By Jordan Parker
Source San Francisco Chronicle
Stockon police have arrested a man on homicide charges in the killing of five men in that central California city — closing in Saturday morning as, they said, the suspected killer prepared to strike again.
"We are sure we stopped another killing," Stockton Police Chief Stanley McFadden said Saturday afternoon at a news conference.
The suspect, 43-year-old Wesley Brownlee, was arrested around 2 a.m. while on a "mission to kill," McFadden said. Brownlee was carrying a handgun and wearing dark clothing, with a mask around his neck.
The arrest comes after weeks of fear and worry in the city of 320,000 people located 80 miles east of San Francisco. Since the police announced two weeks ago that they believed there was a connection between five killings and one attempted homicide, more than a dozen law enforcement agencies and a $125,000 reward have been in place to find the killer. A private Facebook page created to share tips and express concerns about the killing spree attracted nearly 4,000 members.
"This is an absolutely tremendous day in the community," said Renee Myers, a Stockton woman who runs the Facebook group. "Just hearing the announcement that this monster has been apprehended and can no longer hunt and murder anyone in our community brings an incredible sense of relief."
A female cousin of one of the victims messaged Myers right after the arrest announcement was made. The cousin — who has been following the Facebook page but did not want to be named — told Myers that the news filled her with "a range of different emotions all wrapped into a tight ball including relief, anxiety, deep sadness, overwhelming joy at him being captured and off the streets."
The arrest came after police followed Brownlee as he was driving early Saturday morning — convinced that he was "out hunting," McFadden said. Tips sent to the department had helped police identify Brownlee as a possible suspect, according to McFadden, and police began surveilling him.
The corner where Brownlee was apprehended is in a quiet residential area next to a park, similar to the spot where one of the serial killer's homeless victims was gunned down. Like the other homicides, it was in the north end of town.
The Stockton killings that police say are linked took place between July 8 and Sept. 27. In each case the shootings occured between dusk and dawn. All five of the homicide victim were male; one was white and the others were Hispanic, and police identified most of them as homeless.
Police have also said that the recent killings are likely connected to a fatal shooting in Oakland that occurred in 2021.
Saturday, McFadden said Brownlee did have a criminal history, although the extent of that record was not clear. He also did
not say whether tips gathered by the Facebook page were part of the community effort that helped solve the crime, but acknowledged "we were very happy to see" it formed.
According to Myers, Brownlee had apparently not been listed as a suspect by group members — she keeps suspect names private from the page. It was impossible to tell, she said, if he might have signed in using a false account. On Saturday, within minutes of the police announcement, members of the Facebook group were busily trying to find out more about Brownlee.
Following a moment of silence for the victims, San Joaquin District Attorney
Tori Verber Salazar said Brownlee will be arraigned in court on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m, with charges to follow.
After identifying the suspect by name, Salazar stopped herself.
"I'm no longer going to say his name," Salazar said. "He doesn't deserve it."
The first victim in what police describe as a string of related killings was Juan Miguel Vasquez Serrano, 40, who was shot and killed in Oakland in April of 2021.
The remaining victims all died in Stockton, beginning with Paul Yaw, 35, who was killed on July 8. Two men were killed in August: Salvador Debudey Jr., 43, on Aug. 11, and Jonathan Hernandez Rodriguez, 21, on Aug. 30. Juan Cruz, 52, was shot to death on Sept. 21. The last known victim, 54-year-old Lawrence Lopez Sr., died on Sept. 27.
"Your reign of terror has come to an end," said district attorney-elect Ron Freitas, regarding the suspect.
"As the incoming district attorney, I look forward to prosecuting him to the fullest extent of the law."
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