Margarita Lopez

Margarita “Maggie” Lopez was a beloved 38-year-old mother of three sons, a wife, sister, and friend. She had managed a dental office for many years before recently starting a new career as a Member Services Representative. Her family remembered her as a sweet, kind person with a sweet tooth who loved visiting her favorite local bakery.

On the night of April 19, 2024, an argument led to her death in east Bakersfield, California. Kern County Sheriff's deputies responded to a call about a shooting on the 1200 block of Pearl Street around 10:48 p.m. They found Margarita Lopez with gunshot wounds. She was rushed to Kern Medical, where she was pronounced dead. According to Lopez’s sister, Sandy Camarena, who witnessed the incident, they had gone to pick up Lopez’s husband and children from the home of her brother-in-law, Paul Magallanes. Camarena stated that Magallanes became angry, followed Lopez into the street, yelled racial slurs, and physically assaulted her before shooting her.

Paul Magallanes, then a 36-year-old teacher in the Alternative Education program for the Panama-Buena Vista Union School District, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder. However, he was released two days later. The Kern County District Attorney’s office cited a lack of sufficient evidence to file charges and requested further investigation from the sheriff's office. In response to the arrest, the school district placed Magallanes on administrative leave. Lopez's family, frustrated by the lack of charges, publicly pleaded for justice and appealed to county supervisors for help.

Three months after the shooting, the Kern County Sheriff’s Office resubmitted the case to the District Attorney, recommending murder charges against Magallanes. In April 2025, prosecutors formally charged Paul Magallanes with first-degree murder in the death of Margarita Lopez.

Magallanes pleaded not guilty to the charge. His defense attorney has stated that Magallanes acted in self-defense, claiming that Lopez pointed a gun at him during the confrontation. After a number of delays, the case is awaiting trial. As of May 2026, a new trial is tentatively scheduled to begin on August 17, 2026.