BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — A man faces life in prison after being convicted of shooting and killing a man who was seeing his then-ex-girlfriend in Bakersfield back in October 2024.
The Kern County District Attorney’s Office said on January 23, 2026, a Kern County jury found Christopher Tovar guilty of first-degree murder with a special circumstance of murder by discharging a firearm from a motor vehicle.
According to the DA’s office, 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.
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The DA’s office said once at the house, Tovar fired two rounds from the passenger seat of the vehicle at Rudy Herrera, who was standing in the front yard. The two rounds missed as Rudy Herrera ran to the back of the house. Three minutes later, Tovar returned and fired two additional rounds at Rudy, who was standing in the middle of the yard on his cell phone.
The two rounds struck Rudy, 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, Rudy was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Bakersfield Police Department is investigating a shooting that left one person with severe injuries Friday afternoon. PHOTO: KBAK/KBFX
Officers with the Bakersfield Police Department responded to calls of shots fired. Several neighbors reported what they had witnessed and provided police with the name of a suspect.
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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
District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer commented, saying, “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.”
Tovar’s sentencing is scheduled for February 24, 2026, where he faces a prison term of life without the possibility of parole.
Co-defendant Lacey Guerra entered a no contest plea on October 23, 2025, to one count of voluntary manslaughter. Guerra’s sentencing date is pending, where she faces 11 years in prison.