A San Joaquin County Superior Court judge has set a trial date for Wesley Brownlee, accused of shooting to death six people and wounding another in what prosecutors say is the work of a serial killer.
The jury proceedings, slated to begin Aug. 25, will not focus directly on the charges against Brownlee, however. Rather, they will determine whether he is competent to stand trial.
Brownlee, 47, was arrested in October 2022 after Stockton police established that a series of homicides spanning more than a year were connected.
Initially, Brownlee was charged with three homicides, all in Stockton. All of the victims were unhoused men. Months later, four additional homicide charges were added, including a case from Alameda County.
Last November, a grand jury indicted Brownlee on six murder charges, an attempted murder charge and one charge each for possessing a gun and ammunition after having been convicted of felony drug crimes a decade before. The Oakland homicide officials first linked to Brownlee in December 2022 was not included in the indictment.
District Attorney Ron Freitas has said he will seek the death penalty in the case.
Questions about Brownlee’s mental state have repeatedly delayed the judicial case. He has refused to communicate with his own lawyers, prosecutors or mental health evaluators assigned to the case. Brownlee’s lead defense attorney, Alison Nobert, told the court in early March that the lack of communication impairs representation for her client.
Frietas said in January that Brownlee’s silence would not stop the case against him.
“We believe that the defendant’s choices are by his own volition, that this (prosecution) 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,” Frietas said during a news conference at the time.
San Joaquin County Superior Court Judge Xapuri Villapudua has denied motions by Brownlee’s attorney to dismiss the case.
On Tuesday, Natasha LaTour — who prosecutors say is the sole surviving victim of the attacks — attended Brownlee’s latest hearing, according to reporting from ABC10. She told the outlet she believes the case is “going in the right direction” after years of waiting.