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NewsKRON4 — Bay AreaOctober 29, 2026San Francisco County

San Joaquin County jury finds serial killing suspect Wesley Brownlee mentally competent to stand trial

Photo: KRON4 — Bay Area

A suspected serial killer accused of murdering six people and attempting to kill a seventh will stand trial after a San Joaquin County jury found him mentally competent. Wesley Brownlee, 47, faces six counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder for shootings committed in Stockton and Oakland between 2021 and 2022. He is scheduled to return to court on November 2.

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Why It Matters

The legal proceedings advance toward a murder trial that could result in the death penalty for the defendant, moving past years of competency-related delays for victims' families and the community.

Key Facts

  • A San Joaquin County jury found Wesley Brownlee mentally competent to stand trial following a competency evaluation.
  • Brownlee is charged with six counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.
  • Prosecutors allege the killings took place in Stockton and Oakland between 2021 and 2022.
  • District Attorney Ron Freitas announced that prosecutors are seeking the death penalty if Brownlee is convicted.
  • Undercover officers arrested Brownlee in 2022 while he was driving around Stockton with a gun looking for another victim.
  • Ballistics tests linked all of the shootings to the same firearm and suspect.
  • The Stockton victims included Paul Yaw (35), Salvador Debudey (43), Jonathan Hernandez Rodriguez (21), Juan Carlos Carranza Cruz (52), and Lawrence Lopez (54).
  • A sixth victim, Juan Miguel Vasquez Serrano (39), was killed on Harmon Avenue in Oakland on April 10, 2021.
  • Natasha LaTour survived being shot multiple times in Stockton on April 16, 2021.
  • Brownlee is scheduled to return to court on November 2.

Who's Mentioned

PersonJuan Carlos Carranza Cruz“Victim slain in Stockton in 2022.”OrganizationEast Bay Times“Newspaper reporting on the suspect's background in Oakland.”locationOakland“City where Brownlee grew up, where one murder occurred, and where investigators ”locationStockton“City where multiple murders and an attempted murder occurred, and where the susp”locationSan Joaquin County“Jurisdiction where the jury found the defendant mentally competent and where the”PersonJuan Miguel Vasquez Serrano“Victim gunned down in Oakland on April 10, 2021.”PersonLawrence Lopez“Victim slain in Stockton in 2022.”PersonRon Freitas“District Attorney who announced the case can move forward and that the state is ”PersonSalvador Debudey“Victim slain in Stockton in 2022.”PersonNatasha LaTour“Survivor of an attempted murder shooting in Stockton on April 16, 2021.”locationAlameda County“County where Brownlee was arrested several times between 1999 and 2014 for drug-”PersonStanley McFadden“Stockton Police Chief who described the suspect as a cold-blooded killer.”PersonJonathan Hernandez Rodriguez“Victim slain in Stockton in 2022.”PersonPaul Yaw“Victim slain in Stockton in 2022.”PersonWesley Brownlee“Suspected serial killer charged with six counts of first-degree murder and one c”