Lompoc man dies after being set on fire by son
LOMPOC, Calif. – Police have confirmed the death of a man who was set on fire by his son on June 11.
Officers responded to reports of a father and son fighting inside a Lompoc home on the afternoon of June 11.
When the son, 40-year-old suspect Joe Garcia, Jr., did not comply with officers' orders to open the door, officers forced the door open and "immediately saw the father was set on fire and actively burning," the police department previously told News Channel 3-12.
The father, Joe Garcia, Sr., sustained third-degree burns and was airlifted to Cottage Hospital before being transferred to a burn center.
He died on Tuesday.
Garcia Jr. was arrested on June 11 and arraigned in a Santa Maria court shortly after, where he pled not guilty to the charges, which included attempted murder.
Following the death of Garcia Sr., the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office told News Channel 3-12 that it expects Garcia Jr. to be arraigned on an amended complaint on Monday.