Man convicted of rape, murder of 85-year-old woman; Faces life in prison
A Kern County jury convicted a man of raping and murdering an 85-year-old woman in 2021, announced the Kern County District Attorney's Office Thursday. On September 19,Sergio Gonzalez-Herrera was convicted on all charges relating to the rape and death of Maria Garcia, 85. Gonzalez-Herrera's charges are as follows:
On November 24, 2021, at around 4:30 a.m.,Gonzalez-Herrera entered Ms. Garcia's home near the Valley Plaza Mall through a back door, according to prosecutors. After he grabbed a knife from the kitchen, Gonzalez-Herrera went to the back bedroom, where Ms. Garcia was sleeping. He then barricaded the closed door with furniture. He took his clothes and forcibly took off Ms. Garcia's clothing. He then sexually assaulted Ms. Garcia by force, said prosecutors.
Ms. Garcia's grandson ran to a home next door and called 9-1-1 afterGonzalez-Herrera grabbed the knife. Bakersfield police officers responded and heard Ms. Garcia calling for help. They entered the home and kicked down the barricaded door. Officers took Ms. Garcia off the bedroom floor and arrestedGonzalez-Herrera, with physical resistance from him, said, the DA. Later that day, Ms. Garcia complained of pain in her legs, and knees, and said her entire body ached. Shortly later, Ms. Garcia fell to the floor inside her home, hitting her left hip on the ground. She underwent emergency surgery, but her condition deteriorated due to natural complications from her injuries and the surgery. On December 6, 2021, Ms. Garcia died at the hospital. Her cause of death was determined to be complications of blunt force trauma from the sexual assault and the fall in her home, causing the subsequent hip fracture.
"Gonzalez Herrera committed unspeakable acts on an elderly woman inside her own home, a place where she should have been the safest. The law reserves the most severe punishment for murderers such as Gonzalez Herrera, who kill during the commission of heinous sex crimes," stated DA Cynthia Zimmer. "The District Attorney's Office and its prosecutors are committed to seeking justice against men like Gonzalez Herrera who prey on our society's most vulnerable victims."
