Joseph Ashley Garcia deemed sane, convicted of first degree murder

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – The Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office announced a jury convicted Joseph Ashley Garcia of first-degree murder and found the special circumstance of torture true.

The same jury found April 21 that Garcia was legally sane at the time of the defense, rejecting the defense's claim of misunderstood nature or wrongfulness of action, according to the SBCDAO.

Garcia, 44, critically injured his father by leaving a flammable substance on him and ignited a torch on June 11, 2022.

Garcia's father later passed away from his injuries days later, after officers initially received a call for a father and son fighting at 3:30 p.m. on the above date.

Garcia will be sentenced in Santa Maria Superior Court on June 6, 2026, where he faces a mandatory term of life without parole possibility due to the torture component of the crime.