A HUNTINGTON BEACH MAN CONVICTED of the murder of a woman in 2022 was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Friday (Shutterstock).

Nearly three years after one of the grisliest crimes in recent Orange County history, the convicted killer was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

On Friday, Superior Court Judge Gary Paer sentenced Anthony Padilla of Huntington Beach in the killing and decapitation of Regina Lockhart in 2022.

According to Huntington Beach police, patrol officers were dispatched to a home in the 7800 block of Slater Avenue on July 16, 2022 regarding a report of “suspicious circumstances.” Upon arrival they’d decided that a body had been buried on the property.

The body of a woman – later identified as Lockhart, 60, a transient – was uncovered, with the head severed.

The next day, Padilla, 34, was arrested near the area. He was living at the residence where the body was found. They had no known prior relationship.

On Feb. 18, 2025, Padilla was found guilty of murder after a trial that lasted nearly four weeks.