A California man will spend the rest of his life in prison after prosecutors said he poured tiki torch oil on his father’s head and set him on fire while the 68-year-old victim sat with his dog on his lap.
Joseph Ashley Garcia, 44, was sentenced last Wednesday to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the brutal killing of his father, Joseph Michael Garcia.
Garcia was found guilty on April 13 of murder, cruelty to animals and four sentencing enhancements, including torture, in connection with the June 2022 attack.
His father died 10 days after he was set ablaze. Officials said Joe M. Garcia suffered severe burns over 35% of his body and later died from septic shock.
During court testimony, the younger Garcia admitted telling his father, “You brought this on yourself,” on the night of the attack, according to Noozhawk.
Garcia also confessed during his trial to pouring between 3 and 4 ounces of tiki torch oil, or acetone, from a bottle onto his father’s head.
He claimed he had only intended to set his father’s hair on fire, but prosecutors pushed back on that explanation.
“You didn’t do what you needed to do to only burn his hair, right?” Senior Deputy District Attorney Madison Whitmore asked Garcia on the stand.
“I guess I’d agree with that,” Garcia replied, according to Noozhawk.
Prosecutors argued Garcia was more concerned about himself than his father after setting him on fire. Garcia admitted he did not yell for help or call for help during the attack.
“I suppose so,” he said when confronted with prosecutors’ claim.
Authorities said the attack came after Garcia accused his father of having an affair with his spouse. Prosecutors said methamphetamine use was also believed to be a contributing factor.
“I just had it with him,” Garcia told police after his arrest. “I was sick of his s—.”
At the time of the attack, Joe M. Garcia was sitting with his terrier, Charlie, on his lap, according to local officials. Garcia was also convicted of cruelty to animals.
An obituary for Joe M. Garcia said he had lived nearly his entire life in Lompoc and enjoyed taking Charlie to the beach.
Prosecutors described the case as one of the most disturbing they had ever handled.
“This verdict reflects exactly what justice looks like for one of the most disturbing cases our office has prosecuted,” Santa Barbara District Attorney John Savrnoch said after Garcia’s conviction. “The jury heard the evidence and held this defendant fully accountable.”
Savrnoch said the first-degree murder conviction with the torture special circumstance sent “an unambiguous message that this community will not tolerate acts of extreme cruelty.”
At his sentencing in Santa Maria Superior Court last week, Garcia reportedly remained expressionless as victim impact statements were read and video of his father was played in court, according to the Santa Barbara Independent.
He reportedly spoke only to his attorney before being sentenced to die behind bars.
Human Tiki Torch