by Coleman in the alley behind the victim’s home at the time of the shooting. Coleman was arrested two days later in St. Cloud. Cotto was taken into custody in Chicago.

Court papers show Cotto initially claimed self-defense, but the Alford plea waives that claim.

In March, Coleman pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting second-degree murder. A charge of first-degree murder will be dismissed. He is set to be sentenced next week.

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