On Tuesday, a suspect in connection with six murders in California was charged with three counts of first-degree murder.
Wesley Brownlee, 43, did not enter a plea at his first court appearance on Tuesday. He was assigned to the position of public defender.
According to the police, the Stockton resident was practically flawless in carrying out and covering up the murders.
“He didn’t make many mistakes,” said local police Chief Stanley McFadden. “We know he purposely stayed in the dark.”
According to McFadden, the suspect was apprehended at 2:00 a.m. on Saturday as he was “out looking” for his next victim. The chief says that most of Brownlee’s victims were killed in the early hours of the morning as part of his plan to stay away from the police.
Brownlee was located and apprehended by authorities owing to information from the public. McFadden said that authorities saw him sneaking around the streets in his automobile before his detention. When he was ultimately hauled into jail, he was wearing black clothes and a mask over his neck.
He was armed as well.
“He was on a mission to kill. He was out hunting,” McFadden said. “We are sure we stopped another killing.”
According to investigators, Brownlee’s killing spree started in April 2021 and lasted until September 2022. The majority of the violence occurred between July 8 and September 27 in Stockton, when five men were ambushed and shot to death. Four of the victims were on foot, while the fifth was in a parked vehicle.
Authorities also suspect Brownlee is responsible for the April 10, 2021, murder of a sixth victim, around 70 miles away in Oakland. He was identified as Juan Vasquez Serrano, age 39. Police said that around one week later, Brownlee shot 46-year-old homeless woman, Natasha LaTour, who survived her wounds.
This year, the five males slain in Stockton varied in age from 21 to 54. The accusations that came out on Tuesday were about the last three murders, which happened on August 30, September 21, and September 27.
McFadden hinted on Tuesday that there may be more victims that investigators don’t know about, so more charges are likely to be filed.
“We’re going to stay tenacious. We don’t know how many cases there are,” the chief said.
The motivation for the spate of murders remained unclear. Police said that Brownlee has a criminal past, but did not disclose any information.
