BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — A Bakersfield man has pleaded no contest to killing his wife’s cousin after a drunken argument and dumping her body in an almond orchard north of Superior Road and Stockdale Highway.
Jaime Regalado-Avalos, 45, on Thursday pleaded no contest to second-degree murder and faces 15 years to life in prison. A sentencing hearing is set for July 13.
His wife, Noralina Vasquez-Hernandez, pleaded no contest in 2024 to an accessory charge. She admitted to using bleach and other cleaning materials to wipe down their apartment on Normandy Drive after the killing.
The body of Claudia Morales Vazquez, 33, was discovered the morning of April 26, 2024, and the couple were arrested that afternoon in Lebec as they headed to Mexico…