In October, 43-year-old Wesley Brownlee was arrested in connection to multiple murders in Stockton, California. Authorities said the suspect is accused of fatally shooting six men in the area between April 2021 and September 2022. He is also believed to have killed one of those men in Oakland. In all cases, the crimes were unprovoked.
According to CNN, on Tuesday (Dec. 27), the suspected serial killer received four additional counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Juan Alexander Vasquez, Mervin Harmon, Paul Yaw and Salvador Debudey Jr. He was also charged with one count of attempted murder for the non-fatal shooting of a 46-year-old woman named Natasha LaTour in Stockton in April 2021. Brownlee previously faced three counts of first-degree murder for the shooting deaths of Jonathan Rodriguez Hernandez, Juan Carlos Carranza-Cruz and Lawrence Lopez, also in Stockton. California police were able to identify the suspect through surveillance footage, which showed an individual shooting victims who were alone. The suspect’s ambush-style crimes are said to have happened either late at night or early in the morning.
Police Chief Stanley McFadden previously released a statement saying that a team he assembled observed Brownlee driving around Northern California and “stopping, looking around and moving again.” The chief added, “He was on a mission to kill. He was out hunting.” District Attorney Tori Verber Salazar also discussed the case: “The San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office continues to collaborate with our local law enforcement agencies to ensure justice for these victims.”
“We would like to thank the community for their support and law enforcement for their diligent investigation and apprehension of the suspect,” the district attorney continued. Brownlee is due back in court to be arraigned for the additional charges on Jan. 3. His public defender, Allison Nobert, has not released a statement to the media.