BAKERSFIELD, Calif.(KBAK/KBFX) — A man convicted of shooting a man to death for seeing his ex-girlfriend in October 2024 has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, according to the Kern County court website.
Christopher Tovar was found guilty last month of first-degree murder with a special circumstance of murder by discharging a firearm from a motor vehicle. Court records show that Tovar received at least seven additional years and four months of enhancement charges.
The Bakersfield Police Department is investigating a shooting that left one person with severe injuries Friday afternoon. PHOTO: KBAK/KBFX
The Kern County DA’s Office said the victim, Rudy Herrera, had recently begun seeing Tovar’s then-ex-girlfriend. Just after noon on October 4, 2024, Tovar messaged Lacey Guerra, a close acquaintance, telling her that he needed help. After the two figured out where the victim was staying with a friend on Panama Street, Guerra drove Tovar to the home.
PREVIOUS REPORTING: Bakersfield police investigating shooting leaving one man dead on Panama Street
The DA’s office said once at the house, Tovar fired two rounds from the passenger seat of the vehicle at Herrera, who was standing in the front yard. The two rounds missed as Herrera ran to the back of the house. Three minutes later, Tovar returned and fired two additional rounds at Herrera, who was standing in the middle of the yard on his cell phone.
The Bakersfield Police Department is investigating a shooting that left one person with severe injuries Friday afternoon. PHOTO: KBAK/KBFX
The two rounds struck Herrera, one entering his left chest and striking his heart, and another hitting him in the lower pelvis that exited his lower back. Despite medical aid, Herrera was pronounced dead at the scene.
Officers canvassed the neighborhood and found video surveillance from a home that showed a black Ford Edge leaving the area. Officers were able to identify Lacey Guerra as the driver and Tovar as the passenger and shooter.
The Bakersfield Police Department is investigating a shooting that left one person with severe injuries Friday afternoon. PHOTO: KBAK/KBFX
DA Cynthia Zimmer commented at the time of Tovar’s conviction, “Tovar tracked down the victim and fired at him from a vehicle. When he missed, he returned and carried out his heinous murder. These actions are inexcusable and demonstrate the serious threat he poses to public safety. Accordingly, he faces a sentence that ensures he is never released back into the community.”
Co-defendant Guerra was sentenced to state prison on Jan. 23, 2026, for her role in the deadly shooting, court records show. She faced 11 years in prison, but information on her sentence was not available. We have reached out to court officials.
Guerra pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter back in Oct. 2025.
This story is developing.