A Lompoc man's attempts to have a suspected romantic rival murdered went awry last month when the would-be killers turned on him and hatched a scheme with the intended victim to kill the Lompoc man instead, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department reported Friday.

What detectives are calling a “bizarre murder-for-hire plot” came to light after a seriously injured Francisco Taran Lopez, 23, was found along a rural mountain road north of Santa Barbara, a day after being stabbed seven times, strangled, beaten and left for dead.

After a three-week investigation, three Lompoc men - including Lopez - are in custody on attempted-murder and related charges, and a fourth man is being sought, according to sheriff's Sgt. Erik Raney.

A 15-year-old Lompoc boy, whose name was not released because of his age, was also arrested and is facing similar charges.

Raney gave the following account of the alleged murder plot:

Lopez began the chain of events when he asked Jose Juan Iniges Loza, 28, of Lompoc to kill Victor Hugo Garcia, 22, also of Lompoc. Lopez apparently believed Garcia was romantically interested in his girlfriend, Griselda Garcia of Lompoc.

Loza and the 15-year-old searched the streets of Lompoc for Victor Garcia, eventually finding him with his cousin, Victor Amezcua, 28, also of Lompoc.

Advertisement

Detectives believe the four, who knew each other through drug contacts, discussed the situation and conspired to kill Lopez instead.

“They were interested in stealing his drugs and his money,” Raney said.

The quartet's plan involved Garcia agreeing to be bound, blindfolded and brought to a remote location on East Camino Cielo Road north of Santa Barbara. Their intent was to lure Lopez to the site in the belief he would witness the killing of Garcia.

Sometime on Oct. 22, as all five suspects were gathered along East Camino Cielo, the trap was sprung, and Lopez was attacked and tossed over the edge of the road.

He eventually managed to climb back up to the side of the road, where hikers found him the following day, and he was taken to Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara for treatment.

He was released from the hospital a week later, and was booked into County Jail on suspicion of solicitation of murder, attempted murder and criminal conspiracy.

However, the attempted-murder case is only part of the trouble facing Loza and the teenager, according to the account provided by Raney:

On Oct. 23, the Lompoc Police Department began investigating a home-invasion robbery in the 900 block of North Third Avenue, where an 82-year-old woman was beaten and had more than $400 worth of possessions stolen.

Loza and the 15-year-old are also facing nine felony counts, including false imprisonment and assault with a deadly weapon, stemming from the home-invasion robbery.

In the early morning of Oct. 24, Garcia and Amezcua drove to the Los Angeles area, while Loza and the teen - “high on methamphetamine,” Raney said - grew worried that Griselda Garcia could become a witness against them in the attempted murder.

The two found the woman in Lompoc and lured her into their car with the intention of killing her. They forced her to drive the vehicle south, and the trio stopped in the Carpinteria area to use a restroom.

At that point, the 15-year-old became paranoid that he would be the next murder target, and attacked Loza and Griselda Garcia with a knife. The teen then stole another car and drove north along Highway 101 at high speed.

The California Highway Patrol began a pursuit of the teen, which ended when he crashed at Gaviota.

The 15-year-old was interviewed regarding the East Camino Cielo stabbing, and later booked into the Santa Barbara County Juvenile Hall on suspicion of attempted murder, criminal conspiracy, burglary and grand theft of an auto.

Garcia was arrested in Downey, Calif., for allegedly possessing methamphetamine. He was later booked in Santa Barbara County Jail on attempted-murder and criminal-conspiracy charges.

All four suspects were still in custody Friday, Raney said.

Loza and Garcia were being held without bail; Lopez was being held in lieu of $1 million bond, according to jail personnel.

Amezcua remained at large Friday. His last known address was in the 300 block of East Lemon Avenue in Lompoc.

He is described at 5-foot-8, 165 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. Deputies said he is possibly in possession of a red 2000 Ford Mustang, license plate number 4JPT690, reported stolen from Lopez.

Police ask anyone with information on Amezcua's whereabouts to call detectives Chris Corbett or Freddy Padilla at the Carpinteria sheriff's station at 568-3399.

Glenn Wallace can be reached at 737-1059 or gwallace@santamariatimes.com.

November 10, 2007