Articles Tagged With ‘murder’




Lompoc man who lit his father on fire convicted of murder, ruled sane

By JOSH FRIEDMAN A Lompoc man who set his father on fire is facing life in prison after a jury convicted him of first-degree murder and found that he was legally sane at the time of the crime. The Santa... (Continue reading)

Man convicted of murder in Santa Maria cold case sentenced to life in prison

By JOSH FRIEDMAN A Santa Barbara County judge on Friday sentenced a 57-year-old man to life in prison without the possibility of parole over the murder of a 30-year-old woman in Santa Maria in 1988. On Sept. 18, 1988, Aloysius... (Continue reading)

Lompoc man describes lighting his father on fire, and why

By KAREN VELIE The Lompoc man on trial for murder after he set his father’s hair on fire, argues he did not plan to kill his 68-year-old father Joseph Garcia Sr., but that it was a desperate attempt to get... (Continue reading)

Santa Maria gang member sentenced to 50 years to life for murder

By JOSH FRIEDMAN A Santa Barbara County judge on Wednesday sentenced a Santa Maria gang member to 50 years to life in prison for murder. On May 16, 2021, at about 2 a.m., Alfredo Alaniz shot and killed Mario Merino... (Continue reading)

Man found guilty in cold case murder of Santa Maria woman

By KAREN VELIE A Santa Maria jury on Friday found a 57-year-old man guilty in the murder of a 30-year-old woman in 1988. On Sept. 18, 1988, Aloysius Winthrop James killed 30-year-old Ofelia Sandoval at the Town Center Hotel where... (Continue reading)

San Luis Obispo police identify possible murder victim

By KAREN VELIE The San Luis Obispo police department on Tuesday identified the woman whose body was found next to a creek on Feb. 12 as 50-year-old Veronica Beatrice Baro. Her death is being investigated as a possible homicide. Baro... (Continue reading)

San Luis Obispo murder suspect in jail on unrelated charges

By KAREN VELIE A suspect in the alleged murder of a woman in San Luis Obispo has been in jail on unrelated charges since Monday, three days before the victim’s body was discovered. On the evening of Feb. 9, SLO... (Continue reading)

Santa Maria gang member guilty of murdering Oceano man

By KAREN VELIE A San Luis Obispo County jury found a 31-year-old gang member from Santa Maria guilty of murdering an Oceanp man and of a separate knife assault of a juvenile. He is scheduled to be sentenced for both... (Continue reading)

Suspect in Santa Maria cold-case murder linked by DNA evidence

By KAREN VELIE Santa Maria police linked a 57-year-old man on trial for a murder that occurred 35 years ago through DNA evidence. During the ongoing murder trial, investigators described how DNA evidence led to the arrest of Aloysius Winthrop... (Continue reading)

Judge approves permanent gag order in Melodee Buzzard murder case

By KAREN VELIE A Santa Barbara County Superior Court judge on Wednesday put a gag order on law enforcement and prosecutors during the murder trial of Ashlee Buzzard, a woman charged with murdering her 9-year-old daughter Melodee Buzzard. Santa Barbara... (Continue reading)