Episodes

Jan. 21, 2025

Encore: Bakersfield's Mass Murder

Send Robert a Text! Bakersfield had never witnessed a crime of such magnitude in its history. A crime so shocking and heinous, it left the entire city reeling. In the summer of 2003, five members of a single family were …

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Jan. 14, 2025

Attack On The Panorama Bluffs | E158

Send Robert a Text! In April 2002, a quiet Bakersfield neighborhood was shaken by a brutal daylight attack. A year later, another shocking assault unfolded on the nearby Panorama Bluffs, but this time, a retired police office...

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Jan. 7, 2025

Fort Cook: Mystique & Murder | 156

Send Robert a Text! Fort Cook, once an ambitious private resort envisioned as a celebrity haven, became a focal point of intrigue, rumors, and ultimately tragedy. The tale of its owner, Ronnie Cook—a musician turned entrepren...

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Dec. 31, 2024

Encore: Downtown Mary

Send Robert a Text! Purchase Notorious Bakersfield: The Book Volume II here: https://a.co/d/cAA4NyF

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Dec. 24, 2024

E156: Gone Fishing: How Trout's Sign Was Found

Send Robert a Text! The mystery of Trout’s iconic neon sign has captivated Bakersfield for nearly seven years, a symbol of the city’s rich honky-tonk history and the famed Bakersfield Sound. From its rise as a beloved music h...

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Dec. 17, 2024

E155: Christmas Eve Crime Spree

Send Robert a Text! Christmas Eve morning in 1979, a young man went on a crime spree that included kidnapping, rape and murder. Purchase Notorious Bakersfield: The Book Volume II here: https://a.co/d/cAA4NyF

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Dec. 10, 2024

E154: Bakersfield's Boy Hooligan To Outlaw

Send Robert a Text! At the heart of this story is a young Bakersfield man whose path from a rebellious childhood to a hardened criminal would forever stain his family’s name back home in Bakersfield. Purchase Notorious Bakers...

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Dec. 3, 2024

Encore: Diana Contreras

Send Robert a Text! Diana Contreras was abducted from the Valley Plaza mall while Christmas shopping in 1993. Her body was found in Taft the next day. This is that story.

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Nov. 26, 2024

E153: Witch Hunt

Send Robert a Text! The Kern County witch hunts of the 1980s involved a wave of child molestation and satanic ritual abuse accusations, leading to dozens of arrests and convictions based on coerced and unreliable testimony. J...

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Nov. 19, 2024

E152: Motel Double Murder

Send Robert a Text! In April 1982, a husband and wife who managed a motel in Mojave were murdered. This is their story.

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Nov. 12, 2024

Encore: Remembering Tina Blunt

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Oct. 29, 2024

E151: Another Murder At The Padre

Send Robert a Text! This is the second documented murder that has occurred at this iconic downtown Bakersfield hotel. https://2024halloween.supercast.com/

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Oct. 22, 2024

E150: The Thirteen Year Old Killer

Send Robert a Text! Yoli Espinoza was killed in her downtown Bakersfield apartment in 2003. One of her killers was a 14-year-old boy. https://2024halloween.supercast.com/

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Oct. 15, 2024

E149: Driving Through Bakersfield Blindfolded

Send Robert a Text! In the mid-1920s showman Hayward Thompson brought his roadshow to Bakersfield for the citizens to marvel. https://2024halloween.supercast.com/

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Oct. 12, 2024

Pop- Up Meet & Greet

Send Robert a Text! I'll have a pop-up MEET & GREET tonight, Saturday, October 12th, from 7 to 9 pm at 3835 Ming Ave. That's the Starbucks, or the former Wendy's restaurant. If you're taking the Halloween Tour tonight, this …

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Oct. 8, 2024

E148: Tragedy At Centennial Garden

Send Robert a Text! Construction was completed on Bakersfield's Centennial Garden Arena in 1998. It was the city's new pride and joy. Less than a year after opening, it was the site of a terrible accident. Purchase the 2024 H...

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Oct. 1, 2024

E147: The Rapist Doctor

Send Robert a Text! In the late 1980s, two Bakersfield women accused a Bakersfield physician of drugging and raping them. This is that story. Visit this link to purchase the all-new 2024 Halloween Tour: https://2024halloween....

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Sept. 24, 2024

E146: Hindsight Is 20/20

Send Robert a Text! Patty Saldana, a single mother to a teenage daughter, invited a boyfriend to stay in her house temporarily. It ended tragically. Notorious Bakersfield: The Book is available for purchase! Order your copy h...

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Sept. 17, 2024

E145: UFOs Over Bakersfield

Send Robert a Text! The Bakersfield Californian described the Summer of 1947 as "the Sumer of the flying saucers". A nationwide flying saucer craze was occurring, and even Bakersfield got caught up in it. Notorious Bakersfiel...

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Sept. 10, 2024

E144: Remembering Marques "The Dancing Cowboy" Morrison

Send Robert a Text! For this episode, I'm stepping away from the usual Notorious Bakersfield tradition of covering stories from Bakersfield's distant past. Instead, today's episode highlights a more recent figure—someone many...

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Sept. 3, 2024

E143: A Guilty Conscience

Send Robert a Text! Joe and Dorothy Parrott were slain in their home in August 2008. Their murders went unsolved for months. This is their story. Notorious Bakersfield: The Book is available for purchase! Order your copy here...

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Aug. 27, 2024

Encore: Tragedy On Truxtun Extension

Send Robert a Text! This episode covers the 1999 tragic death of Melissa Lonon, an 18-year-old mother to two children. Notorious Bakersfield: The Book is available for purchase! Order your copy here: https://a.co/d/3b1jj4F

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Aug. 20, 2024

E142: The Hammer Murder

Send Robert a Text! This episode covers the brutal 1931 murder of Anna Garcia. Anna's homicide was shockingly brutal, with grotesque details that resemble a modern-day horror movie. Notorious Bakersfield: The Book is availabl...

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