STOCKTON, California — A San Joaquin County jury is now deciding whether Wesley Brownlee, the man accused in a series of shootings that terrorized Stockton and drew national attention, is mentally competent to stand trial in a case tied to six killings and one attempted murder, USA TODAY reported. Jurors began deliberations on Thursday, October 22, after six weeks of testimony from mental health experts, jail staff, family members and dozens of other witnesses. Brownlee has pleaded not guilty; the shootings themselves are allegations that have not been tried.
Source: USA TODAY / The Stockton Record
Under California law, a defendant is competent to stand trial if they understand the nature of the criminal proceedings, understand their role in those proceedings, and can rationally assist their legal defence; a unanimous jury verdict is required. The competency verdict will not determine Brownlee's guilt or innocence — it decides only whether the long-delayed murder case can move forward toward trial.
Source: USA TODAY / The Stockton Record
Defence attorney Allison Nobert told jurors the evidence showed a clear decline in Brownlee's ability to communicate and engage with those around him, arguing the case is not about whether he occasionally speaks to family or jail staff but whether he can rationally assist attorneys preparing a complex capital defence. Jurors heard recordings of phone calls in which Brownlee was largely silent or gave limited responses, which the defence said reflected a genuine mental health crisis rather than a strategic refusal. Brownlee's legal team first filed a formal declaration of doubt about his competency in 2024, describing a breakdown in communication with their client.
Source: USA TODAY / The Stockton Record
Deputy District Attorney Elton Grau urged jurors to reject the defence argument, contending the evidence showed Brownlee remains capable of participating but chooses not to. Prosecutors highlighted jail video, recorded phone calls and conversations with family members which they said showed he could communicate coherently when it served his interests, and argued competency turns on his present condition, not his past mental health history. If the jury finds him incompetent, criminal proceedings stay paused while he receives treatment to restore competency; if it finds him competent, the murder case proceeds toward trial.
Source: USA TODAY / The Stockton Record
Brownlee was arrested in October 2022 after authorities linked him to shootings in Stockton and Oakland in 2021 and 2022; prosecutors accuse him of killing six men and attempting to murder a woman who survived. A San Joaquin County grand jury later indicted him on six counts of murder with special circumstances and one count of attempted murder, and in January 2026 District Attorney Ron Freitas announced prosecutors would seek the death penalty, CBS affiliate KION reported. Freitas said at the time that the defence's difficulties were, in the prosecution's view, a matter of the defendant's own choices, and that prosecutors would show he is competent to stand trial.
Source: KION Central Coast (CBS)