Man charged in death of CDCR counselor pleads not guilty, removed from court for disturbance
Sep. 7—A Bakersfield man charged with the murder of a Wasco State Prison counselor made his first court appearance in this case Wednesday during which a public defender entered not guilty pleas for all counts on his behalf.
Robert Pernell Roberts, 29, appeared while covering his face for the entirety of the hearing with a piece of paper. Deputy Public Defender Norman Hasso entered not guilty pleas for Roberts on charges of first-degree murder, second-degree attempted robbery and possession of a firearm by a felon in connection to the death of Benny Alcala Jr., 43, of Bakersfield.
A pre-preliminary hearing was scheduled for Sept. 19. Kern County Superior Court Judge David Zulfa set no bail for Roberts. Deputy District Attorney John Allen said this case is eligible for the death penalty, which prompted Zulfa to hold Roberts with no bail.
Some of Alcala's family members showed up in court Wednesday, all wearing a ribbon with his picture.
Earlier Wednesday, Roberts appeared in court for an arraignment after he was charged with violating his probation. However, that hearing failed to happen Wednesday morning after Roberts was removed from the courtroom by Kern County Sheriff's deputies for causing a disturbance.
Roberts was awaiting his hearing with other inmates when Judge Tiffany Organ-Bowles and attorneys on another case went behind closed doors to discuss it. While Roberts waited for the judge and attorneys to return, he began to loudly swear and started shifting in his seat. When deputies told him to be quiet, Roberts refused and was taken out of the courtroom.
Bakersfield Police Department offense reports filed in court detail how a witness told police he was with Roberts at the time of the shooting. That person told police Roberts said he wanted to go back to the hood, and thought Alcala had a lot of money because he was charging his electric car.
Alcala was shot twice the night of Aug. 24 and died near the electric charging stations at the Target in southwest Bakersfield.
Alcala "shouldn't have tried to run away," Roberts said, according to the witness.
Allegations against Roberts stretch back to 2011, according to Kern County Superior Court online records. He pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of making a disturbance by making loud and unreasonable noises. That same year, he pleaded no contest to second-degree robbery and was sentenced to two years in jail.
Services for Alcala are scheduled for 10 to 11 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 13 at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church, 12300 Reina Road. A procession will happen after the memorial to Greenlawn Cemetery. There, a graveside service will take place at Greenlawn southwest, 2739 Panama Lane.
The public is invited to attend.
You can reach Ishani Desai at 661-395-7417. You can also follow her at @_ishanidesai on Twitter.
