Notorious Bakersfield

Send Robert a Text! Nearly a decade before the murder that would shock Bakersfield, Dennis Weis had been convicted in Illinois for a brutal sexual assault against an ex-girlfriend who tried to leave him. By the mid-1980s, he’d quietly resettled in Bakersfield, where his charm and attention drew in a young mother named Cindy Carr — a woman trying to rebuild her life after a broken marriage. What be...

Send Robert a Text! Inside a charming Northeast Bakersfield Craftsman-style home lived Joe and Margy LiCastro—he, a 91-year-old Pearl Harbor survivor; she, his 84-year-old wife, known for her grace and kindness. But one cold winter morning, that home became the scene of a brutal murder that stunned the community and left Bakersfield searching for answers.  Support the show

Send Robert a Text! Illah O'Malior was a divorced woman living alone in Bakersfield’s Westchester neighborhood when she was murdered in 1952.  Purchase this year's Notorious Bakersfield Halloween audio driving tour here: https://2025halloween.supercast.com/ Support the show

Send Robert a Text! I first covered this story back in 2022. Here is a much overdue update regarding that story.  Support the show

Send Robert a Text! On a quiet Wednesday morning in October 1996, the staff and patients at a Bakersfield dialysis clinic were going about their routines when tragedy struck. Within moments, a workplace dispute turned deadly, leaving beloved nurse administrator Darlene Brickey fatally shot in the clinic’s break room. Support the show

Send Robert a Text!  In the early morning hours of Labor Day 1987, a young couple traveling through Bakersfield made an unexpected stop at a gas station on White Lane. Within minutes, they would become witnesses to a shocking act of violence.  Support the show

Send Robert a Text!  Nearly 32 years ago, a tragic shooting in Bakersfield revealed how fragile the safety net for mental health truly was. What followed was a sobering look at how a family’s desperate pleas for help went unanswered until it was too late.  Support the show

Send Robert a Text! Seventy-five years ago this week, Jeanne Long went missing. Her whereabouts remain a mystery. This is her story.  Support the show

Send Robert a Text! In the mid-1980s, a woman was responsible for a string of bank robberies. Media outlets dubbed her "Ma Bakersfield".  Support the show

Send Robert a Text!   In the summer of 1974, a young newspaper employee’s routine late-night errand in the Kern River Valley took a horrifying turn. What began with a harmless spider scare ended in a brutal crime that shocked the tight-knit Lake Isabella community and drew statewide media attention.   Support the show

Send Robert a Text! In April 1979, 14-year-old Dana Butler left her Bakersfield home to visit her grandparents—but never arrived. Two and a half days later, her body was discovered near Alfred Harrell Highway, launching a homicide investigation that would haun  Bakersfield to this day. The case, tangled in allegations of drugs, power, and corruption, would eventually point to a well-connected form...

Send Robert a Text! When an off duty Kern County Sheriff’s deputy shot and killed a fleeing unarmed teenage burglary suspect in the back, authorities grapple with whether a crime was committed. Buy your tickets to the Kern Literacy Council's Wine & Words fundraiser here:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wine-words-notorious-bakersfield-robert-petersen-tickets-1343029008919 ***SUBSCRIBE HERE*...

Send Robert a Text! In the Summer of 1981, the community of Arvin, CA was stunned by the brutal murder of a 5-year-old boy. The trial of the accused, Filepe Sixto, dragged on for months.  ***SUBSCRIBE HERE*** For only $4 per month, you can subscribe to Notorious Bakersfield to get access to the entire back catalog of episodes. Subscribe here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1784628/subscribe  Purchase...

Send Robert a Text! He came to Bakersfield in 2001 as a respected dental specialist with impressive credentials. But behind the newspaper ads and TV commercials was a man with a troubling past. This is the story of Dr. Robert Tupac’s dramatic rise—and devastating fall. ***SUBSCRIBE HERE*** For only $4 per month, you can Subscribe to Notorious Bakersfield to get access to the entire back catalog of...

Send Robert a Text! On a misty Sunday morning in January 1970, gunfire shattered the quiet of a northeast Bakersfield neighborhood when an undercover heroin bust turned into a chaotic shootout outside a 7-Eleven. What followed was a dramatic case of mistaken identity, a wounded state narcotics agent, and a story that would echo through Bakersfield lore for decades. ***SUBSCRIBE HERE*** For only $4...

Send Robert a Text! This is a tale of jealousy, violence, and a midnight meal gone horribly wrong—one that began inside a Chinese restaurant on L Street in the summer of 1902 and ended with two people dead. The man accused of pulling the trigger was a troubled oil field worker known around town as Kid Robbins.  ***SUBSCRIBE HERE*** For only $4 per month, you can Subscribe to Notorious Bakersfield...

Send Robert a Text! When Bakersfield police officers discovered Clifford Johnson's body in an upper-middle-class neighborhood in Northeast Bakersfield, they initially believed it was a clear case of suicide. But was it?  Support Notorious Bakersfield, Buy Me A Coffee:    Click Here!  Support the show

Send Robert a Text! Notorious Bakersfield Brief: This is a bizzar story about how a 78-year-old great grandmother fought off a rapist.   On a April night in 1984, a young woman named Kathy Hyde visited Tex's Barrel House, a popular Country/Western bar near Garces Circle. An encounter in the parking lot would lead to a horrifying act of violence that would leave one person dead, another perman...

Send Robert a Text! In this episode you will learn what was located at the location of Bakersfield's Mexicali restaraunt, and the headline-making crime that took place there almost 80 years ago.    Support Notorious Bakersfield, Buy Me A Coffee:    Click Here!  Support the show

Send Robert a Text! Notorious Bakersfield Brief: Harley Harty was a retired deputy from the KCSO. His life was never the same after he suffered a stroke in 1979.  The Pump Room Murder: Bob and Doris Gardner purchased the Pump Room bar on Edison Highway in 1986. This new chapter in their lives quickly turned violent.   Support Notorious Bakersfield, Buy Me A Coffee:    Click Here!  Support the show

Send Robert a Text! Notorious Bakersfield Brief: The Lottery Curse Maria Pizano and her three young children sought refuge from her abusive partner. Despite making progress in separating herself from him, things took a tragic turn.  Support Notorious Bakersfield, Buy Me A Coffee:    Click Here!  Support the show

Send Robert a Text! Have you seen the guy running through the streets of downtown Bakersfield pulling a rickshaw? Have you ever wondered what his story is? I recently had a conversation with "Rickshaw Neil."   Support Notorious Bakersfield, Buy Me A Coffee:    Click Here!  Support the show

Send Robert a Text! Notorious Bakersfield Brief: A Greenlawn Cemetary worker was shot while on his lunch break in front of his coworkers in 1974.  Ruby Lee Jackson Meriweather was murdered in 2000. Her case went unsolved for nine years.   Support Notorious Bakersfield, Buy Me A Coffee:    Click Here!  Support the show

Send Robert a Text! Almost thirty-seven years ago Lorraine Rodriguez was murdered. She was a single mother to two young daughters. Her case remains unsolved.   Support Notorious Bakersfield, Buy Me A Coffee:    Click Here!  Support the show

Send Robert a Text! When an assailant beats a 90-year-old widow to death and seriously injures her daughter, it tends to shake up a community.  Support Notorious Bakersfield, Buy Me A Coffee:    Click Here!  Support the show