BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Court documents are revealing new details Thursday in the case of the Bakersfield 3, surrounding the relationship between Baylee Despot and Micah Holsonbake.
Until now 23ABC didn't know very much about the death of 34-year-old Micah Holsonbake.
"We will never stop looking for answers," Kern County District Attorney, Cynthia Zimmer said.
Holsonbake was reported missing on March 23, 2018 and in July his missing person's case turned into a homicide case after the Kern County Sheriff's Office confirmed that his remains turned up at Hart Park.
In court documents just released to 23ABC, District Attorney officials believed Holsonbake was connected to illegal activity, "Now there is a conspiracy to manufacture assault weapons…"Zimmer said.
Court documents show Holsonbake sold and manufactured an AR-15, they also state details a connection to Baylee Despot along with her ex-boyfriend Matthew Queen had to Holsonbake. According to the District Attorney, Despot and Queen helped Micah Holsonbake generate a plan and execute a gun sale in March of 2018.
According to investigators they uncovered Queen had the equipment and ability to manufacture the AR-15 and that Holsonbake himself actually sold it. The papers also state Baylee Despot said she was the one who would advertise the gun sale.
"And the conspirators are Queen, Despot, Holsonbake and Vandacasteel," Zimmer said.
Documents also show at what point investigators believe plans might have changed and included the murder of Holsonbake.
Matthew Vandacasteele, according the court records is the man Despot and Queen asked to use his garage to extort and extract information from Holsombake. Official also believe the garage location is where Queen, Despot and Vandacasteele ultimately tortured and killed Holsonbake.
During the night in question investigators believe Despot and Queen showed up to Vadacasteele's garage on Half Moon Drive in Southwest Bakersfield. Documents show investigators believe Despot, Queen and Vandacasteele zip-tied Holsonbake's hands together in the garage and documents said Despot also grabbed a knife from inside Vandacasteele's house. Court records also state that investigators found evidence to show that show Queen and Vandacasteele later researched how to dissolve a human body.
On Wednesday, after a two year investigation, the Kern County District Attorney's Office announced Queen, Despot and Vandacasteele were charged with murder and torture in the death of Holsonbake.
Thursday we spoke to Baylee Despot's mother, Jane Parrent, who said she was shocked by the news, but that this new development would not change the relationship she built with the other mothers who are considered the Bakersfield 3 moms.
According to Parrent, her daughter Baylee Despot was charged in another gun case in 2017, but that her daughter Despot took the fall for Queen in that case. Parrent said Baylee went to court regarding that gun case and that Baylee told her that it didn't go well. Parrent said her daughter Despot then disappeared a short time later.
The Kern County District Attorney's Office confirmed the previous gun case involving Baylee Despot and Matthew Queen. Despot is still missing and as for Vandacasteele, officials are still waiting for him to be extradited back to Kern County to face the murder, conspiracy and kidnapping charges the DA has spelled out for him regarding this case.
