Criminal proceedings have resumed in Santa Barbara County Superior Court in the case of a Lompoc man accused of setting his father on fire, causing his death and injuring a dog in their home last year.

Joseph Ashley Garcia, 41, was arrested after the June 11, 2022, attack that critically injured his father, 68-year-old Joseph Michael Garcia. The father died days later from his injuries.

Months after the incident, the son was found mentally incompetent to stand trial.

Officers responded at 3:30 p.m. June 11, 2022, to a residence on the 200 block of North D Street on a report of a father and son fighting, according to the Lompoc Police Department. 

When police entered the residence, they found the father’s upper body engulfed in fire and said he poured juice over his head in an attempt to extinguish the flames. Officers placed him on the ground and put out the fire, police said, adding that the man suffered third-degree burns.

Burn injuries covered 35% of his body, according to court documents. 

The father’s dog had been sitting on his lap and fled from the house, but was captured and ultimately cared for by a Los Alamos resident, who found a new home for the healed canine.

Initially charged with attempted murder, an amended criminal complaint filed after the father’s death charged Garcia with murder and felony animal cruelty.

A special circumstance for infliction of torture means Garcia could face the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted.

During a hearing last year, a judge found Garcia mentally incompetent to stand trial after the defendant made allegations labeled “outrageous” and “fantastical.” Garcia had claimed he was being followed, malware was placed on his electronic devices, a website showing his allegation had disappeared, his home was staged as a crime scene and it all threatened national security.

After Garcia was declared mentally incompetent to assist his attorney in his defense, criminal proceedings were suspended from September through June while he underwent treatment.

Last month, he was declared mentally competent, clearing the way for paused criminal proceedings to continue.

The case is scheduled to return to court Aug. 2, when the judge and attorneys may set a date for the preliminary hearing. 

Senior Deputy District Attorney Madison Whitemore is leading the prosecution team while Garcia is represented by attorney Erica Sutherland.

Garcia remains in the custody of the Santa Barbara County Jail, where he is being held without bail.