40 Years for Killing Border Patrolman

SAN DIEGO (CN) - A 17-year-old man was sentenced Thursday to 40 years in federal prison for murdering a Border Patrol officer patrolling near San Diego. Christian Daniel Castro Alvarez admitted he killed Robert Rosas Jr. on July 23, 2009, while trying to rob him.

Castro admitted he entered the United States illegally "for the purpose of robbing a Border Patrol agent of government property," the U.S. Attorney's Office said in announcing his sentence.

"Alvarez and his co-conspirators lured Agent Rosas out of his vehicle for the purpose of robbing him. During the course of the robbery, Agent Rosas and the defendant struggled over a firearm and Agent Rosas was shot multiple times by the defendant and one or more of the co-conspirators," prosecutors said in a statement.

Castro voluntarily surrendered to U.S. authorities.

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