A prison term of 70 years to life in state prison was handed down March 3 for a Chula Vista man who was convicted of three counts of attempted murder and attempted arson at a motel in a bizarre scenario.
Jon Ralph Dibble, 27, spoke for the first time in court as Chula Vista Superior Court Judge Stephanie Song sentenced him to a separate sentence of 28 years and four months which is to be followed by a term of 42 years to life.
“I didn’t rent this motel room to murder anyone … I was out of my mind,” said Dibble, who acknowledged he had been drinking alcohol and was “drugged up” on Sept. 30, 2013.
Chula Vista Police found Dibble to be in possession of four beer bottles filled with gasoline and a lighter at the Riviera Motel at 372 Broadway in Chula Vista. He had wrapped cable around doorknobs of three units to try to prevent people from leaving their rooms.
Although he pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, a jury convicted him of nine felonies and found he was sane at the time of the offenses. Dibble repeatedly claimed there was a woman in a motel room who was being restrained and tormented by demon-possessed men.
Dibble told the judge he saw this vision of his ex-girlfriend being tormented via the television set in his room which was off at the time. He said the jury was “corrupted” and there was “a conspiracy going on” to convict him.
“I’m trying to prove the injustice here,” said Dibble.
Deputy District Attorney Ryan Karkenny said Dibble “falls under the spirit and the letter of the three strike law” in light of his prior convictions. Dibble has been convicted of attempted robbery, alien smuggling, burglary, DUI, elder abuse theft, receiving stolen property and vandalism.
Karkenny urged consecutive terms, saying Dibble intended to burn down the motel and kill people inside the rooms.
He said Dibble poses “a great and substantial threat to society.”
Dibble’s attorney, Damian Lowe, argued for concurrent terms, saying “no one got as much as a scratch” in the incident. No actual fire started as police found the Molotov cocktails before they could start a blaze.
Sontag said Dibble was “very dangerous” when he uses drugs and he has made “no concerted effort to stay off drugs.”
She fined him $1,084. Dibble was also convicted of four counts of possession incendiary devices, attempted arson and burglary.
