Jury finds accused Stockton serial killer Wesley Brownlee competent to stand trial

A San Joaquin County jury has found Wesley Brownlee competent to stand trial on six counts of murder, a count of attempted murder, and additional related special circumstance allegations, prosecutors said Wednesday.

Brownlee has been charged with the murders of six people across an 18-month span of time, with the killings taking place from the Bay Area to Stockton. He was initially arrested in 2022 while he was "out hunting" according to prosecutors, and was indicted by a grand jury in 2025. 

All six people Brownlee is accused of shooting and killing were men. Brownlee is also accused of the attempted murder of Natasha LaTour in Stockton, who is the only known survivor of the murders Brownlee has been charged with committing.

San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Freitas announced in January that his office plans to seek the death penalty in Brownlee's case.

"These were horrific crimes that terrorized our community, and we will not rest until justice is served," Freitas said in a statement on Wednesday.

Brownlee will be back in court next on Nov. 2 at 1:30 p.m., officials said.