A Lompoc man has been sentenced in Santa Barbara County Superior Court to life in prison without the possibility of parole after being found guilty of setting his father on fire causing severe burns that led to the man’s death.

Joseph Ashley Garcia, 44, was arrested after the 2022 attack that critically injured his father, Lompoc resident Joseph Michael Garcia, 68, who died days later in a hospital.

After hearing from the victim’s family Wednesday, one day before the attack’s four-year anniversary, Judge Stephen Dunkle referred to the horrific circumstances that led to the death of the man known as Mike.

“(It’s) unimaginable to think what he went through at the moment,” Dunkle said.

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

Garcia tossed a flammable substance on his father and then used a torch to ignite the fire. 

When police entered the residence, they found the father’s head and upper body engulfed in flames.

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. Charlie the dog has since died.

The defendant was charged with first-degree murder along with a special circumstance of torture, plus felony animal cruelty.

Garcia, who was represented by attorney George Steele, pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, leading to the two-part trial earlier this spring in Lompoc.

After finding Garcia guilty of first-degree murder but not guilty of animal cruelty, the jury later deemed him sane at the time of the attack. Jurors also found the torture allegation as true.

On Wednesday morning, Deputy District Attorney Madison Whitmore read victim impact statements from the sisters of the victim they called Mike.

“What he did to my brother is very devastating to my family,” Rosemary Alvarez said in the statement. “We finally have closure and peace.”

Another sister, Marge Hampton, noted the defendant has spent several years in prison previously for lewd and lascivious acts with a minor and said she is relieved he will be back behind bars. 

“If he can do this to his dad, he can do it to anyone,” Hampton said.

Niece Alisha Robles recalled the victim as her “loving, caring goofball uncle,” speaking out against a cousin she called manipulative. 

“Nothing will bring my uncle back but knowing Mr. Garcia will never hurt anyone else brings a measure of relief,” she added.

The judge also issued a number of fines and fees plus restitution of more than $5,500 to be paid to the California Victim Compensation Board‘s fund.

Garcia, who has remained in the custody of the Santa Barbara County Jail, will be remanded to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. 

Before his arrest, Garcia became known in the community for being an outspoken advocate for the cannabis industry in Lompoc, often speaking at public meetings while wearing a cap with a marijuana leaf.