Erika Lares

Erika Lares, a 40-year-old mother of five, was known as a hardworking woman who cared for everyone. A resident of Huron, California, she worked from dawn to dusk in the state’s harvest fields to support her family. Her life was cut short in a violent shooting on Sunday, August 14, 2022.

That evening, around 7:24 p.m., police in Bakersfield, California, received multiple calls reporting a shooting at the Vagabond Inn on Colony Street. When officers arrived, they found Ms. Lares and another person, 40-year-old Cristobal Rojas Hernandez of Mendota, with gunshot wounds. Paramedics rushed both victims to the hospital. Ms. Lares was pronounced dead about an hour later. Mr. Hernandez succumbed to his injuries the following day at Kern Medical.

Officers at the scene quickly arrested a suspect, 23-year-old Vicente Niko Williams of Bakersfield. The motive for the shooting was not publicly disclosed by investigators. Williams was subsequently charged with first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder.

During his arraignment, Williams pleaded not guilty to all charges and was denied bail. The case then proceeded through the court system. In November 2024, Williams changed his plea, pleading no contest to two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder for the killings of Erika Lares and Cristobal Rojas Hernandez.

In February 2025, Vicente Niko Williams was sentenced to serve at least 125 years to life in prison. Court records indicated he would serve his sentence at Wasco State Prison, bringing the legal proceedings in the case to a close.