Lazaro Gonzalez, 42, was shot at a Motel 6 on Easton Drive in Bakersfield, California on July 9, 2018 and died at Kern Medical on July 11, 2018 from his injuries. He was found with a gunshot wound around midnight and was taken to the hospital; he was pronounced dead about four hours after admission.

According to court records, Gonzalez was shot in the head by 21-year-old Ryan Lopez after Lopez’s mother, Maria Irene Stokes, called him to her motel room during an argument between Stokes and Gonzalez. Stokes initially told police an unknown man had done the shooting, but subsequent investigation led to Lopez’s arrest and murder charges.

In June 2019 Lopez pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter and related counts as part of a plea deal; he received a 13-year prison sentence. Stokes pleaded no contest to attempting to prevent or dissuade a witness and was sentenced to 270 days in jail. Angel Aaron, who was present during the shooting, pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor accessory charge and received time served.

Did anyone in the Bakersfield area know Gonzalez, Stokes, or Lopez and have details that could shed more light on what happened that night?