Joseph Anthony Reynaga

Joseph Anthony Reynaga, a 27-year-old Hispanic/Latino man, was working as a security guard at McMurphy’s Irish Pub in east Bakersfield on the night he was killed. In the early morning hours of January 28, 2024, at approximately 2:25 a.m., officers from the Bakersfield Police Department responded to reports of a shooting in the 10 block of Monterey Street. They arrived to find Reynaga lying in the roadway with multiple gunshot wounds. He was rushed to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Surveillance footage from the scene captured the attack. As Reynaga walked from a parking lot back toward the bar, a gunman dressed entirely in black approached, fired multiple times, and then fled in a black BMW sedan that sped away. During the investigation that followed, detectives seized a cellphone and uncovered text messages that pointed to a possible motive. The messages indicated that the suspect believed Reynaga had sexually assaulted one of his family members two days earlier, on January 26, after a night that began at McMurphy’s. Police found video from the pub on that date showing Reynaga socializing with the family member in question.

The investigation quickly led to two suspects. A records check on the black BMW seen fleeing the scene revealed it was registered to Jorge Esteban Garcia, age 24. On February 9, 2024, police arrested Garcia and charged him with first-degree murder. He pleaded not guilty. Authorities also charged his significant other, Desiree Marie Sanchez, with two counts of accessory after the fact. Investigators alleged that Sanchez had lied to provide Garcia with an alibi, telling them he had spent the night with her and had sold his car a month or two earlier. Sanchez was released on bail.

Following preliminary hearings, a judge determined there was sufficient evidence for the case to move forward, ordering both Jorge Esteban Garcia and Desiree Sanchez to stand trial on their respective charges. Prosecutors later announced they would not seek the death penalty against Garcia. After a postponement, Garcia’s murder trial was scheduled to begin on October 28, 2026. As of September 2026, both he and Sanchez were awaiting their trials.