BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — A Kern County jury has convicted a man of murder for a deadly shooting that happened in 2022 in east Bakersfield.
Jurors on Thursday found Richard Cortez, 33, guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Joshua Samarippas, 36. He faces a life term in prison.
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Cortez told investigators he had run-ins with Samarippas in the past. He said, “The dude had a gun, he pointed it at me,” but then said that happened on an earlier occasion and denied involvement in his death, according to court filings.
Surveillance video captured a stolen pickup following Samarippas as he walked on Center Street the night of Dec. 30, 2022, prosecutors said Friday in a release. The pickup stopped and Cortez, the driver, got out and fired two shots from a handgun, according to the release.
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Samarippas ran to the 900 block of Pesante Road, where he was found slumped against a vehicle. He was taken to Kern Medical and pronounced dead hours later.