BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — A Kern County jury has determined that a man accused of killing his wife in a May 2025 stabbing was sane at the time of the incident, according to court records.
Court records show Rafael Estrada was found sane by a jury on Wednesday. Estrada is accused in the death of his 32-year-old wife, Taylor Denay Estrada. An earlier mistrial prompted the court to evaluate Estrada.
The case dates back to May 28, 2025, at around 10 p.m., when Kern County Sheriff’s deputies were called to the 2400 block of Monterey Street for a report of a stabbing that had just happened. The Kern County Sheriff’s Office said multiple reporting parties called dispatch and reported that a man, later identified as, at the time, 44-year-old Rafael Estrada, had severely injured his wife.
The Kern County coroner identified the woman who died inside the home as Taylor Denay Estrada, 32.
A stabbing incident on Monterey Street in East Bakersfield has resulted in one dead, according to the Kern County Sheriff’s Office. PHOTO: KBAK/KBFX{ }
A hearing on Estrada’s murder charge is set for Sept. 18, as the prosecution could retry him.