BAKERSFIELD, California — A 35-year-old guy was killed in March 2020. A man was found guilty of first-degree murder.
The Kern County District Attorney’s Office said that a jury found Andrew Barraza guilty of first-degree murder on May 18, 2023. The jury also found that Barraza used a gun to kill his victim.
The DA’s office also said that jurors found Barraza guilty of having a gun while he was a convicted criminal.
The DA’s office said that on March 10, 2020, just before midnight, Andrew Barraza and Javier Rodriguez had a verbal argument as they went into the Bakersfield AM/PM store at the corner of Brundage and South H Street.
The coroner’s office said that Rodriguez was 35 years old.
The DA’s office says that after the verbal fight, Barraza drew Rodriguez out into the street and seemed to challenge him to a fistfight.
The DA’s office said that before any fighting happened, Barraza waited for his friends to pull up in their car nearby. He then pulled out a gun, shot Rodriguez three times, and ran away from the scene.
Rodriguez was shot in the chest and died at the scene of the crime.
Bakersfield Police Department investigators found out that Barraza was the shooter and put out a warrant for his arrest.
Barraza was taken into custody on March 29, 2020, by the Kern County Sheriff’s Office.
With the first-degree murder conviction and the gun enhancement that the jury gave, the person could get anywhere from 50 years to life in jail.
On May 22, 2023, the judge will hear more about the case, and a date for sentence is likely to be set at that time.
District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer talked about three verdicts, including those of Jose William Lara and George Richard Smith. She said, “It is very important that successful prosecution be used to fight the rising rate of violent crime.
These murder decisions show how hard the DA’s Homicide Unit works to get justice for people who have been hurt by violent crime.
Whether it’s a cold-case murder from ten years ago, a domestic violence homicide and cover-up, or a shooting on city streets, the DA’s Homicide Unit is hard at work putting killers in jail and giving victims and their families justice.