A man who traveled from Arizona to his father's League City home was sentenced to life in prison for a Galveston stabbing.
Issac Elijah Garcia-Soto pleaded guilty to murder Tuesday, Oct. 6, in the April 2025 killing of 74-year-old Galveston resident Richard Thomas, as first reported by KGTX 7. Garcia-Soto traveled from Arizona to League City in April 2025 after being kicked out of his mother's home, the Galveston County Criminal District Attorney's Office said. He then went to Galveston with his girlfriend.
The case had been pending for about 18 months, delayed by questions about Garcia-Soto's competency to stand trial, the Galveston County Daily News reported.
Under the plea agreement, Garcia-Soto must serve 30 years before he can apply for parole. He had been reindicted on a capital murder charge in September 2025 but ultimately pleaded guilty to the lesser murder charge.
How prosecutors described the killing
Prosecutors said Garcia-Soto met Thomas in Galveston and the two exchanged phone numbers and location information. Thomas later dropped Garcia-Soto off at a Kroger on Seawall Boulevard.
Garcia-Soto then went to the Beachfront Palms Hotel. There, he approached a woman getting into her vehicle, asked for a ride and threatened her with scissors before forcing her to drive him to Thomas' location, according to the District Attorney's Office. He also faces an aggravated kidnapping charge from that encounter.
Thomas, who relied on a cane to walk, was found dead inside an apartment in the 8100 block of Seawall Boulevard on April 3, 2025. A maintenance worker discovered the body.
Garcia-Soto told detectives he went to Thomas' apartment intending to steal his vehicle so he could return to Arizona, the District Attorney's Office said. When Thomas would not hand over his keys, Garcia-Soto stabbed him in the neck with scissors, then used a kitchen knife to stab him multiple times in the neck, prosecutors said.
He told detectives he was under the influence of methamphetamine at the time, according to the District Attorney's Office.
Evidence and arrest
Galveston police obtained Ring camera footage from a neighboring residence showing Garcia-Soto entering the apartment behind Thomas. Investigators found his DNA on a light switch, a deadbolt lock and a hand towel prosecutors said was used to clean the scene.
Police tracked the stolen Chevrolet Cruze using Flock camera data and located Thomas' phone through cell tower records. Garcia-Soto was arrested while still carrying Thomas' belongings, and DNA testing showed Thomas' blood on the clothing Garcia-Soto wore at the time, prosecutors said.
Competency delays
A Galveston County grand jury first indicted Garcia-Soto on a murder charge in June 2025. Judge Jared Robinson of the 405th District Court ordered a psychiatric examination that same month. A psychological evaluation was later filed under seal.
Garcia-Soto was transferred from the Galveston County Jail in March 2026 for a health evaluation, the Daily News reported. Thomas' daughter, Hope Thomas, told the Daily News in June 2026 that she was frustrated by what she described as a lack of communication about the prosecution. She said she had struggled financially after the death of her father, whom she had relied on for support.
The disposition of the aggravated kidnapping charge was not addressed in available court records as of the sentencing.
