Families desperate for justice as court weighs unsealing evidence in Stockton serial killings case
Nearly four years after the first reported killing connected to the Stockton serial shootings, the case against Wesley Brownlee has been delayed once again.
A San Joaquin County Judge was expected Monday to decide whether to unseal the grand jury transcript in the case – a move that would reveal key evidence and witness testimony used to indict Brownlee.
However, that decision was postponed after Brownlee’s defense team cited scheduling conflicts and said they need more time to review what they described as communication issues.
The delay is the latest in a series of setbacks that have left victims and their families waiting for years for the case to move forward.
“I feel like it takes an incredible amount of patience to go through something like this,” said Natasha LaTour, the lone survivor of the Stockton serial shootings. “I don’t wish this on anybody.”
For families of the victims, the wait has been agonizing.
“It’s been really tough the past four years, every day, just trying to figure out what’s going to happen,” said Analydia Lopez, the wife of victim Salvador Debudey Jr.
The case remains stalled amid ongoing questions about whether Brownlee is mentally competent to stand trial.
On Monday, he sat silently with his head down and did not communicate with any authorities, including his defense team – a pattern he has shown during multiple court hearings.
According to court proceedings, Brownlee has refused to communicate with prosecutors, defense attorneys, and even mental health experts tasked with evaluating him.
Last Week, Brownlee’s defense team demurrer, a motion asking the judge to dismiss the indictment altogether.
“We filed a demurrer because we felt there were legal issues that we had to address,” a defense attorney told the court.
Even if the motion is denied, Brownlee’s attorneys said the issue of a “breakdown in communication” between Brownlee and his legal team remains.
“We have a lack of communication that impairs our representation,” defense counsel said.
The defense is now asking the judge to hold a private hearing to review evidence gathered by investigators and mental health experts to determine whether the case can realistically proceed.
Prosecutors pushed back against the request, arguing that too many motions have slowed the case down.
“It takes me back to this idea that, you know, democracy dies in darkness,” San Joaquin County prosecutor Elton Grau said. “This idea that we’re keeping the entire case under some sort of secret hearing, and I believe that most of these items can be disclosed.”
The judge granted a continuance for March 23, when the court is expected to revisit the question of whether to unseal the grand jury transcript.
If the document is released, it would mark the first time the public would see specific evidence and witness statements gathered to charge Brownlee with the shootings.
