Defense for accused Stockton serial killer seeks gag order
Wesley Brownlee appears in court after being charged with three murders attributed to a serial killer in Stockton. (KTVU FOX 2)
A judge in Stockton is expected to decide today whether to impose a gag order on the case of an alleged serial killer.
Wesley Brownlee, 43, has been charged with murdering three men in Stockton this year.
Authorities have also said he is suspected of killing two other people in Stockton and one in Oakland, but Brownlee has not been charged in those cases. A shooting that injured a woman in Stockton has also been blamed on Brownlee. Ballistics tests linked the killings together, officials said.
Lawyers for Brownlee claim that media coverage is hurting his right to a fair trial. The defense also complained that law enforcement has publicly described Brownlee as being guilty even before his trial begins.
The San Joaquin County District Attorney's office opposes a gag order, saying that statements made by Stockton Police Chief Stanley McFadden and District Attorney Tori Verber Salazar have made factual statements based on their investigations.
Brownlee was arrested earlier this month. Police said he was looking for another victim to kill at the time of his capture.