Prosecutors to seek death penalty against suspected Stockton serial killer Wesley Brownlee

Prosecutors in San Joaquin County said they will seek the death penalty against Wesley Brownlee, who has been charged with multiple killings in the Stockton area and the Bay Area.

District Attorney Ron Freitas announced the decision on Monday, as Brownlee made a court appearance.

"To the victims and citizens of San Joaquin County, you have my commitment that I will get justice for you," Freitas said at a news conference Monday. 

Brownlee was arrested by Stockton police in 2022 in connection with the killings, which took place between April 2021 and October 2022. He is accused of killing Juan Vasquez-Serrano, Paul Yaw, Salvador Debudey, Johnathan Hernandez-Rodriguez, Juan Carlos Carranza-Cruz and Lawrence Lopez.

Last year, a grand jury charged Brownlee with six counts of murder with special circumstances and one count of attempted murder.

During the hearing, two doctors were appointed to analyze Brownlee. When asked about the additional doctors being brought in and the struggles getting the defendant to talk to them or his attorneys, Freitas said, "we're going to let the facts speak for themselves in the court and during the proceedings and through the motions and the briefings."

"But we also believe that the defendant's choices are by his own volition, that this will be developed through the case law and through the facts, and that we will show that he is competent to stand trial and that the proceedings should continue," the district attorney added.

The last execution to take place in the state of California was in 2006. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a moratorium on executions in the state in 2019.

Prosecutors said the next court date in the Brownlee case is on March 9.