Episodes

Send Robert a Text! Have you seen the guy running through the streets of downtown Bakersfield pulling a rickshaw? Have you ever wondered what his story is? I recently had a conversation with "Rickshaw Neil." Support Notorious Bakersfield, Buy Me A Coffee: Click Here!

Send Robert a Text! Notorious Bakersfield Brief: A Greenlawn Cemetary worker was shot while on his lunch break in front of his coworkers in 1974. Ruby Lee Jackson Meriweather was murdered in 2000. Her case went unsolved for nine years. Support Notorious Bakersfield, Buy Me A Coffee: Click Here! Purchase Notorious Bakersfield: The Book Volume II here: https://a.co/d/2XONnB1

Send Robert a Text! Almost thirty-seven years ago Lorraine Rodriguez was murdered. She was a single mother to two young daughters. Her case remains unsolved. Support Notorious Bakersfield, Buy Me A Coffee: Click Here! Purchase Notorious Bakersfield: The Book Volume II here: https://a.co/d/2XONnB1

Send Robert a Text! When an assailant beats a 90-year-old widow to death and seriously injures her daughter, it tends to shake up a community. Support Notorious Bakersfield, Buy Me A Coffee: Click Here! Purchase Notorious Bakersfield: The Book Volume II here: https://a.co/d/2XONnB1

Send Robert a Text! Shirley Jordan and her 10 year-old son Joey were murdered in their Oildale duplex in 1995. This is their story. Purchase Notorious Bakersfield: The Book Volume II here: https://a.co/d/2XONnB1

Send Robert a Text! Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho terrified audiences in 1960, forever changing how movies were experienced—including enforcing a strict "no late admission" policy to heighten suspense. That same summer, a Bakersfield teenager watched Psycho and returned home, only to hear unsettling noises from her neighbor’s apartment—music, strange movements, and a chilling scream. Was it her imagination or something more terrifying? Purchase Notorious Bakersfield: The Book Volume II here: https:...

Send Robert a Text! This Notorious Bakersfield episode explores the reason why the city of Bakersfield has two dates of incorporation. You'll be surprised to learn it is because of one unpleasant character. Purchase Notorious Bakersfield: The Book Volume II here: https://a.co/d/2XONnB1

Send Robert a Text! On a quiet April night in 1923, an engineer at the San Joaquin Light and Power Company, made a chilling discovery while clearing debris from Mill Ditch. What initially appeared to be a discarded doll turned out to be the lifeless body of a toddler, sparking a mystery that would soon deepen with the discovery of a brutally murdered woman nearby. Over a century later, the identities of these victims remain unknown, and the case stands as one of Bakersfield’s oldest unsolved cri...

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 officer intervened, preventing a tragedy. These two harrowing incidents would eventually connect, exposing the violent crimes of one man and spotlighting the bravery of Billy George Martin who stood up when it mattered most Purchase Notorious Bakersfield: The Book Volume II here:...

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 entrepreneur—unfolds against a backdrop of mystique, scandal, and a shocking murder that shattered its idyllic façade. Purchase Notorious Bakersfield: The Book Volume II here: https://a.co/d/2XONnB1

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 hotspot to its unceremonious closure in 2017, Trout’s embodied the spirit of a bygone era. When its legendary sign disappeared, rumors swirled, and efforts to uncover its whereabouts spanned years Purchase Notorious Bakersfield: The Book Volume II here: https://a.co/d/cAA4Ny...

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

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 Bakersfield: The Book Volume II here: https://a.co/d/cAA4NyF

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. Jackie and Jack Cummings, swept into the hysteria, fled to protect their family, enduring life on the run while fighting to clear their names. The Witches’ Defense recounts their harrowing journey, exposing the flawed justice system and the mass panic that upended innocent l...

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

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

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/

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/

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 location is the seventh point of interest on the tour. If you've already taken the tour, come by anyway. Stop in and say hi. Click here to purchase this year's Notorious Bakersfield Halloween Audio Driving Tour: https://2024halloween.supercast.com/ I'll also have copies of...

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 Halloween Driving Tour here: https://2024halloween.supercast.com/ https://2024halloween.supercast.com/

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.supercast.com/

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 here: https://a.co/d/3b1jj4F

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 Bakersfield: The Book is available for purchase! Order your copy here: https://a.co/d/3b1jj4F

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 of us remember with fondness. I'm talking about Marques "The Dancing Cowboy" Morrison. For the past fifteen years, Marques was a familiar sight at the corner of Stockdale Highway and California Avenue. I interview Marques' older brother to learn more about Bakersfield's f...