Joseph Ashley Garcia sentenced to life without parole after setting his father on fire in 2022

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. (KEYT) – On Wednesday, Joseph Ashley Garcia, a Lompoc man originally charged with lighting his father on fire in 2022, was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

On June 11, 2022, the 40-year-old Lompoc resident was arrested for attempted murder after using a blow torch to ignite flammable material he had thrown onto his 68-year-old father following an argument.

"Upon forcing the door, we immediately saw the father was set on fire and was actively burning," Sgt. Jorge Magana shared with Your News Channel at the time.

Garcia's father suffered third-degree burns and was airlifted to Cottage Hospital before succumbing from his injuries days later.

Prosecutors updated Garcia's charge to first-degree murder after his father's death.

The 40-year-old pled not guilty during his arraignment in a Santa Maria courtroom and his attorney stated his doubts about Garcia's competency to stand trial in July of 2022.

In April of this year, a Santa Barbara County jury found him sane enough to stand trial and found him guilty of the first-degree murder of his father.

On June 10, Judge Stephen Dunkle sentenced Garcia to life without the possibility of parole shared the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office.