The convicted killer of Jason “Cowboy” Huggins was sentenced Nov. 14 to 19 years to life in prison by a judge who said the North Park man had no remorse for brutally assaulting Huggins in the head with heavy rocks that caused irreversible brain damage.
Joshua James Larson, 38, said nothing before San Diego Superior Court Judge Theodore Weathers imposed 16 years to life for the jury’s verdict of second-degree murder Sept. 21. He added three years consecutively for injuring Huggins’ boyfriend with a rock.
“It’s a separate act, separate victim and separate rocks,” said Weathers.
Weathers ordered Larson to pay $4,844.49 for the funeral costs, plus a $5,364 fine. If Larson gets a job in prison, which typically pays meager wages, a proportion of it will be taken to pay the funeral costs and fine.
Attending the sentencing were Larson’s parents and his girlfriend.
Attorney Peter Will, who represented Larson, had asked Weathers to impose 16 years to life and not add three years for injuring Nathan Meza during the same incident June 22, 2011 where both men were living in a tent in a Hillcrest ravine.
Will said the injury to Meza may have been accidental and it was only “moments apart” after Larson struck Huggins. He said the 16-year term was long enough, and Larson “may never walk out of prison” if he does not get paroled. The “to life” sentence is indeterminate, which means a parole board could keep him in prison.
Meza testified an angry Larson barged into their tent and said to him, “Have you ever had a rock to your face?” before Larson hit him in the mouth with a rock, causing him to bleed. Meza fled and didn’t see Larson hit Huggins with a rock.
Meza testified he didn’t know what Larson was so angry about and did not know Huggins testified against Larson in 2009 when he stole his wallet and ended up serving several stints in jail.
Revenge was the motive for the attack, said Deputy District Attorney Makenzie Harvey. Larson had finished a second jail term when he randomly ran into Huggins at the McDonald’s restaurant in Hillcrest that day and security camera footage showed him following Huggins.
Feb. 23, 2009, Larson spotted Huggins on the Vermont Street Bridge and grabbed Huggins wallet, leaving quickly on his skateboard. Huggins called police, and officers not only found Huggins’ wallet, but they also found 33 grams of marijuana in baggies in Larson’s possession, according to court records.
Larson claimed Huggins owed him money, but he was also charged with possession of marijuana for sale. Larson has been arrested numerous times for DUI and minor drug offenses. He violated probation five times in a DUI case in 1999, and was on probation when he killed Huggins, according to his probation report.
He told a probation officer “there is no reason for me to be in (jail) right now,” and claimed his attorney would not let him testify at his trial.
Huggins had a difficult life and his parents died when he was young. He grew up with an aunt and uncle in Tennessee and adopted his “Cowboy” nickname due to the black hat that he wore constantly.
After he was injured, about 50 friends held a candlelight vigil at Scripps Mercy Hospital where he was in a coma. He died July 6, 2011.
Larson received credits of 510 days in jail. He served four years in the Army and worked on construction jobs and modeling.
