A suspected serial killer was arrested Saturday in the city of Stockton, California, while police said he was “hunting” a new victim.
Stockton Police Department chief Stanley McFadden said at a press conference on Saturday: “We are confident we have stopped another murder.”
He has been identified as Wesley Brownlee, 43, and is linked to the murders of men between the ages of 21 and 54 in recent months. He was charged with murder.
What was the arrest like? According to information provided by authorities, surveillance teams followed Brownlee as he drove and stopped in the Village Green Drive and Wislow Avenue area around 2:00 am on Saturday.
- “Our surveillance team followed this individual as he drove. We looked at his patterns and determined early this morning that he was on a killing mission. He was hunting,” McFadden said.
- To this, the police chief noted that “when officers contacted him, he was wearing dark clothes and a mask around his neck. He was also armed with a firearm when he was arrested.”
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The victims. The man will be tried on Tuesday and more charges are likely to be filed, according to authorities.
The victims were identified by the San Joaquin County Coroner’s Office:
- Paul Yaw, 35, killed on 8 July.
- Salvador Debudey Jr., 43, on 11 August.
- Jonathan Hernandez Rodriguez, 21, on August 30.
- Juan Cruz, 52, on 21 September.
- Lawrence Lopez, 54, on September 27.
At the time they were fatally wounded, the victims were alone, according to authorities. All the murders took place at night or early in the morning.
The case of a 46-year-old black woman who was injured between Park Street and Union Street in the city of Stockton at 3:20 am on April 16, 2021, was also related to the investigation. The woman survived.
The reason for the killings is still unknown, but it is believed that they were intentional.
