DA to seek death penalty for accused Stockton serial killer Wesley Brownlee
San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Freitas said Monday he would seek the death penalty against Wesley Brownlee, the Stockton man accused of carrying out a series of shootings that killed six people in Stockton and Oakland.
“After reviewing all the facts of the case and the harm caused to both the victims, their families and this community, I have decided that my office will seek the death penalty against the defendant for these crimes,” Freitas said during a morning news conference from Stockton. “To the victims and citizens of San Joaquin County, you have my commitment that I will get justice for you.”
Brownlee appeared in San Joaquin Superior Court minutes earlier as the case continued to move forward following years of delays tied largely to questions about his mental competency.
A grand jury indicted Brownlee in November on six counts of murder with special circumstances and one count of willful, deliberate and premeditated attempted murder, Freitas said. The charges stem from shootings that occurred between April 2021 and October 2022.
After reviewing the evidence, Freitas said, prosecutors concluded the case warranted capital punishment.
“We also believe that the defendant’s choices are by his own volition,” Freitas said. “(And) that this will be developed through the case law and through the facts, and that we will show that he is competent to stand trial.”
Brownlee was originally charged with seven murders, but prosecutors dropped a count related to the April 2021 killing of Mervin Harmon in Oakland. Asked why the charge was removed, Freitas said the decision was deliberate.
“That’s a tactical decision that my office has made, and that we believe is in the best interest of the case and obtaining justice for the victims and for the community,” Freitas said. “More information will be developed as the case proceeds.”
The remaining charges include six killings — Paul Alexander Yaw, 35; Salvador William Debudey Jr., 43; Jonathan Hernandez Rodriguez, 21; Juan Cruz, 52; Lorenzo Lopez, 52; and Juan Alexander Vasquez, 39 — and the attempted murder of Natasha Latour, who survived after being shot multiple times.
If convicted, Brownlee could be legally classified as a serial killer under California law.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has imposed a moratorium on executions while in office, but Freitas said that order does not prevent prosecutors from seeking death sentences.
“The death penalty moratorium is created by one individual,” Freitas said. “It wasn’t created by case law. It hasn’t been enacted by the Legislature. One individual, one governor, has set this moratorium, and we would hope that the next governor would lift it.”
Brownlee was arrested in October 2022 following an extensive investigation by the Stockton Police Department and other law enforcement agencies. At the time of his arrest, Stockton Police Chief Stanley McFadden said officers apprehended Brownlee while “he was out hunting.”
At Monday’s hearing, the judge said two doctors would be appointed to evaluate whether Brownlee is competent to stand trial.
No trial date has been set but another hearing is scheduled for March 9, Freitas said.
This story was originally published January 26, 2026 at 12:23 PM.
