Suspected Stockton serial killer charged with another 4 murders

The man suspected to be the Stockton serial killer has been charged with an additional four murders.

The San Joaquin County district attorney's office filed additional charges against 43-year-old Wesley Brownlee on Tuesday, bringing his alleged number of murder victims to seven.

District Attorney Tori Verber Salazar indicated her office will continue to "collaborate with our local law enforcement agencies to ensure justice for these victims."

According to the updated criminal complaint, Brownlee:

• murdered Juan Alexander Vasquez on April 10, 2021;
• murdered Mervin Harmon on April 16, 2021;
• murdered Paul Alexander Yaw on July 8, 2022;
• murdered Salvador William Debudey Jr. on Aug. 11, 2022;
• murdered Jonathan Rodriguez Hernandez on Aug. 30, 2022;
• murdered Juan Carlos Carranza-Cruz on Sept. 21, 2022; and
• murdered Lawrence Lopez Sr. on Sept. 27, 2022.

Brownlee is also accused of attempting to murder Natasha Jeanna Latour.

LaTour was shot multiple times around 3:30 a.m. on April 16, 2021, by a masked man dressed in dark pants and a dark hooded sweater. LaTour had been homeless, drug-addicted, and standing outside her tent in Oakland, California, at the time she was gunned down.

The Daily Beast noted that LaTour and most of the other victims were Hispanic and homeless, living in either Alameda County or San Joaquin County.

The gun used to shoot LaTour was linked to at least one homicide.

TheBlaze previously reported that Stockton police captured Brownlee on Oct. 15 while he "was out hunting" with the potential serial murder weapon in his possession.

Stockton Police Chief Stanley McFadden said that at the time of Brownlee's arrest, the suspected serial killer was armed, dressed in the garb LaTour had seen him in when he gunned her down, and likely out searching for his next victim.

Days earlier, the SPD released a video of a person of interest:

Tipped off to a possible suspect, police staked out Brownlee's home, then followed him as he drove to what may have been his killing grounds.

“We are sure we stopped another killing,” McFadden said in a statement. “Our surveillance team followed this person while he was driving. We watched his patterns and determined early this morning; he was on a mission to kill.”

Judge John Soldati of the San Joaquin County Superior Court indicated in October that if convicted on the original charges, Brownlee is looking at life in prison, at a minimum. The alternative would be the death penalty.

Michael Wilson, a neighbor to both Brownlee and one of his alleged victims, Jonathan Rodriguez Hernandez, told CBS Sacramento, "He seemed like he had a little attitude problem at times."

The New York Post indicated Brownlee may have had an attitude problem for quite some time, given that his criminal history dated back at least to an arrest when he was 15.

In addition to facing seven murder charges, which may land him the death penalty, Brownlee has also been hit with a litany of firearm-related felony charges.

The suspected serial killer returns to court on Jan. 3 for further arraignment.