Man convicted of shooting girlfriend, kidnapping friend

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Concerned about her boyfriend's behavior, a Bakersfield woman texted her sister asking her to call 911 and rush home.

This quick reaction probably saved his life.

The sister arrived and found the woman with a gunshot wound to the head. She gave her medical attention until paramedics arrived and rushed her to hospital.

Meanwhile, the victim's boyfriend, Jorge Gutierrez-Martinez, 33, forced a witness to the shooting — a friend of the woman's — into his truck at gunpoint and then fled. The witness jumped out of the truck minutes later and fled.

Both victims of the Sept. 5, 2023, incident survived — the woman who was shot “miraculously made a full recovery” after months at UCLA Medical Center, prosecutors said.

A Kern County jury on Wednesday found Gutierrez-Martinez guilty of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, false imprisonment and possession of a weapon and ammunition by a felon.

He faces up to 57 years to life in prison at his sentencing hearing on August 1.

“It is truly miraculous that the victims survived this tragedy,” District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer said in a statement. “Domestic violence situations can escalate quickly, and I am reassured that this conviction protects the victim and her loved ones from further harm.”