Prosecutors on Tuesday charged a Northern California man with fatally shooting three men whom police have said were among six victims slain by a serial killer over the past year and a half.
Wesley Brownlee, 43, was arrested Saturday on suspicion of killing six men and wounding a woman in a series of shootings dating back to April 2021. Police had been conducting surveillance on him Saturday as he drove through the streets of Stockton, armed with a handgun and possibly “out hunting” for another victim.
The San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office on Tuesday filed three counts of murder, one count of a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of possession of ammunition.
Brownlee is currently only charged in the three most recent slayings that occurred in Stockton. It was not immediately clear whether prosecutors intended to file additional charges related to the other cases.
It was not immediately known if Brownlee has an attorney who can comment on his behalf. He is being held in jail without bail.
Authorities previously described the suspect — now identified as Brownlee — as a serial killer who was “on a mission” but did not appear to have a clear motive in who he targeted for his crimes. Investigators have said ballistics tests and video evidence linked the shootings.
The five men killed in Stockton this year were Paul Yaw, 35, who died July 8; Salvador Debudey Jr., 43, who died Aug. 11; Jonathan Hernandez Rodriguez, 21, who died Aug. 30; Juan Cruz, 52, who died Sept. 21; and Lawrence Lopez Sr., 54, who died Sept. 27. Juan Vasquez Serrano, 39, was killed in Oakland on April 10, 2021, and Natasha LaTour, 46, was shot in Stockton on April 16 that year but survived.
The criminal complaint filed Tuesday only lists charges for the killings of Rodriguez, Cruz and Lopez.
Brownlee has a criminal history that includes traffic violations and convictions for drug crimes that goes back to an arrest when he was 15 years old , according to The East Bay Times. He was most recently discharged from parole in 2006.
