Hearing for 3 suspected of carjacking delayed; lawsuit against Kern County moving forward

In the case of a woman who died after she tracked down her stolen car using an Apple AirTag, three co-defendants’ preliminary hearing was delayed and a status conference was scheduled Wednesday morning in Kern County Superior Court.

David Tyrone Thompson, 19, of Bellflower is charged with first-degree murder, carjacking and taking a vehicle without consent. His co-defendants Giovanni Garciaviscarra, 20, of Long Beach and Joseph Bush IV, 24, of Anaheim are both charged with carjacking, taking a vehicle without consent and conspiracy to commit a crime.

Thompson appeared in court in the custody of Kern County Jail. Bush and Garciaviscarra are both out of custody, but only Bush appeared in court Thursday with his loved ones and his lawyer.

At the hearing Wednesday, the attorneys all agreed to delay the case until April 18 due to the prosecutor, Christine Antonious, being tied up with a different trial.

The three men are charged in the case of Victoria Anna Marie Hampton, 61. She was shot on March 19, 2023 on the 5600 block of Ginger Avenue after her beloved Dodge Charger Hellcat was stolen, according to the Bakersfield Police Department.

Hampton tracked down her car using an Apple AirTag and was on the phone with her friend Teresa Cline. Cline said she could hear gunshots over the phone. Hampton died April 1, 2023 after being taken to Kern Medical.

In addition to the criminal case, there is also a civil lawsuit regarding Hampton’s death. Her father claims he was not informed his daughter died until he read a news report in The Californian on June 22, 2023.

The lawsuit was filed Feb. 23 after two previous claims filed July 14 and Sept. 23 were denied.

Hampton’s father, Richard Escudero, is suing the county of Kern, Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood, the Kern County Coroner’s Office, the city of Bakersfield, the Bakersfield Police Department and Kern County Hospital Authority for failing to notify him and the family of Hampton’s death, according to the lawsuit. The suit states that Escudero has lived in Bakersfield for more than 30 years at the same residence, implying he could have easily been located.

Escudero is also suing Cline for taking responsibility for Hampton’s body after she died and having Hampton cremated. The Californian previously reported that Cline told the coroner she was Hampton’s sister, but Hampton’s only biological sister lived in Texas.

According to the suit, Escudero seeks more than $500,000. The next court date for the lawsuit is June 7, according to Kern County Superior Court.