Witness, Husband, Mother Slain; Defendant Sought

A health inspector, her husband and her mother were shot to death Tuesday, only days after she testified against an apartment manager accused of beating her when she cited him for sewage violations.

Authorities were searching for the apartment manager, Robert Courtney, 48, in the shootings, which occurred at a suburban Bakersfield-area home, said Kern County Sheriff’s Sgt. Pat Lantz.

Authorities identified the victims as Cindy Volpe, her husband, Kenneth Louis Volpe, 39; and Mrs. Volpe’s mother, Betty Reed, 62, of Scottsdale, Ariz. The couple’s two children and Cindy Volpe’s father reportedly were at the home when the shooting occurred but escaped unharmed.

Courtney was awaiting a Kern County Superior Court verdict on charges that he assaulted Cindy Volpe in July, 1991. She had cited him for raw sewage at an apartment complex he managed, Dist. Atty. Edward Jagels said.

After the inspection, Courtney “became enraged, dragged her from the car and beat her up,” Jagels said. She recovered from major injuries and testified last week against Courtney, who was free on $7,500 bail.

“We think the pending verdict sent him over the edge,” Lantz said.

Jurors in the case were told not to come to the courtroom Tuesday. Deputies stepped up courthouse security and warned witnesses in the trial that Courtney was considered armed and dangerous.

Officials of the Health Department’s environmental health division, where Volpe worked, were reviewing security measures Tuesday.