A California man described as a serial killer has been charged in connection with four additional killings, bringing his death toll to seven.
Wesley Brownlee, 43, was arrested in October 2022 when police found him carrying a gun as authorities say he was “hunting” for more victims. Brownlee was charged with three counts of murder in connection with the deaths of 21-year-old Jonathan Rodriguez Hernandez, 52-year-old Juan Cruz, and 54-year-old Lawrence Lopez Sr.
On Dec. 28, Brownlee was charged with four more counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. The new charges come two months after investigators linked him to at least five killings in the city of Stockton, California. The victims in the killings had been alone in dimly lit areas at night or early in the morning.
A tip then led officers to Brownlee, as prosecutors described him as a truck driver who moved to Stockton in the summer. In a complaint filed on Dec. 27, prosecutors say Brownlee fatally shot Juan Alexander Vasquez, Mervin Harmon, Paul Alexander Yaw, and Salvador William Debudey Jr.
On April 10, 2021, Vasquez was killed, and six days later, Harmon was killed. On the same day, Natasha Jeanne Latour was shot multiple times but survived. On July 8, 2022, Brownlee killed Yaw, and a month later he killed Debudey.
