Joshua Rash was living in a Sacramento encampment underneath a bridge when, officials said, a man walked toward him with a handgun, intent on taking his dog.
Rash armed himself with a metal pole and tried to keep the gunman, 62-year-old Richard Bradford, away from his four-legged friend, but prosecutors said Bradford shot Rash and left him to die underneath the bridge.
When police found the body of 37-year-old Rash in the 8200 block of Gerber Road, officials said, the dog was still sitting by his side. Prosecutors and police did not say what became of the faithful dog.
On Friday, Bradford was sentenced in Sacramento County Superior Court to 76 years to life for the Oct. 8, 2023, shooting.
Bradford was sentenced Aug. 5 for second-degree murder. The jury also found that Bradford fired his weapon in the crime, and that he was a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.
Prosecutors said Bradford had two prior strike convictions before the fatal shooting.