Naman Shrestha
The episode ‘The Bakersfield 3’ of the podcast titled ‘True Crime Garage’ chronicles the horrific case regarding the titular group, especially the murder of one of the members — Micah Holsonbake. The long and complicated investigation that followed is also covered in the podcast. Being one of the missing members of the Bakersfield 3 and a prime suspect in the murder case of Micah, Baylee Despot is bound to make you want to learn more about the case. Well, in that case, let’s delve right into the details, shall we?
Who is Baylee Despot?
Baylee Cheyanne Despot was born on June 3, 1997, to Jane Parrent and grew up with her sister Katelyn in a middle-class Bakersfield neighborhood. She had dreams of joining the Air Force and becoming a flight attendant. Moreover, Baylee got married at a very young age, but it was only for a brief period, as her marriage ended in the spring of 2017. After that, her life started going downhill, according to her family.
Baylee started hanging out with new friends and using recreational drugs. The same summer, in July 2017, she got arrested for drunk and disorderly conduct in front of Micah Holsonbake’s home, but the misdemeanor charge was dismissed later. Baylee’s sister, Katelyn, knew Micah, a banker at the time who led a clean life. It is believed that Baylee crossed paths with him in the Rosedale drug scene, and he helped her escape her abusive relationship at the time.
Later, the two formed a “Bakersfield 3” group with another member named James Kulstad. In August 2017, it was reported that Baylee was drugged and sexually assaulted at an apartment complex by multiple men. Later that month, she was finally granted a domestic violence restraining order against her then-boyfriend. The sexual assault had a significant toll on her mental state, and consequently, things went from bad to worse in the following months of 2017.
After a couple of months, in December 2017, Baylee got into trouble with the police alongside her new boyfriend, Matthew Queen, as the pair was found in possession of four loaded guns, including an AR-15 style rifle and a 9mm rifle, and got arrested on felony weapons charges. She took a deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty, and subsequently received a reduced sentence of 3 years probation.
After that, Baylee reportedly moved in with Queen and got into an altercation with Micah Holsonbake in late March 2018. The latter alleged that Micah lost his cool over a joke and pulled a gun on him while hanging out in his house. As per Queen’s claims, when Baylee entered the room, he tackled the distracted Micah, and she dropped a 40-pound dumbbell on Micah’s head.
To get rid of the body, Baylee allegedly came up with the plan of dismembering his body and disposing of it into the ocean. A few weeks later, in late April 2018, she went missing. Upon investigating Micah’s murder, the investigators concluded that Baylee and Queen were directly responsible, and hence, the couple was charged with murder and torture in May 2020.
Baylee Despot Remains at Large Today
While Matthew Queen was already in jail for unrelated charges, Baylee Despot was still missing. In April 2022, the former came clean to the court and testified about the death of Micah Holsonbake, providing incriminating statements against himself and his former girlfriend. To this day, Baylee’s whereabouts are unknown as the police have been trying to find out more about the circumstances of her disappearance.
It is possible that Baylee decided to move away and start afresh after killing Micah, or she might have been a victim of foul play herself. Her mother, Jane Parrent, believes that Queen had something to do with her daughter’s disappearance and that she was reportedly pregnant and attempting to leave him at that time. Although Baylee remains listed as a missing person, the police also have warrants for her arrest in Micah’s murder case.
Read More: Micah Holsonbake Murder: Where is Matthew Queen Now?
