A quiet evening in Twentynine Palms, California, was shattered by violence on Thursday, June 18, 2026, marking the beginning of a tragic series of events that would leave one man dead and a community in shock. It started around 8:30 p.m. when San Bernardino County Sheriff's deputies were called to a home in the 6300 block of Lupine Avenue for a report of an assault. There, they discovered a man who had been shot. The victim, whose identity was not released, was airlifted to Desert Regional Medical Center with gunshot wounds to the armpit and leg but was expected to survive. Witnesses reported that the gunman dropped his weapon and fled into the vast desert landscape, disappearing into the night. This initial act of violence, however, was only a prelude to a more grim discovery that would unfold the following day.
The investigation took a dark turn on Friday, June 19, when at approximately 12:49 p.m., deputies responded to another 911 call from a nearby residence in the 6100 block of Lupine Avenue. The caller reported a kidnapping, telling dispatchers he had been abducted by the same man from the previous night's shooting but had managed to escape. When deputies arrived at this second location, they found the body of Robert Murphy, a 62-year-old resident of Twentynine Palms. Murphy had been shot and was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators quickly connected the two shootings and the kidnapping, identifying the suspect as 30-year-old Bristen Banales, another resident of Twentynine Palms.
Following an intensive search by the Sheriff's Specialized Enforcement Detail, Bristen Banales was located a short time later in the 6300 block of Cahuilla Avenue and taken into custody without incident. He was arrested on suspicion of murder and booked at the West Valley Detention Center, where he was held without bail. The San Bernardino County District Attorney's office formally charged Banales with five felony counts: murder for the death of Robert Murphy, attempted murder for the first shooting victim, kidnapping, assault, and shooting at an inhabited dwelling. The charges also included twelve enhancements for the use of a firearm. Banales was arraigned in San Bernardino County Superior Court and pleaded not guilty to all charges. In early July, however, the criminal proceedings were suspended after a judge declared a "mental health doubt" regarding Banales' fitness to stand trial. A mental health evaluation was ordered, and the case was set to resume pending the results of that assessment, leaving the final chapter of this violent saga and the quest for justice for Robert Murphy unresolved.
