Marco Antonio Cota Jr. of San Luis Obispo has been sentenced to serve 75 years to life plus 21 years for first-degree murder and mutilation of human remains.
He was also ordered to register as a sex offender.
The announcement was made on Wednesday by District Attorney Dan Dow.
In February, a San Luis Obispo County jury found Cota guilty of the murder and mutilation of 64-year-old Rick Fowler in November of 2021.
The murder took place in the evening at the Bianchi Open Space in San Luis Obispo, where there were several unauthorized homeless encampments, according to the DA's Office.
Cota and Fowler reportedly got into a verbal argument before Cota attacked and beat Fowler to death.
Evidence also showed that Fowler was penetrated in several places on his body with wooden sticks, done so by Cota.
The judge also found true that Cota had three prior convictions for felony “strike” offenses under California’s Three Strikes Law.
