Man convicted of shooting girlfriend, abducting her friend

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Concerned over her boyfriend’s behavior, a Bakersfield woman texted her sister to call 911 and hurry to her house.

That quick thinking likely saved her life.

The sister arrived to find the woman suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. She gave her medical aid until paramedics arrived and rushed her to a hospital.

Meanwhile, the boyfriend, 33-year-old Jorge Gutierrez-Martinez, forced a witness to the shooting — a friend of the woman — into his truck at gunpoint then fled. The witness jumped from the truck minutes later and escaped.

Both victims of the Sept. 5, 2023, incident survived — the shot woman “miraculously making a full recovery” after months at UCLA Medical Center, according to prosecutors.

A Kern County jury on Wednesday convicted Gutierrez-Martinez of attempted murder, assault with a gun, false imprisonment with violence and possession of a gun and ammunition by a felon.

He faces up to 57 years to life in prison at an Aug. 1 sentencing hearing.

“It’s truly miraculous that the victims survived this tragedy,” District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer said in a release. “Domestic violence situations can escalate rapidly, and I am reassured that this conviction will shield the victim and her loved ones from any additional harm.”

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