'It was the worst feeling in my own life': Family remembers CDCR counselor shot, killed

Sep. 3—There is no question Benny Juarez Alcala Jr. was good.

A good son, husband, father, brother. The Bakersfield resident, who was a corrections counselor at Wasco State Prison, donated bone marrow to a little Colorado girl to save her life, despite it taking a toll on his health, said Joanne Alcala, his mother. He never wanted conflict, stayed neutral and brought people together, said Warren Woolsey, Benny Alcala's uncle.

Such memories surface often for Benny Alcala's family these days.

On Aug. 24, Joanne Alcala was sleeping when her dog kept barking at the door. She awoke and saw her son's in-laws standing outside her door. It's Benny, they said to Joanne Alcala.

"And I fell to the ground because I knew something was wrong," Joanne Alcala said.

She threw on her clothes and glasses and raced to the hospital. But her son wasn't there. Joanne Alcala's daughter-in-law, Valerie Alcala, called her and said to come to the southwest Bakersfield Target on Stockdale Highway.

Benny's car, parked at the charging stations in Target's parking lot, was cordoned off with police tape. But the police refused to say anything, Joanne Alcala said. She and Valerie Alcala, Benny's wife, stood there for four hours with no answers.

Then the coroner and detective came with the worst news.

Benny Alcala died at 9:20 p.m. after being shot multiple times, according to the Kern County coroner's office. He was 43.

And on Friday, the Bakersfield Police Department announced they arrested Robert Purnell Roberts, 29, of Bakersfield. He was charged by the Kern County District Attorney's Office and faces first-degree murder, attempted second-degree robbery and possession of a firearm by a felon. His formal arraignment is scheduled for Wednesday, according to the online courts database.

"It was the worst feeling in my own life," Joanne Alcala said. "I felt heartbroken when my husband died; (but) I feel empty (now) ... I feel like a shell — like (there's) nothing inside.

"The only thing that's helping me is my faith in God."

'He always did the right thing'

Benny Alcala Jr. isn't known as such to his family.

Joanne Alcala called him Gordy — short for gordo, in Spanish. Born 8 pounds, 10 ounces on July 7, 1979, in Delano, Benny's nickname started at a young age. His father's side of the family called him BJ.

"He was a very chubby baby," Joanne Alcala said. She added, "He looked like a little Michelin," referring to the animated mascot for the Michelin tire company.

Playing sports started from a young age for Benny Alcala, who picked up baseball at 5 years old, Joanne Alcala said. He attended Earlimart Elementary School, Earlimart Middle School and Delano High School, while playing baseball, basketball and football at Delano.

Benny Alcala was always responsible, always disciplined, Joanne Alcala said. He would show up an hour before class started in middle school to study math.

Richard Alcala, Benny Alcala's younger sibling, said his memories of his older brother include him crawling into bed with him when they were younger, and Benny protecting him from bullies. Separated by two years, Benny taught Richard things like how to catch.

"For as long as I can remember, me and my brother were the best of friends," Richard Alcala said. "We would do everything together."

Benny Alcala met his future wife, Valerie Alcala, while the two were in high school. Though they didn't start dating until many years later, Benny knew he had found the one, his mother said.

He enlisted in the Navy right after high school without telling her or his father, Joanne said.

He was "very patriotic," according to Woolsey.

Enlisting in the Navy took him to faraway places, like the Middle East. Despite the distance, he would never fail to write home, according to his mother.

He became a Navy diver and served for five years before leaving the service. He enrolled at Bakersfield College, then graduated from California State University, Bakersfield and became a Kern County sheriff's deputy for one year.

Benny Alcala's son Maxx Alcala would often look in awe at his father in uniform and asked him if he caught bad guys, Joanne Alcala said. That made Benny proud.

"He always did the right thing," Richard Alcala said. "He always listened to my parents. He always worked really hard. He was achieving things, always being promoted, always getting rewarded for something because of his hard work."

After leaving the KCSO, Benny worked at state prisons and eventually landed at Wasco State Prison.

But his main focus was his family, which included Valerie and their two sons, Maxx, 14, and Anthony Andrew, 17, the brother said.

Benny's son thought of him as a hero, Woolsey wrote.

"Every time we talked on the phone, he would tell me how proud he was of his kids and how much he cared about his family," Richard Alcala said. "He just wanted to make a better life for them."

Joanne Alcala recalled Benny would always come to help her no matter what. No complaints, no grumbles. They were close, and he told her everything, she said.

A BPD probable cause report filed in Kern County Superior Court states police found Alcala's alleged killer after an eyewitness identified him in a photo lineup. Police placed Roberts, the man charged in Alcala's death, near the southwest Bakersfield Target through cellphone records, according to court documents. The cellphone then was turned off in the same area.

Roberts is also seen in surrounding businesses' video surveillance footage, according to court documents.

"I feel so alone without him," Joanne Alcala said. "I miss him."

You can reach Ishani Desai at 661-395-7417. You can also follow her at @_ishanidesai on Twitter.