Wesson Trial: Mass murder of family

[WhiteWolf]

Link to the discussion thread in the "Crimes In The News" forum is:

http://207.36.4.219/forums/showthread.php?p=176165

Nine found dead in Fresno home; suspect arrested
Seven of the victims were children ages 1 to 8

By BRIAN SKOLOFF, Associated Press

FRESNO -- One woman, a teenager and seven children were found dead in a Fresno home Friday, and police have arrested a suspect believed to be the father of all the victims, authorities said.

The nine bodies -- including a woman in her 20s, a 17-year-old girl and seven children aged 1 to 8 -- were discovered stacked and intertwined in a pile of clothes after police responded about 2 p.m. to a custody dispute call on the city's west side, said Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer.

Police arrested Marcus Wesson, 57, who walked out of the house covered in what appeared to be blood and surrendered shortly after a SWAT team arrived, Dyer said. The bodies were discovered in one of the bedrooms when police entered the home after Wesson was taken into custody.

"We do believe at this time that the deceased individuals, most if not all, are the suspect's children," Dyer said.

"This is obviously very unique and there may have been some type of ritual involved."

Police were searching the home for additional victims.
Ten caskets were stacked along a wall inside the single story home, Dyer said, but police didn't know why they were there.

"Who knows," Dyer said, "maybe it's a business that sells caskets. It could be a total coincidence."

Dyer said police had determined the cause of death for the victims, but were not immediately releasing it. He said officers could not immediately determine the gender of some of the younger victims.

Two women who called police reported that a man had their children inside the home and refused to turn them over, Dyer said. The man initially refused to come out. Two other women dashed from the home when Wesson ran into a back bedroom.

Big article with a lot more information:

http://www.trivalleyherald.com/Stories/0,1...2015338,00.html (http://www.trivalleyherald.com/Stories/0,1413,86~10669~2015338,00.html)

[civilatty]

Here's a link from the Fresno Bee that quotes attorney Frank Muna, who seems to have some knowledge of the father/murderer...wasn't he the attorney for one of the guys who claimed to have met Scott in a strip club and agreed to steal Laci's car, etc.?

http://www.fresnobee.com/breakingnews/story/8268372p-9111859c.html

[shotzie]

Hopefully MG doesn't start his Satan thing again..after hearing of this.

[Valaryn]

Deleted msg because it's early and I'm distressed.

ETA: Here's the link to Frank Muna/Skeeter/Dirty

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/GMA/US/GMA030922Peterson.html

Here's a link from the Fresno Bee that quotes attorney Frank Muna, who seems to have some knowledge of the father/murderer...wasn't he the attorney for one of the guys who claimed to have met Scott in a strip club and agreed to steal Laci's car, etc.?

http://www.fresnobee.com/breakingnews/story/8268372p-9111859c.html

[fran]

Oh good grief!! It appears that this MAY be the same attorney that brought up dirty and skeeter in the Peterson trial. They're both in Fresno so I would venture to say, yes...it's the same person.
Now what? Is MG going to try and connect the two cases? I'm serious. He's probably got a team of grunts on it as we type. This could at the least work into a months delay for the defense.
JMHO
fran

[chicoliving]

Oh good grief!! It appears that this MAY be the same attorney that brought up dirty and skeeter in the Peterson trial. They're both in Fresno so I would venture to say, yes...it's the same person.
Now what? Is MG going to try and connect the two cases? I'm serious. He's probably got a team of grunts on it as we type. This could at the least work into a months delay for the defense.
JMHO
fran
Hi fran! Watching Fox News Channel now and just about fell off the chair when I heard Muna's voice! I don't like them saying "ritual" slaying.....gives MG gas so to speak! Only a matter of time before this tragedy gets woven into SP lies.....

[civilatty]

Muna said his client (dirty or skeeter, I can't remember which) will not be called to testify at the Peterson trial as the prosecution has a different theory of the case. He sorta dodged the issue of whether his client had been discredited.

[Newswolf]

Did anyone else hear the interview with Wesson's son, who said something like, all 9 of his brothers and sisters are children of his sisters' who may have been artificially inseminated???

[mindys]

Did anyone else hear the interview with Wesson's son, who said something like, all 9 of his brothers and sisters are children of his sisters' who may have been artificially inseminated???
Oh Baby, you gotta sniff that out and get more on that. Inquiring minds wanna know!!!

[Newswolf]

Yeah it was :crazy:

The young man walked up to the reporter in the middle of a live shot and started going on about the media frenzy and that his father was never abusive but they hadn't spoken in about 6 weeks and yes it all seems horrible but not like my father. He said he was the oldest or only son, reporter asked where his brothers and sisters are, said that's my family in there, said he has nine and they're his sisters' kids and they have been artificially inseminated.

Can't find it online but FOX is supposed to do more in-depth report at 7pm E

[WhiteWolf]

GRRRR! Fox News didn't show all of the press conference. I did catch a little more on MSNBC News that they were conducting DNA tests on the children (incest was mentioned) to sort out paternity. Also, they did say the children weren't mutilated, but I'm not so sure it didn't happen. Several relatives of the victims haven't been notified so maybe LE is reluctant to talk about what condition the bodies were in when found.

[Newswolf]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,114123,00.html

"The bodies of six females and three males, ages 1 to 24, were found tangled in the back room of in Marcus Wesson's (search) home Friday. Fresno's largest mass murder ever quadrupled its homicides for the year in a single night and disturbed officers so much that some immediately needed counseling.

Wesson, described by police as "very calm," was arrested Friday after emerging from his home covered in blood.

Wesson, 57, has fathered children with at least four women, two of whom are his own daughters, said Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer.

"We are exploring the possibility that there were other women he was involved with, either sexually or in some sort of polygamist relationship," Dyer said.

Police said they believe all the victims are members of Wesson's family, but they declined to release names pending notification of kin.

Wesson was cooperating with police, who planned to charge him with nine counts of murder, Dyer said.

"If this does not qualify for the death sentence, then there is no case that would," Dyer said.

Dyer said police believe they know the cause of death, but would not release that information. "

[BirdieBoo]

it just seems to get worse and waorse. He fathered children with 2 of his own daughters!!!??? I am shocked and disgusted. He also is a VERY scary looking individual whom I'm sure I'll see in my nightmares.

[Newswolf]

Something was VERY wrong. His son's statements make me think that too.

[WhiteWolf]

Sorry last link didn't work.


Long article with a lot of new information:

http://www.fresnobee.com/local/story/8278017p-9120625c.html

[LovelyPigeon]

Here's the Associated Press story, from today's AJC:

http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/ap/ap_story.html/National/AP.V0732.AP-Fresno-Slayings.html

Police say some of the children were fathered by Wesson's own daughter or daughters.

Looks like he had his own little religion going...

[River]

The police say that the perp likely impregnated 2 of his daughters.

It doesn't get sicker than this. :hand:

[WhiteWolf]

Marcus Wesson's 29 year-old son, Dorian Wesson, told the Los Angeles Times, "He (Marcus Wesson) was born in Kansas, lived in San Jose and moved to Fresno to buy and sell houses. He belongs to the Seventh-day Adventist Church and writes books, too."

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/news/031404ap_nw_fresno_slayings.html

[Toth]

Usually that sort of stuff goes on in more rural areas. Alaska and the like, self reliant types who live fairly isolated lives where the whole town may know that the daughters don't have boyfriends but get pregant each year. One man in California had two daughters each of whom he impregnated. One still visited him and brought the kids along. The kids called him 'grand pa' but they each knew he was really their father. California never prosecuted him, but I think it was North Dakota or Wyoming that gave him seven years because the other daughter had been impregnated by him in that state and there was no statute of limitations on that sort of thing there. The wife ofcourse went along with it all and let it happen to the daughters from when they were about seven and nine years old. And all he got was seven years in the slammer.

[CARLA]

Fresno Man Charged With Nine Murder Counts
By BRIAN SKOLOFF, AP

http://cdn.news.aol.com/aolnews_photos/00/02/20040313154509990003 YIKES..!!

http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/news/article.adp?id=20040313025809990001&_mpc=news%2e6


FRESNO, Calif. (March 14) - Six coroners, triple the typical weekend staff, worked in shifts Sunday to identify the nine victims of a mass killing, believed to all be family members of a man who lived a bizarre life of polygamy and incest. :sick: :sick: ANIMAL, MONSTER :behindbar

Marcus Wesson, who may have fathered two of the victims with his own daughters, was charged with nine counts of murder. Bail was set at $9 million.

Identifying the victims and tracking down next of kin to be notified was a difficult process.

''It's just very complicated,'' Deputy Fresno County Coroner Amy Hance said Sunday. ''Who do you make notification to if eventually some of the victims are other victims' relatives?''

Wesson, 57, covered with blood but described by police as ''very calm,'' was arrested Friday when he emerged from his home, where authorities found the nine bodies tangled in a pile of clothing in a back room.

Investigators said the victims were six females and three males, ranging in age from 1 to 24 and probably all Wesson's children and grandchildren.

A makeshift memorial of stuffed animals, balloons and flowers grew Sunday on the sidewalk in front of the single-story house, as a steady flow of people came by with more cards and teddy bears.

No motive had been determined, Police Chief Jerry Dyer told reporters.

Police said Wesson had fathered children with at least four women, two of them his own daughters.

''We are exploring the possibility that there were other women he was involved with, either sexually or in some sort of polygamist relationship,'' Dyer said Saturday.

He said police believe they know the cause of death but would not release that information.

''I can tell you that there were no mutilations,'' Dyer said. ''The bodies were intact.''

Dyer added that police ''have not ruled out the involvement of any other suspects.''

The grisly tale of polygamy, incest and murder stunned not only police but also Wesson's 29-year-old son, Dorian.


''He was a good father. He wasn't abusive at all,'' Dorian Wesson told the Los Angeles Times.

''I don't want to believe it. I want to give him the benefit of the doubt. But they're all dead,'' said Dorian Wesson, adding that he hadn't seen his father in about a year.

Officers were called to the house Friday for a child custody dispute. After finding the ghastly scene, some officers were placed on administrative leave and were being given counseling.

Police also found 10 wooden coffins. Antique store owner Lois Dugovic said Wesson bought the hand-carved, mahogany coffins about five years ago, saying he planned to use the wood to repair a houseboat.

Wesson had once lived with five women and appeared to have a romantic relationship with each, said Frank Muna, an acquaintance. The women seemed to be under Wesson's control, walking behind him and not speaking when he was present, Muna said.

Neighbors said they knew little about Wesson but noticed that his behavior had become more bizarre, Muna said.

''A lot of what he was saying wasn't relevant to what we were discussing,'' Muna said.

It is the largest mass killing ever in Fresno, a city of 440,000 people about 190 miles southeast of San Francisco.

Associated Press Writer Brian Melley contributed to this report.

[LovelyPigeon]

Looks more like a communal living arrangement for a religious sect invented by Marcus Wesson than a cult. (I think Toth predicted such from the get-go, so hardly an original observation by moi)

Religion per se is responsible for a horrible amount of deaths and murders. How God must grieve over such happenings now, and throughout history.

[scandi]

I just heard on Fox news the police have recordoned off the home and are digging in the basement. I wonder what they are looking for - maybe more bodies! I don't know :(



Scandi

[LovelyPigeon]

I was thinking that maybe some of the bodies had been piled there for quite a while, but since Serafino lived there, he could have hardly missed bodies piled in the bedroom.

I wonder did the children live there at all, or were they just recently allowed to be in the house in Wesson's "temporary custody". Neighbors said they didn't even know children were there.

[ThoughtFox]

I am just sickened by the depths to which humanity can sink. This was beyond depraved!!! And I really want to know whether the "custody" this animal had of these poor babies was legal or "casual" - in other words, did the mothers of these children abandon them to their fate? It just makes me furious!!!

I am really wondering about the involvement of Frank Muna, the attorney who was involved in the Peterson case - he told the world that his client Corey Carrol knew something about a "deal" at a strip club between Scott Peterson and two guys named "Dirty" and "Skeeter." Now he turns up talking about his relationship to a mass murderer/cult leader. OMG!

If he was so involved with them - enough to sue them!?? - then why didn't he turn them in for child abuse or neglect? I guess all he wanted was his money.

http://www.fresnobee.com/local/story/8278017p-9120625c.html

Members of Wesson's family bought a burned-out, once-stately home at Maroa and Cambridge avenues, a few blocks north of Fresno City College, in the spring of 1999. Lawyer Frank Muna said he sold the house to Ruby Sanchez, Sofina Solorio, Kiani Wesson and Sebhrenah Wesson. The latter two are reportedly Marcus Wesson's daughters. The relationship of Sanchez and Solorio to Wesson is unclear.

Muna said they made payments, but their checks started to bounce after a year or so: "They ran out of money." So Muna sued them.

Muna said he met several times with Wesson and the four women and that the women wore black or dark gray dresses and head coverings. Of Wesson's relationship to the women, Muna said: "I don't think it was so much as a cult behavior. It was more like commune behavior."

As the group's dealing with Muna soured, so did their relations with neighbors at Maroa and Cambridge. Some of the women moved into a tool shed in the back yard while the main house was being rebuilt, according to neighbor Sharii Rey. Neighbors were upset because the tool shed had no plumbing and they thought it was unsanitary for the women to live there, she said.

A petition was circulated, and the residents eventually moved out of the tool shed. Rey believed only some of the women were living there. Muna said Wesson was, too.

[SieSie]

Snip about neighbors not seeing children:

--Sharii Rey: Did not see any children.
--Concepcion Altero, who has lived in the Hammond neighborhood for about four years, .... said she never saw any young children at Wesson's home but would see him sometimes accompanied by two young women.
Source: http://www.fresnobee.com/local/story/8278017p-9120625c.html

[WhiteWolf]

Click on "Suspect in Fresno slayings has local history" at the link below:

http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2004/March/14/



March 14, 2004
Suspect in Fresno slayings has local history
STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

SANTA CRUZ — A man suspected of murdering nine of his family members in Fresno this weekend has a criminal history that traces back to a life with his many children on a small sailboat in the Santa Cruz Small Craft Harbor.

Harbor Police officer Steve Redfield remembers Marcus Wesson, 57, as a harbor tenant just more than 10 years ago who was frequently delinquent with his monthly slip fees. He also remembers Wesson being hauled off to County Jail after being convicted of welfare fraud.

But Redfield, though saying Wesson had some odd behaviors like parking an old, yellow school bus at the harbor, doesn't remember the large man with dreads as someone prone to violence.

Snip...

While living in Santa Cruz, Wesson was found guilty of fraud for failure to list his sailboat as an asset on his welfare forms and trying to hide ownership of it in 1990.

Park Cuseo, the chief of investigations for welfare fraud in Santa Cruz County, said Wesson, despite his conviction, was, "a very docile guy, very religious and very cooperative."

Cuseo said Wesson served less than six months in the county jail.

"He was not what I would call a hard-core criminal," Cuseo said.

[LovelyPigeon]

From today's LA Times:

Cervantes also told the paper that each of the victims was shot at least once, and that six autopsies conducted so far found that a gunshot was the fatal wound. The remaining autopsies were expected to be completed Monday.

Police are also investigating whether one of the victims participated in the killing--checking for gunshot residue on the hands.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/ats-ap_us11mar15,1,6885084.story?coll=sns-ap-topus

[WhiteWolf]

This sad story is getting worse every day....



Posted on Mon, Mar. 15, 2004


Slaying suspect led nomadic life

FRESNO MAN, FAMILY MOVED AMONG SEVERAL LOCALES

By Crystal Carreon, Lisa
Fernandez and Brandon Bailey

Mercury News

FRESNO - Mass murder suspect Marcus Wesson, the intimidating patriarch of a large and allegedly incestuous clan, lived an erratic, nomadic lifestyle on the fringes of society for more than 15 years.

While some family members defended Wesson as a loving father, others who encountered him over the years described him Sunday as controlling and stern.

One neighbor said she heard Wesson lay down a chilling ultimatum on the afternoon that nine members of his extended family were found dead in his home.

``I´d rather kill them before I give them back to you,´´ Linda Morales said she heard Wesson shout Friday, shortly before two women called police to say he was refusing to let them take their children from the house.

Wesson and his family had moved several times in recent years, from a small boat anchored at the Santa Cruz harbor, to a squatter's haven in the mountains outside Watsonville, before settling at the site of what Fresno police are calling the worst massacre in their city's history.

Snip.....

Family members have denied allegations that Wesson committed incest.

Police have said they are looking into the possibility of his having sexual relations with other family members in addition to his two daughters. Eliza Whitney, a longtime acquaintance and neighbor of Wesson's mother-in-law, said he had also impregnated two of his nieces and had a prior relationship with his wife's mother.

Wesson met his wife, Elizabeth, when his family lived near hers in East San Jose during the 1960s, according to Elizabeth's sister, Rosemary Solorio. In a brief interview, she described her sister's husband as religious, loving and a good provider for his family. Relatives say Wesson is a Seventh-day Adventist.

In a press release issued Sunday, the Adventist church said it had no record of Wesson being a member.


The rest of the long article at the link below.

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/8190050.htm

[WhiteWolf]

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20040315-0040-ca-fresnoslayings.html

Police check whether victim helped killer, coroner says
********
By Brian Skoloff
ASSOCIATED PRESS
12:40 a.m. March 15, 2004
Associated Press

In the red glow of a police car light, Felix Enriquez tearfully holds close his 2-year-old son, Moses Enriquez, as a crowd gathers Sunday evening, March 14, 2004, for a memorial outside the Fresno home of Marcus Wesson.

Wesson, 57, covered with blood but described by police as "very calm," was arrested Friday when he emerged from his home, where authorities found nine bodies tangled in a pile of clothing in a back room.

Police are trying to determine if a man suspected of killing nine of his family members may have been helped by one of his victims, according to the county coroner.

Fresno County Coroner Loralee Cervantes told the Fresno Bee on Sunday that police conducted tests to determine if there was gunshot residue on the hands of one of the victims, who were found Friday in a tangle of clothing and bodies in the house of Marcus Wesson.

Snip......


Cervantes also told the paper that each of the victims was shot at least once, and that six autopsies conducted so far found that in those cases, the gunshot was the fatal wound. The remaining autopsies were expected to be completed Monday.

Authorities also told the Bee that each of the victims was shot in the same place on the body, although they would not say where.


More at the link above....

[13th Juror]

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20040315-0040-ca-fresnoslayings.html

<1st portion snipped> ......

Cervantes also told the paper that each of the victims was shot at least once, and that six autopsies conducted so far found that in those cases, the gunshot was the fatal wound. The remaining autopsies were expected to be completed Monday.

Authorities also told the Bee that each of the victims was shot in the same place on the body, although they would not say where.




In another article it states that the authorities were initially unable to determine the gender of the murdered victims.

Could that possibly have had something to do with the 'body location' of where these victims were shot?

This whole case is just too gruesome & horrifying to even comprehend.

13th Juror

[ThoughtFox]

I wasn't expecting this. I was looking through some of the most recent articles, and came across this from KPIX news. They think the one who might have helped with the shooting was a female! What if she shot her own child? OMG! :eek:

http://beta.kpix.com/news/local/2004/03/15/Fresno_Family_Shot,_With_No_Sign_of_Struggle.html

The apparent father of the victims, Marcus Wesson, was being held on a bail of $9 million. Investigators think that Wesson may have been the grandfather of some of the children, as well, due to incest. Police also were trying to figure out if the oldest female victim assisted in the murders before killing herself.

[River]

www.foxnews.com
Fresno man accused of killing family may have had daughter's help.
That's the headline on the front page of Fox News. CNN takes too long for my browser to pull up, they may have more information.

Can you believe that the daughter, who was also dead, may have HELPED in this crime? The police announced today that at least 7 of the victims were shot to death.

Did anyone hear that CPS had been called last year and everything was OK? That may be just a rumor.

[LP Moderator]

Riv, they're thinking he may have forced her to shoot the others and then he shot her. He may not have had the guts to do them all himself!! :behindbar :behindbar :behindbar :behindbar

[LovelyPigeon]

Rumors on "help with the shootings" may be much ado about nothing:

Coroner Loralee Cervantes told the Fresno Bee Sunday that police also conducted tests to determine if there was gunshot residue on the hands of one of the victims, indicating Wesson may have had help with the shootings. Police Lt. Herman Silva said Monday that checking for residue was "standard practice."

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20040315-1214-ca-fresnoslayings.html

[mindys]

Riv, they're thinking he may have forced her to shoot the others and then he shot her. He may not have had the guts to do them all himself!! :behindbar :behindbar :behindbar :behindbar
Or he wanted someone else, one of his daughters/wives (sick!), to take the fall/blame.

[Pepper]

My friend's brother was not on duty when the crime was discovered, even though it is his shift and territory. It was his day off.

Bet this guy Wesson uses the insanity defense. This whole case is just too ugly to stomach. That man is so ugly he could scare the fur off a cat. I can't imagine anyone wanting to sleep with him. Yuck!!

[LovelyPigeon]

I wonder if the deadline was part of this needless tragedy:

Wesson and his family were violating city codes by living in the building where the shootings occurred, which was zoned for commercial use, the Fresno Bee reported Tuesday. They were given a citation March 1, calling for a $100 fine, and ordered to leave the building or acquire a special permit.

"The day of the murder was the day they had to comply with the administrative order," Fresno Planning Director Nick Yovino told the newspaper. "As far as we're concerned, that was a coincidence."

[Toth]

He has the money to buy ten caskets but doesn't have the money to apply for the special conditional use permit???

[Toth]

These shootings apparently took place while a number of police officers were present on the scene.

The police decided to call for a swat team and a negotiator rather than enter the premises in response to a custody dispute complaint.

There apparently had been no gunfire at the time and relatives were urging police to make entry into the premises.

It seems that two police officers who were present at the time have expressed doubts as to the wisdom of remaining at the perimeter and calling for a negotiator rather than entering the premises promptly.

[Toth]

Note: The Chief of Police in Fresno has not formally acknowledged that his officers were on the scene prior to the shootings, but it seems that he has acknowledged the "possibility" and it seems that two officers who were actually there have stated that police did in fact arrive prior to the shootings.

[LovelyPigeon]

I know I read one account that police were in the front doorway of the home yet heard no shots.

It will probably take a while to sort all the facts from the fiction in this case.

[LovelyPigeon]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,114487,00.html

Officers second guessed

It would further explain some of the officers needing grief counseling if they feel they should have done more after hearing shots...

[Toth]

>I read one account that police were in the front doorway of the home yet heard no shots.
.....Yet a housewife across the street apparently did hear shots and only heard them after the police had arrived.

>It will probably take a while to sort all the facts from the fiction in this case.
From what is emerging now, it appears that right from the start reports were rather artfully worded to avoid certain facts from becoming known.

[ThoughtFox]

From today's San Francisco Chronicle (March 18) - a fairly long article about the "aimless travels" of this family, particularly when they lived on a series of boats in Marin County. This is just an excerpt.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/03/18/MNGTB5MUOE1.DTL

Fresno suspect stuck out in eccentric West Marin
Locals found him odd but harmless

The seemingly aimless travels of Marcus Delon Wesson and his large family landed him for a time in the quiet, seaside town of Marshall in rural Marin County, where he and his kin fixed up an old wooden tugboat for a voyage that never came. Wesson, 57, was an odd duck even in a tiny, insular community where loners and eccentrics have been known to hide out from the cruel fates. But nobody believed the "big, dreadlocked hippie-type guy," as one local described him, would ever harm anyone. . .

. . . . . But one could not help but notice the strange, disconnected way Wesson's children behaved around strangers, rarely addressing anyone or looking them in the eye, locals said. Wesson and his wife, Elizabeth, purportedly homeschooled all the children, but to most people, it seemed like a lonely, disordered way to live.

"Most of his kids were real quiet. They wouldn't talk to you or look at you," said Zahl, who ran into Wesson and his children often because their houseboat project was right next to where he stored his oyster bags. "Something seemed strange, and it was kind of a bizarre little construction project he was working on, putting furniture posts and bedposts on the boat. But it all seemed real positive, which makes what happened so surprising."

Jeremy Fisher-Smith, the owner of Fisher-Smith Boatworks, next to the harbor where Wesson's boats are still anchored, said everybody just assumed Wesson was eccentric.

"It was universally assumed that there was something odd about his domestic situation," he said. "All along, this person's behavior was abnormal, but this is America, where we pride ourselves on our diversity. So we gave him the benefit of the doubt."

Anna Konatich, who owns Tony's Seafood with her husband, Felix, said the children would often borrow water from the faucet out front, sometimes coming in the middle of the night. She said they were always polite, but bashful.

"I would tease them, asking them who is older and who is the boss, things like that," Konatich said. "They would just smile."

Konatich said at least two of the daughters worked at the nearby Marconi Conference Center, a state-owned retreat and conference center, and would regularly pass by on their way to work. She said she would often pass Wesson on the way to the post office.

"They were always sawing and pounding, and I would say to him, 'C'mon, this boat hasn't gotten very far,' " Konatich said. "He would smile and say, 'Tell them that,' gesturing toward his kids."

Last fall, sheriff's officers ordered Wesson and his family off the boats, which were deemed to be unsafe for children. They also didn't have any bathrooms, and locals were worried about effluent polluting Tomales Bay and poisoning nearby oyster beds, a major industry in Marshall.

Two officers from the Marin County sheriff's dive team sat in an inflatable boat next to the Sudan on Wednesday. Sgt. Doug Pittman, the sheriff's spokesman, said the team was "assisting the Fresno Police Department in their investigation" but would not elaborate.

The people in Marshall said they are mostly concerned now about the surviving children. Wesson's friend Bob said he doesn't know what went wrong.

"He loved his kids," Bob said. "They were all going to sail away together. "

[LovelyPigeon]

Toth, I think that "artfully speaking" or CopSpeak must be par for the course.

[mindys]

>I read one account that police were in the front doorway of the home yet heard no shots.
.....Yet a housewife across the street apparently did hear shots and only heard them after the police had arrived.

>It will probably take a while to sort all the facts from the fiction in this case.
From what is emerging now, it appears that right from the start reports were rather artfully worded to avoid certain facts from becoming known.
I PERSONALLY STAND BEHIND EVERY ACTION THEY TOOK OR DIDN'T, IN THIS CASE.

[Pepper]

If ever there was a case for mandatory sterilization, this is it. Wesson probably had at least 13 children, perhaps more, by God only knows how many women, including his own natural daughters. Nine of these children are now dead at the hands of their "loving" father. The surviving adult daughter/s have been used and abused by this creep. He has lived off the hard work of the women in his life, while he continues to breed and create more innocent children, whom he apparently murdered in cold blood.

Since he failed to provide adequate food and housing for his family, he should have been sterilized years ago. I can only hope that he never again gets close enough to a female to bring another baby into this world.

[Toth]

He has lived off the hard work of the women in his life, Only women think that is wrong!

[Ghostwheel]

Only women think that is wrong!I disagree. You might try asking some men.

[mindys]

Fresno police chief defends his officer's actions:

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/West/03/18/fresno.killings/index.html

[Pepper]

http://www.fresnobee.com/local/story/8300160p-9142019c.html

Mindys, From what I read in today's Bee, I think the City of Fresno is in deep trouble! Bet the lawyers are lining up to represent the mothers of the slain children in a mega lawsuit on the City of Fresno. Seems that the mothers heard gunshots, but the police did not? The mothers begged the police to enter the building because they feared for the lives of the children, but the police were waiting for a search warrant?

This explains why the police involved were put on paid administrative leave and needed counseling.

Not good news for Fresno. :(

[Toth]

Police often have a concern for their own safety that seems to override everything, including common sense. Unfortunately, thats not what they are paid for and if they don't want to actually do the job they should not sign on for it.

It seems that waiting for swat team or warrants or a fresh donut makes no difference, they knew if they waited the situation would be over if for no other reason than that he ran out of ammunition and targets. If he uses the last round on himself, they can drag out the silence and delay entry until double overtime pay!

[mindys]

This explains why the police involved were put on paid administrative leave and needed counseling.

No it doesn't, the police were exposed to a scene of EXTREME BLOODY GORE AND DEATH, 7 CHILDREN!!!! Just the stench from all that blood surely caused some among them to hurl. Many officer's never deal with this kind of situation in a life-long career! That is why they needed leave. Wait till this goes to trial and hear for yourself what they found.

This lawsuit talk is laughable, they GAVE their children to a severly disturbed individual. That's called child abandonment, child endangerement. Too little, too late for them.

[BirdieBoo]

The police were NOT made aware that Wesson had a gun.

Also, as far as officer safety being most important, that is how police work is done. If officer safety was not paramount, we would have no police officers, because they would all be killed when confronted with their first potentially deadly situation.

It's not negligence, its what's more commonly known as "good police work".

Officers are risking their lives every day on the streets so that many of us can live the lifestyle we are accustomed to, they and their families make sacrifices to do so. I wish more people would recognize that fact, instead of just blaming the police when a situation turns tragic, like this one. The police are not to blame here. Blame the sicko who did it, not those who protect us.

[LP Moderator]

You know, I'm getting a little sick and tired of people complaining about criminals who walk free because of a tiny little mistake made by the police department, yet now everyone is complaining because in this case THEY FOLLOWED PROCEDURE. We don't know yet if the children were all dead by the time the police department got there or not. However, if the cops in the scene went against procedure and broke the door down to get inside that house, this man may very well get away with the murders (however many he pulled off before they arrived - if that's what happened), because the cops didn't wait for a warrant or whatever they needed.

Some people will never be happy no matter which way these things are handled. I would say to those of you who think they could have done better to get up off your asses and go for it.

[Elle Kaye]

So what some of you are saying is that in this instance, when the police walked in to a situation with histerical women and one very calm man, that the police should have violated this man's civil rights and entered his house when he had showed no signs of doing anything wrong?

Do you know that is against the law?

And even if they did hear gunshots after they arrived, they didn't know what was really going on. They are not to just enter a scene where someone is firing a weapon unless they have some idea of what is going on. It was a hostage situation. What if the police had stormed the building and the man killed some children as they did so? Then some would be saying that the police should have waited because maybe he would not have killed any. That them storming into the building caused him to kill some children.

The police cannot win in a situation like this. And it is not fair to second guess their actions.

[LovelyPigeon]

It's not fair to second guess but it is fair to have a complete investigation in light of differing stories.

It's a horrible tragedy that all those children died. It will be more horrible if it could have been avoided by different action.

[Pepper]

No it doesn't, the police were exposed to a scene of EXTREME BLOODY GORE AND DEATH, 7 CHILDREN!!!! Just the stench from all that blood surely caused some among them to hurl. Many officer's never deal with this kind of situation in a life-long career! That is why they needed leave. Wait till this goes to trial and hear for yourself what they found.

This lawsuit talk is laughable, they GAVE their children to a severly disturbed individual. That's called child abandonment, child endangerement. Too little, too late for them.
I am not disagreeing with you, but I am stating what I believe may have happened, and you just wait, the city will PAY!

Currently there is a case here where some dumb a$$ was arrested for selling crack. Rather than be caught redhanded with the evidence, the dumb $hit swalled the rock. After he was taken to jail, he began to heave. Bottom line, he died! The city is currently being sued by the family of this scumbag, because they say the police should have KNOWN that he swallowed the crack, yet they did not call the paramedics until it was too late!! City will probably settle, and pay out.

Problem is the City doesn't want trials, and settling is something the city fathers consider a better alternative than an expensive civil trial. I could give you other examples too.

I still think the enormity of this situation together with the realization that the murders were taking place while they were outside is what caused the grief counseling and paid leave.

[River]

The police officers in this case will never fully recover. Seriously. Those hours that they spent unraveling the bodies of dead children...they'll never be able to completely get over this. The smell of rotting flesh is acrid, horrid and something that still burns my nostrils when I remember the crime scenes I used to be on when I was a paramedic. These police officers really need our prayers!

You know, this is the HARDEST case of all for me to discuss, read or even ponder.

Anyone else feel this way? Incest, murder, polygamy- it's just too much for me.

[Pepper]

I'm sure that what the officers found was a gruesome sight to be sure. But if the victims were all killed in the time the officers were outside the premise, I doubt if the bodies had time to rot.

Yes, this case is really disturbing. Other than an insanity plea, I can't imagine what he could possibly have for a defense. This man is pure evil.

[Ghostwheel]

I'm sure that what the officers found was a gruesome sight to be sure. But if the victims were all killed in the time the officers were outside the premise, I doubt if the bodies had time to rot.That one would be hard to explain away. Not hearing a shot (or two) could easliy happen (people yelling at the front door, etc), but it would be difficult to miss 7 or 8 shots. Once someone said they heard shots, the officers would be listening for them, and have everyone quiet down, or move them off.

[Toth]

Its difficult to "not hear a shot or two" when a housewife at a much greater distance and behind her walls, heard gunshots. One might expect a police officer to be somewhat attuned to the sound of gunfire.

Polygamy exists in several areas, it is rarely any sort of problem.
I have no idea how common incest may be, but it was not an immediate and life-threatening problem.

[mindys]

[QUOTE=Pepper]I'm sure that what the officers found was a gruesome sight to be sure. But if the victims were all killed in the time the officers were outside the premise, I doubt if the bodies had time to rot.[QUOTE]

Of course, they didn't have time to rot. But, you must not realize that blood has a very strong distinctive odor, and the amount that was present in this crime was immense. A person just can't ever forget that once it's encountered. Just one example, if you followed the Darlie Routier case, you might recall the officer's at that crime scene commenting that they could smell the blood as soon as they walked into the entry way of that home and that it was wretching.

[Pepper]

The most puzzling aspect of this case is how do you kill 9 people without a struggle? Apart from the youngest victims, how to you point a gun at someone and pull the trigger without the rest fighting for their lives and overtaking the killer?

Rumor has it that the killings were ritualistic - one shot apiece through the eyeball.

Article in today's Bee contains interview with Marcus Wesson's mother. She seems like a truly decent person. Unlike the Peterson clan, she isn't trying to defend his actions, but still comes across as a truly caring parent.
http://www.fresnobee.com/local/story/8305093p-9146589c.html
If Marcus is guilty, I would really feel disappointed in my country if it didn't make him face the penalty," his mother said.

"But I'm a biblical person, too, and I don't believe in capital punishment.

"What I would like for Marcus to do is sit in prison and think about what he's done and read the Bible. I think he will come back. Spiritually, he will come back. Because I want to see my son in heaven someday," she said, sobbing.

I feel so sad for her.

[mindys]

The most puzzling aspect of this case is how do you kill 9 people without a struggle? Apart from the youngest victims, how to you point a gun at someone and pull the trigger without the rest fighting for their lives and overtaking the killer?

Rumor has it that the killings were ritualistic - one shot apiece through the eyeball.

Article in today's Bee contains interview with Marcus Wesson's mother. She seems like a truly decent person. Unlike the Peterson clan, she isn't trying to defend his actions, but still comes across as a truly caring parent.
http://www.fresnobee.com/local/story/8305093p-9146589c.html
If Marcus is guilty, I would really feel disappointed in my country if it didn't make him face the penalty," his mother said.

"But I'm a biblical person, too, and I don't believe in capital punishment.

"What I would like for Marcus to do is sit in prison and think about what he's done and read the Bible. I think he will come back. Spiritually, he will come back. Because I want to see my son in heaven someday," she said, sobbing.

I feel so sad for her.
Oh Wow Pepper, thanks for passing that along. That goes right to the heart doesn't it.

[WhiteWolf]

I agree with LP Moderator, ElleKaye, and Mindy. I don't see where the police could have known or predicted what happened when they answered the call.

[Pepper]

I agree with LP Moderator, ElleKaye, and Mindy. I don't see where the police could have known or predicted what happened when they answered the call.
I'm not blaming the police either. I am just sure that the City of Fresno will be faced with a big lawsuit and they will end up paying millions to the surviving mothers of the murdered children. That's just the way our justice system works, especially in California!

[Pepper]

Based on today's stories, Wesson is probably a genius. Sounds like the Vietnam war changed him.

More from the previously linked story:

In his teenage years, her son began to build all sorts of motorized vehicles out of shopping carts and scrap metal. One caught the eye of an engineering professor at Stanford, she said.

During the Vietnam War, Wesson was stationed in Germany and came home with a different political outlook, she said.

"We always liked nice things, nice furniture, but Marcus said we were too materialistic. He got married and kind of dropped out," she recalled. "I wouldn't say he became a hippie, but he had some of that hippie lifestyle."

[LovelyPigeon]

Slaying suspect not son I know, mother says
By Mark Arax
Los Angeles Times

"The Marcus Wesson on TV I don't recognize. That's not my son," Carrie Wesson said. "The Marcus Wesson I raised was a brilliant, loving, God-fearing child."


http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2001884053_fresno20.html

[LovelyPigeon]

Wesson children shot in the face
Coroner reveals cause of death in seven cases on death certificates.

By Pablo Lopez
The Fresno Bee

(Updated Tuesday, March 23, 2004, 9:14 AM)

Seven children of accused killer Marcus Wesson were shot in the face March 12, and death occurred within minutes, death certificates made public Monday showed.


The certificates, which ruled each death a homicide, are key evidence against Wesson, who is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday on charges of murdering nine of his children. He has yet to secure an attorney.

Filed with the Fresno County Department of Health, the certificates are for Sebhrenah April Wesson, 25; Elizabeth Breani Kina Wesson, 17; Illabelle Carrie Wesson, 8; Ethan St. Laurent Wesson, 4; Sedona Vadra Wesson, 11/2; Marshey St. Christopher Wesson, 11/2; and Jeva St. Vladensvspry Wesson, 1.

They will be cremated Wednesday at Belmont Memorial Park in Fresno, and their ashes will be turned over to their families.

Death certificates for Aviv Dominique Wesson and Johnathon St. Charles Wesson, both 7, have not yet been filed. For six of the seven victims, the certificates said, the immediate cause of death was "perforation of brain" caused by a gunshot wound to the face; Illabelle died of a "contusion of the brain" after being shot in the face.--->>


Dyer said, "We have always said Wesson was responsible for all nine murders. But we also left open the possibility that someone else is involved."

Robert Hensel, Fresno County chief deputy coroner, said the victims were all shot...on March 12, but he could not pinpoint the time of death. --->>

Coroner Loralee Cervantes said it's nearly impossible to establish the exact time of death in most cases. She said pathologist Venu Gopal, who performed all nine autopsies, will give his opinion and a timeline of when he believes the victims died when Wesson is tried in court.--->>

Bee staff writers Matt Leedy and Marc Benjamin contributed to this story. The reporters can be reached at mleedy@fresnobee.com, mbenjamin@fresnobee.com, plopez@fresnobee.com or 441-6330.

http://www.fresnobee.com/local/story/8323175p-9158066c.html

[blueclouds]

Wesson prohibited from contacting anyone, using phone, etc. Authorities fear he may convince surviving family members to commit suicide.

http://www.sfexaminer.com/article/index.cfm/i/032504b_wesson

Why don't they do a "Dahmer" and turn their back on this sick freak. This creep isn't even human.

[Toth]

its obvious their was dissention in the group and factions had formed amongst the women, so he felt there was only one way for him to maintain control of the household.

[blueclouds]

its obvious their was dissention in the group and factions had formed amongst the women, so he felt there was only one way for him to maintain control of the household.

I often wonder what goes on in your home Toth. You have a unique way of thinking.

[LovelyPigeon]

Marcus Wesson's children defend father after he pleads innocent to murder charges
Friday, March 26, 2004(03-26) 09:37 PST FRESNO, Calif. (AP) --
Marcus Wesson's daughter and son defended their father and expressed their love for him moments after the murder suspect pleaded innocent to charges of killing nine of his children.
"Nobody knows Marcus," said Kiani Wesson, Wesson's daughter and mother of two of the slain children, outside the Fresno County courtroom where her father was arraigned Thursday on charges that could lead to the death penalty .
"I just wish everyone would stop telling lies out there," the 26-year-old said. "We're dealing with a man's life."
Kiani Wesson said her uncle Miguel Solorio should, "Stop saying false statements and accusations until he's acquainted with the full facts." --->>

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2004/03/26/state1237EST0056.DTL

[Toth]

Marcus Wesson's daughter and son defended their father and expressed their love for him.Yes, LP. We know the daughters expressed their love for him. Thats the problem!

[LovelyPigeon]

Toth, you are baaaad :)

[SieSie]

The police were NOT made aware that Wesson had a gun.

Also, as far as officer safety being most important, that is how police work is done. If officer safety was not paramount, we would have no police officers, because they would all be killed when confronted with their first potentially deadly situation.

It's not negligence, its what's more commonly known as "good police work".

Officers are risking their lives every day on the streets so that many of us can live the lifestyle we are accustomed to, they and their families make sacrifices to do so. I wish more people would recognize that fact, instead of just blaming the police when a situation turns tragic, like this one. The police are not to blame here. Blame the sicko who did it, not those who protect us.

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/abbybr/GRAPHICS/ClapSmiley.gif
Very well said, BirdieBoo! I remember feeling sad that the police couldn't help the pizza delivery guy that had the bomb strapped to him - but they have to ensure their own safety as well as those around them first and foremost. I think LE, in general, does an incredible job. I'm sure there are some bad cops out there, just like there are bad people in other occupations. Instead of trying to put responsibility on other people's shoulders - let's put it back on the suspected criminal - Wesson himself!

[Toth]

pilots do an excellent job too, but we hold them accountable for their actions just the same.

[Newswolf]

http://fresnobee.com/local/story/8411097p-9241765c.html
"The man accused of Fresno's worst mass murder also sexually abused six girls who once lived with him, prosecutors alleged Wednesday.


During a 14-year period, Marcus Wesson abused the girls -- five who were younger than 14 at the time -- according to new charges filed by the Fresno County District Attorney's Office.

Prosecutors added 33 counts of sexual abuse Wednesday to the nine murder charges Wesson faces for allegedly gunning down his children March 12.

Wesson, 57, was in court Wednesday for a preliminary hearing on murder charges that could lead to the death penalty.

The case was delayed until today, when Fresno County Judge Lawrence Jones is again expected to grapple with Wesson's right to a timely hearing and his attorney's complaints that prosecutors have been slow to turn over evidence.

At the hearing, Jones will decide whether there is enough evidence for a trial

[LP Moderator]

You know, other adults HAD to know what was going on there all those years. How come something can't be done to prosecute adults who knowingly allow children to be raped over and over? :banghead:

[Newswolf]

Agree LP.

Apparently this hearing is ongoing.

http://fresnobee.com/home/story/8411606p-9242223c.html


"Detective Carlos Leal Jr. testified today in Wesson's preliminary hearing that one of Wesson's daughters said Wesson delivered a sermon and also repeated the suicide order every day since 1995. The 20-year-old daughter said family members were told to kill the young children and themselves if Child Protective Services workers or police officers ever interfered with the family, Leal said."

I hope this doesn't cloud the issue that Wesson is the one responsible.

[LP Moderator]

Thanks. If he directed one of the children to kill the others and then he killed that person, he's the one that's directly responsible for it all. Is that what you mean?

[Toth]

Thanks. If he directed one of the children to kill the others and then he killed that person, he's the one that's directly responsible for it all. Is that what you mean?Perhaps what was meant was that those women who stayed in the household knew what would happen if CPS or police ever showed up.

[Newswolf]

Yes LP, I made that clear as mud. (I get interrupted a lot.) The description of the bodies makes it sound like the last woman on top may have done the shootings. Whoever phsyically pulled the trigger, Marcus Wesson is the one who made it happen..and I hope he doesn't try to hide behind the skirts of the dead. Toth has a good point as well. He'd been telling them murder/suicide for nine years, and yet they stayed. The shrinks will have a lot to look at in this sad case.

[MysteryMomma]

You know, other adults HAD to know what was going on there all those years. How come something can't be done to prosecute adults who knowingly allow children to be raped over and over? :banghead:

Cuz in this country children are not really valued......they don't vote or pay taxes.....we are all guilty of lip service to the children of the world. How many people really get involved when they know about abuse of any kind.....most people don't want to get "dirty" but we all cry over their little dead bodies......JMO

[Newswolf]

This is sickening to read. Wesson allegedly went after his victims when they very very young.

http://fresnobee.com/local/story/8415752p-9245952c.html

"The first body he saw appeared to be the oldest and tallest victim: Sebhrenah Wesson, 25. Other officers found a .22-caliber gun and a hunting knife with a 5-inch blade under her body.

Escareno dropped his shotgun, went to his knees and yelled for an ambulance. He put his fingers on Sebhrenah Wesson's neck to check for a pulse and found none. Escareno repeated the process with six or seven other victims who were stacked together and intertwined.

"But there were no signs of life."

Escareno said he began to cry."

[Toth]

This is sickening to read. I don't know about that. Are not such things often celebrated in history? I believe that to this day recruits into the Israeli army are inducted at a fortress known as Masada wherein Jews committed suicide when governmental forces threatened their lifestyle. I believe Cleopatra is celebrated for having employed an asp to kill herself rather than being captured by governmental forces and taken in a cage to Rome.

Many of the deaths at the Branch Dividian compound were mercy killings as the inescapable flames reached them.

on-edit:
As to stability: Aren't children supposed to be reared in a stable home environment? If his plans were oft repeated and well-known, that represents a stable environment doesn't it?

[SieSie]

I don't know about that. Are not such things often celebrated in history? I believe that to this day recruits into the Israeli army are inducted at a fortress known as Masada wherein Jews committed suicide when governmental forces threatened their lifestyle. I believe Cleopatra is celebrated for having employed an asp to kill herself rather than being captured by governmental forces and taken in a cage to Rome.

Many of the deaths at the Branch Dividian compound were mercy killings as the inescapable flames reached them.

on-edit:
As to stability: Aren't children supposed to be reared in a stable home environment? If his plans were oft repeated and well-known, that represents a stable environment doesn't it?

Just because something's stable doesn't make it right, Toth! http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/10/10_9_132.gif

[mindys]

Where were the children born? I guess it wouldn't be to much of an assumption to say at home.

[Newswolf]

http://www.fresnobee.com/special/2004/massacre/story/8416220p-9245873c.html

"Speaking publicly for the first time since her husband's arrest, Elizabeth Wesson on Thursday denied that Marcus Wesson sexually abused any family members.


Two other family members also said they had not been abused by Wesson, but they declined to say whether they were involved in an incestuous relationship with him, as police have alleged."

[Toth]

Wrong but stable probably beats 'unstable'.

[LovelyPigeon]

When police went into the room the blood from the 9 dead wasn't yet coagulating because it was so fresh. Each victim was shot in the eye.

It looks as if the last to die may have killed the others, then herself, probably in response to the suicide-pact adopted by the household for years.

Still to be explained is how 9 gun shots were not heard by police standing at the front door of that very small building.

[Newswolf]

Prelim still underway 4/12

http://fresnobee.com/state_wire/story/8428880p-9263155c.html

"Wesson's attorneys, however, maintain their client didn't pull the trigger. In questioning last week, his lawyers hinted at a defense, apparently suggesting that the eldest daughter killed the kids, then turned the gun on herself - following the alleged plan.

"We're examining the evidence as it comes in and looking at several possible theories," Pete Jones, the Fresno County Public Defender's Office chief attorney in charge of major crimes, said in an interview.

--

Authorities have conducted gunpowder residue tests on some of the victims' hands but no physical evidence against Wesson has yet been made public. "
.

[LovelyPigeon]

Heard "cries from an infant" but not gun shots?

Marcus Wesson refused to give back the children, who had been left with him to raise, investigators testified. Police were called to the home.
Wesson said he wanted to talk with the women before turning the children over. Solorio agreed and went inside, but Ruby Wesson refused. Both women became hysterical when Wesson walked into a back bedroom and closed the door, officer Frank Nelson said. He said one of Wesson's daughters, 26-year-old Kiani Wesson, pushed furniture in front of the bedroom door, an action she denied outside of court.
Officers ordered everyone out of the home and called for backup.
"I said, 'Marcus, this is officer Nelson, please talk to me. No one is in trouble. Just say something,' " Nelson testified, adding that he once heard brief cries from an infant.
http://www.fresnobee.com/local/story/8415752p-9245952c.html

[LovelyPigeon]

Police testified that officers found a .22-caliber gun and a hunting knife with a 5-inch blade under the eldest daughter's body, which was positioned slightly to the side of the pile of other victims.

http://fresnobee.com/state_wire/story/8428880p-9263155c.html

[Newswolf]

http://fresnobee.com/breakingnews/story/8429161p-9263335c.html

Wesson will stand trial for murders

"Judge Lawrence Jones dismissed 20 sexual abuse counts and set his next court date, when a trial date will likely be set, for April 27."

[Pepper]

http://fresnobee.com/state_wire/story/8428880p-9263155c.html

Wesson's attorneys claim their client did not pull the trigger of the gun used in the slayings and therefore should not be tried on murder charges that include allegations he "personally used a firearm" in committing the crimes.


Apparently 10 people were in that building. Nine ended up shot to death. One person emerged covered in blood, but apparently uninjured.

Doesn't matter to me who pulled the trigger, this monster is responsible for the murder of 9 people.

[LovelyPigeon]

It does matter to me who pulled the trigger--I want to know how such a tragedy happened with police officers right there at the house.

But it won't make Wesson less responsible in the eyes of the law--he is charged with being responsible for the deaths whether he pulled the trigger or not.

Did Wesson shoot them all? shoot some of them? How did it happen without shots being heard by the police who were at the door?

[Newswolf]

Wesson wrote "a book" about his life before all this happened.

http://fresnobee.com/home/story/8445491p-9279511c.html

"Wesson said police confiscated the book along with his bus, but he wrote to The Bee: "you have permission to follow up on it."

Donna Mobley, a Vantage Press employee who receives manuscripts, said an editor left one note about Wesson's book: "It makes no sense."

Fresno County District Attorney Elizabeth Egan would not say whether the book was part of prosecutors' evidence against Wesson. Wesson's attorney, public defender Peter Jones, said he hasn't seen the book."

and the visitation restrictions have been somewhat lifted.

[Newswolf]

Couldn't find the old Marcus Wesson thread. Nine dead, 14 sex charges.

http://fresnobee.com/home/story/8597410p-9465009c.html

"After Putnam denied Jones’ motion to have nine murder charges against Wesson dismissed, Jones said he needed another week before he could confirm the trial date or ask for a delay.
--
Jones reiterated Thursday his complaints about what he has called a slow release of evidence from the District Attorney’s Office. Wesson’s defense team has received 2,800 pages of evidence, also called discovery, but Jones said they’re still waiting for several documents that could influence the case, including: videotapes of interviews and transcripts; forensic evidence; gunshot residue and ballistic tests; blood tests."

A hearing may be held next week on unsealing search warrants.

[Newswolf]

Trial postponed till August 31 and Wesson is unhappy about the delay.

http://fresnobee.com/home/story/8634359p-9504977c.html

""I do strenuously object because I find it difficult to believe that a defendant would have to fight so hard to defend his constitutional rights in the United States," Wesson told Putnam. He later added: "What I basically wanted to say was that my strategy was to keep on with my constitutional rights."

Wesson also disagreed with Jones' contention that there isn't enough time to get ready for a June trial: "I think they do have adequate time to prepare."

Wesson said his attorneys have ignored his requests to file motions. He did not explain what motions he asked for but said he should not face trial "without these motions in play."

Wesson said he is concerned that evidence has been altered or tampered with. There also is a conflict of interest "regarding the prosecution," he said.

Wesson did not elaborate on his concerns, and outside the courtroom Jones said he couldn't comment, citing attorney-client privilege.

In his motion requesting a delay, Jones said he's received test results that show Wesson did not have gunshot residue on his hands when he was arrested in March.
---
Hunt said it won't hurt the district attorney's case if prosecutor Lisa Gamoian can explain why Wesson didn't have gunshot residue on his hands or show the jury that he was a controlling man who ordered the killings.

"I don't see this as a major setback for the people," Hunt said. "I don't think that just because there's no gunshot residue on him that a jury is going to find him blameless."

[Newswolf]

http://www.modbee.com/state_wire/story/9141104p-10041206c.html

The trial of Marcus Wesson will remain in Fresno County, despite defense concerns that intense media coverage about the multiple murder case will have biased jurors in the city, a judge ruled Tuesday.
Fresno Superior Court Judge R.L. Putnam denied the defense's request for a change of venue after hearing experts testify about the effect of the media coverage on Wesson's right to a fair trial.
"I don't think anyone can deny there's been a lot of media coverage," said Putnam. However, he added, "I don't think it's been shown that the community has been tainted to the point there aren't jurors who can't be fair and impartial in this case."
Two experts who surveyed potential jurors in Fresno County came to very different conclusions.
~~~~~~~~~~~

[Newswolf]

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/news/012405ap_nw_wesson.html

Attorneys will begin screening jurors Tuesday morning in the multiple murder trial of Marcus Wesson, a domineering patriarch who allegedly controlled his family with religious teachings, incest and threats of mass suicide.
~~
Earlier this month, 2,200 potential jurors were summoned to appear in Fresno County Superior Court. Hundreds are expected to answer the request on Tuesday, and after about a month of questioning, 12 will be chosen to hear the case.
~~~~~~~

Story says no cameras in court for this one, too bad.

[Pepper]

This guy is a true creep and pervert. I hope he is locked away without the possibility of sex for the rest of his life. Oh yeah, somewhere where they will shave his head too!

[Jeana (DP)]

I can't wait for this guy to be sentenced!~!!!! What a horrible horrible monster~!!~!!

[Seeker]

Each time I see this guy on the news I just want to grab my sheep shears....

[mysteriew]

http://www.fresnobee.com/updates/metro/story/9982747p-10816569c.html

More potential jurors released



The Fresno Bee

(Updated Thursday, February 17, 2005, 1:13 PM)

Ten more prospective jurors were excused this morning from the Marcus Wesson mass murder trial as one stage of jury selection begins to wind down.

Lawyers and Judge R.L. Putnam are almost done with their individual questioning of potential jurors about their views on the death penalty and life imprisonment, the two punishments Wesson, 58, will face if he's convicted of killing nine of his children on March 12.

Prospective jurors also are being asked about their knowledge of the case. During their examinations in a Fresno County courtroom, prosecutor Lisa Gamoian and defense attorney Peter Jones are trying to expose any biases and determine who can give Wesson a fair trial.

About 135 people remain in the jury pool. On Jan. 25, the first day of jury selection, 540 people reported for duty.

Putnam has said he expects to be left with about 115 prospective jurors who will be questioned again Feb. 28 during general voir dire (roughly translated: to tell the truth). A back-up panel will be summoned Tuesday and asked to fill out a 21-page questionnaire.

[Pepper]

Two other interesting cases to be tried in Fresno sometime this year -

Larissa Shuster, biochemist, accused of killing husband in vat of acid.
http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/news/011204_nw_schuster.html

Terry Pettis, former star basketball player accused of murder in a drug deal gone bad.
http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/news/012705_nw_pettis.html

That Wesson gives me the creeps!

[mysteriew]

That Wesson gives me the creeps!

me too!

[WasBlind]

By The Associated Press
(03/03/05 - FRESNO, CA) — A man charged with slaughtering nine of his children and stacking their bodies in his home went on trial Thursday, with prosecutors portraying him as a controlling figure who had sex with some of his daughters and beat the youngsters with baseball bats.

Marcus Wesson, 57, also demanded his children study the Bible for hours a day and forced his daughters to wear dresses and cover their heads at all times, prosecutor Lisa Gamoian said in her opening statement.

Wesson could get the death penalty if convicted of murdering the children, ages 1 to 25. Gamoian said all but one were shot through the right eye with a .22-caliber handgun. The 1-year-old was shot in the left eye.

Full story here (http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/news/nat_world/030305_APnat_fresnotrial.html)

There are several threads on the Wesson case, perhaps they can be merged?
http://websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18766

http://websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12661

http://websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7777

http://websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6666

http://websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5773

Praying for justice, Lanie

[Newswolf]

I can do that. TY for the update, WasBlind.

[Newswolf]

WB, I messed up. Will you repost your update on the trial starting as a new thread? Please. I can only combine 2 threads. Name yours Wesson Trial Starts or something and I will try to fix what I messed up LOL -TY

[Jeana (DP)]

Trial begins for man accused in deaths of nine of his children


FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — A man charged with slaughtering nine of his children and stacking their bodies in his home went on trial Thursday, with prosecutors portraying him as a controlling figure who had sex with some of his daughters and beat the youngsters with baseball bats.

* * *

Wesson could get the death penalty if convicted of murdering the children, ages 1 to 25. Gamoian said all but one were shot through the right eye with a .22-caliber handgun. The 1-year-old was shot in the left eye.

Wesson's attorney, Pete Jones, has argued in court papers that his client's daughter Sebhrenah shot the victims, then killed herself. He noted that Wesson did not have gunshot residue on his hands when he was arrested.

Wesson was the only one to emerge alive last March from the back bedroom of the modest one-story house after a tense, hours-long standoff with police. Officers discovered the nine bodies in a bloody tangle and 10 white coffins stacked against the living room walls.

On the day of the killings, several family members had tried to retrieve their children from the Wesson household, Gamoian said. The conflict escalated, and they called the police for help, crying hysterically and saying that Wesson was dangerous.

One of the women, 28-year-old Sofina Solorio, was able to see her child briefly before she was shoved aside and Wesson retreated into the home.

"That's the last time she saw her son alive," Gamoian said.

www.courttv.com

[Pepper]

Jeana, interested in hearing your opinion of the defense strategy.

Defense is claiming that the daughter Sebhrenah killed everyone before killing herself. Today's Fresno Bee (no link cause you gotta subscribe) said that there was no GSR on Wesson or Sebhrenah and no fingerprints on the gun, but Sebhrenah's DNA was on the gun. Everyone was shot in the eye at close range.

Personally I think this strategy is stupid and in no way removed culpability from Wesson.

Who do you blame, Jim Jones or the people who served the Kool-Aid?

Charles Manson wasn't even at the murder scene of Sharon Tate or the LaBiancas, yet he was convicted of 1st degree, and will never see the outside of bars.

This Wesson argument seems as best very lame to me. If not for him and his influence on the family members, those children would still be alive.

[Jeana (DP)]

Jeana, interested in hearing your opinion of the defense strategy.

Defense is claiming that the daughter Sebhrenah killed everyone before killing herself. Today's Fresno Bee (no link cause you gotta subscribe) said that there was no GSR on Wesson or Sebhrenah and no fingerprints on the gun, but Sebhrenah's DNA was on the gun. Everyone was shot in the eye at close range.



If you find a link that requires a subscription - go to www.bugmenot.com and it will give you a user name and password to use!!

The mere fact that she was shot in the eye explains why her DNA is on the gun. If neither of them had gun powder residue on her hands and only one is left alive, its pretty easy to answer the question of "who had a better chance of washing away evidence of firing a gun." LOL I think it would be pretty easy for the prosecutor to explain that HE did have time to wipe down the gun and wash his hands during the standoff with police. Its a pretty flimsy defense, but when you've got a house full of dead bodies and a defendant whose got the history of this one, there's not a hell of a lot to work with. I see a fairly straight forward forensic case and win for the prosecution.

[Pepper]

Thanks Jeana.........I'll have to try out that password link place. I just hate registering allthe time for news as I already get way too much spam........

Anyway, back to Wesson. I agree with the DNA being on the gun because she was the last to die. But frankly, it doesn't matter to me if he was the shooter or not. He was the REASON there were 9 dead bodies in the house. He was the Pied Piper of the clan.

Fry the bastard!!

[Jeana (DP)]

I like the way you think Pepper! ;) ;)

[mysteriew]

I hadn't heard before that all the victims were shot in the eye. You don't think he made them look at him first do you? Have they gotten to the sucide pact yet? This man makes me think of the devil himself. It is a prime example of how a fanatic can take religion and pervert it to suit himself.

[mysteriew]

Sofina Solorio testified Monday in Fresno that she wanted Marcus Wesson to return custody of her son, Jonathan, but knew Wesson would not give up the child easily.


So she, relatives and friends formed a plan, in which she would go into the Wesson home near Fresno's Roeding Park and retrieve her son and Aviv, the daughter of Ruby Sanchez

http://www.fresnobee.com/special/2004/wesson/story/10082968p-10909779c.html

[mysteriew]

Each of the supporting family members had a task - some would distract Wesson, while others took the children from his home, Sofina Solorio said. "Just to let you girls know, Marcus told me he'll do anything to protect his children," Sofina Solorio's brother told her, according to her testimony.

The sisters' plan fell apart as family members confronted others inside the house and failed to pull away their children - Sofina Solorio's son Jonathon, 9, and Ruby Sanchez's daughter Aviv, 7.

http://www.fresnobee.com/state_wire/story/10083380p-10910143c.html

[Jeana (DP)]

Niece describes abuse in house of man charged with nine murders
Wednesday, March 9, 2005 Posted: 11:30 AM EST (1630 GMT)

FRESNO, California (AP) -- In graphic testimony that made some jurors recoil, the niece of a man charged with killing nine of his children described the sexual abuse she endured while living in his household.

Sofina Solorio testified Tuesday that the abuse by Marcus Wesson escalated from touching to oral sex to intercourse.

Wesson forced his nieces and daughters to perform sexual acts on him and on each other as he watched, according to testimony.

* * *

Solorio and others who grew up in the Wesson home said the family patriarch told his children over the years that it was better to die -- to kill themselves and others -- than to allow a government agency to break up the family. The prosecution may seek to show that Wesson brainwashed the victims to the point where they were ready to commit suicide on command.

Solorio testified that Wesson began sexually abusing her when she was 12. He called the acts he performed with his nieces and daughters "loving" and told them he was preparing them for marriage.
As the girls grew up, he started asking them if they wanted to "have children for the Lord," Solorio said. One by one, the girls agreed.

* * *


http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/03/09/wesson.trial.ap/index.html

[mysteriew]

OK we know that Wesson had children with his wife, his mother-in-law, his daughters and his nieces. Why haven't we heard anything from the parents of the nieces? They placed their girls in his household with him. Were they mesmerized with him also? What is their position now? Apparently the nieces other family members are rallying around the girls, but where are their parents?

[mysteriew]

Marcus Wesson believed he was Jesus Christ, but feared his teachings would never be understood by the outside world, one of his wives testified Wednesday in Fresno County Superior Court.

http://www.fresnobee.com/home/story/10095008p-10920961c.html

[mysteriew]

Marcus Wesson was so intent on controlling his daughters and nieces that he stabbed one of them in the chest when she tried to leave the family, the woman testified Tuesday in Fresno County Superior Court.

"Are you ready to go to the Lord? You can go right now. Just say it," Marcus Wesson reportedly told his niece, Sofina Solorio.

"What? I'm not ready," Solorio replied.

Solorio then felt a sharp pain above her right breast. She felt blood.


http://www.fresnobee.com/local/story/10094181p-10920185c.html

[LinasK]

OK we know that Wesson had children with his wife, his mother-in-law, his daughters and his nieces. Why haven't we heard anything from the parents of the nieces? They placed their girls in his household with him. Were they mesmerized with him also? What is their position now? Apparently the nieces other family members are rallying around the girls, but where are their parents?
His mother-in-law too? I knew about his daughters and nieces...:sick: This is one sick, sick family that just keeps getting sicker the more I read.

[mysteriew]

http://www.fresnobee.com/updates/metro/story/10126706p-10949171c.html

~Sofina Solorio on Monday began her fifth day on the witness stand in the Fresno County Superior Court trial of Marcus Wesson, who is accused of killing nine of his children on March 12, 2004.
~Solorio also testified that Wesson told her that, if police found out about the molestation and incest, he would plead guilty to the charges to protect her and the other young women.

[mysteriew]

http://www.fresnobee.com/special/2004/wesson/story/10147844p-10964626c.html

A Fresno judge will rule today whether jurors can learn about Marcus Wesson's "second wife," Illabelle Lee, and the love letters he sent her.

Lee, 45, who lives in Tennessee, said Wednesday evening that she could not talk about the case, but confirmed she knew Wesson 23 years ago.

"I was a friend of the family when they lived in San Jose," she said before politely ending the telephone call.

Lee's identity surfaced in Fresno County Superior Court as Wesson's niece, Ruby Ortiz, 27, testified that she married Wesson when she was 13 and he was 44.

Wesson, who is now 58, had home "weddings" with two of his daughters and two other nieces, Ortiz testified. "[Wesson] said I reminded him of Illabelle," whom Ortiz said was Wesson's "second wife," after Elizabeth Wesson.....

Ortiz also said her younger sister, Rosa Solorio, had a unique role as one of Wesson's "soldiers," who would help him hunt down and kill family members who betrayed him........................Wesson's letters to Lee could shed new light on the defendant, who also has been described in testimony as an elusive wanderer who tried to stay one step ahead of authorities.

About three decades ago, Wesson lived with his parents in San Jose, Gamoian said in her opening statements to jurors. He soon started living with a neighbor, Rosemary Maytorena, who had several children.

In 1971, Wesson and Maytorena had a son named Adair Wesson.

Four years later, however, Wesson married Maytorena's daughter, Elizabeth Solorio. She was 15; he was 27. Together they had 10 children.

The Wesson household nearly doubled in 1986 when Elizabeth's sister, Rosemary Solorio, gave her seven children to Wesson to raise. At the time, the Wessons were living with Maytorena and her children in Fresno. The grandmother lived in a house on College Avenue, south of Belmont Avenue, while the Wessons and the Solorios lived in a duplex behind the home.

Ortiz and Sofina Solorio testified that living with Marcus Wesson initially was a blessing because their uncles and other relatives had molested them. They also said their mother was never around because she abused drugs and alcohol and had multiple men in her life.

[mysteriew]

Day to day coverage

http://www.ksee24.com/blog/blog.asp

[mysteriew]

An overview of the trial up to this point.

http://www.courttv.com/trials/wesson/042205_ctv.html

[Newswolf]

http://www.fresnobee.com/local/story/10525241p-11318467c.html

(subs) A pistol discovered among the bodies of Marcus Wesson's nine children did not have fingerprints, a Fresno County Superior Court jury learned Thursday.
Jurors also learned that Wesson's hands didn't have gunshot residue.
The two pieces of evidence were among several facts that prosecutor Lisa Gamoian and Wesson's lawyers agreed upon to help speed up the prosecution's case.
____________

The defense takes over soon, it'll be interesting to see how creative his lawyers are.

[Newswolf]

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGB4WNKA39E.html

Defense attorneys in the murder trial of a man accused of killing nine of his children began their case Monday after a judge cut short the prosecution's presentation, rejecting the testimony of two psychologists.
Prosecutor Lisa Gamoian had wanted to call the mental health specialists to show Marcus Wesson, 58, exerted so much control over his large clan of children that he could have ordered them to kill each other.

http://www.fresnobee.com/home/story/10543846p-11335912c.html

(subs ) Putnam noted the psychologists never interviewed Wesson, but relied on Wesson's writing, transcripts of Wesson's police interviews and Wesson's statements to relatives during jailhouse visits.

[Newswolf]

http://www.fresnobee.com/home/story/10549817p-11341412c.html

(subs)
A defense expert testified this morning that Fresno police investigators tainted the crime scene in the slayings of nine children inside Marcus Wesson’s home in March 2004.
Gary Cortner, a retired Department of Justice criminalist, told jurors in Fresno County Superior Court that bodies were moved inappropriately, causing the victims’ blood to smear the carpet.

[mysteriew]

Jurors will begin deliberating the fate of accused mass murderer Marcus Wesson next week, a Fresno County Superior Court judge said Wednesday.

Judge R.L. Putnam said he expects testimony to be completed Tuesday, followed by closing arguments and jury deliberations. Putnam's announcement means Wesson likely won't testify

http://www.fresnobee.com/local/story/10561835p-11352861c.html

[mysteriew]

After three months of testimony in Wesson's trial, prosecutor Lisa Gamoian and defense lawyer Ralph Torres took turns Wednesday giving their opinions about what the evidence has shown.

Today, a jury of seven women and five men should start deliberations after the lawyers complete their summations.

http://www.fresnobee.com/local/story/10603976p-11392288c.html

[mysteriew]

The jury got the case yesterday and continued to deliberate today. Court was resumed today for a couple of questions the jury had. No decision as yet per reporters blog at http://www.ksee24.com/blog/blog-read.asp?n=30793

[Greywing]

The jury got the case yesterday and continued to deliberate today. Court was resumed today for a couple of questions the jury had. No decision as yet per reporters blog at http://www.ksee24.com/blog/blog-read.asp?n=30793
Anyone care to hazard a guess as to why this deliberation is taking so long? The trial itself lasted much longer than I ever thought it would!

[SewingDeb]

Anyone care to hazard a guess as to why this deliberation is taking so long? The trial itself lasted much longer than I ever thought it would!

I would guess that they are having trouble with no fingerprints on the gun, the daughter appearing to have shot herself and no gunshot residue on Wesson's hands. It's clear to me that he is guilty of brainwashing his daughter to the point that she would kill under his direction, but maybe it's not that clear to the jury.

[mysteriew]

The question today by the jury was to go over the testimony from 0308 and 0309. The testimony of 0309 was the dau. and she described how Wesson discussed with the girls that if they killed, they should kill their child then themselves. And that the killing should be done by putting the gun in their mouths and pointing up. Since the timeline has clarified that all but the dau. were killed earlier I wonder if maybe Wesson didn't do the killing of the kids himself, and then the dau. killed herself. He could have covered his hands with something (clothing, sheet) or washed his hands after killing the children. Then after his dau. killed herself, he thought about poss. fingerprints and wiped the gun down. Remember that Elizabeth testified that she went into the room and saw Wesson holding dau. Lisabeth and she remembered her eyes were open? And that is all she would testify to?

[mysteriew]

9:29 am

The courtroom doors are unlocked and we file in. The attorneys go into chambers with the judge. Elizabeth and Rosa are seated in the back of the courtroom and Wesson does not turn around to acknowledge them.

http://www.ksee24.com/blog/blog-read.asp?n=30830

[Newswolf]

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanluisobispo/11846880.htm

The judge hearing the case of a man charged with killing nine of his children dismissed an alternate juror for hardship on Wednesday.
Fresno County Superior Court judge R.L Putnam told the jury deciding Marcus Wesson's fate that alternate juror number one was dismissed before telling them court would be dark on Thursday and Friday, and reminding them not to mention the case during the weekend.

www.fresnobee.com

(subs ) Jurors this morning listened to a witness's secret audio recording of a child-custody dispute that led to the killings of Marcus Wesson's nine children in March 2004.

[Pepper]

This is beginning to look like a hung jury, and for the life of me, I can't figure out why?? This man is the worst kind of monster - the kind that can seduce his entire family into believing he is some sort of diety.

[mysteriew]

06/13/05 3:26 pm

Still no word from the jury.

[Newswolf]

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanluisobispo/11892039.htm

(AP) - Jurors in the murder trial of Marcus Wesson have asked to review the testimony of a pathologist who conducted autopsies on all nine victims. They're also listening to a secret recording of the child-custody dispute that led to the killings.
~~
Dr. Venu Gopal, who was called as a witness by both the prosecution and the defense, told jurors he initially ruled all nine deaths as homicides. But since the killings, Gopal testified, he talked to other experts, did research, and decided that 25-year-old Sebhrenah, Wesson's eldest daughter, could have fatally shot herself.
~~~~~~~~

[mysteriew]

I have been watching the blog. Still nothing but guesses and predictions.
On the 14th the reporters did come up with this:
Michael Jackson trial
Deliberations: 33 hours
Verdict: Not Guilty all counts

O.J. Simpson trial
Testimony: 9 months
Deliberations: Less than four hours
Verdict: Not guilty of first degree murder

Scott Peterson trial
Testimony: 5 months
Deliberations: 7 and a half days
Verdict: Guilty of first degree murder

Charles Manson trial
Testimony: 9 months
Deliberations: 9 days
Verdict: Guilty of murder and conspiracy to commit murder

Menendez brothers trial
First trial:
Testimony: 4 and a half months
Deliberations: Erik—19 days
Lyle—25 days
Verdict: Both deadlocked
Second trial:
Deliberations: 20 days
Verdict: Both guilty, each of two counts of first degree murder, as well as conspiracy to commit murder

[Greywing]

I have been watching the blog. Still nothing but guesses and predictions.

Oh, Lordy .... I thought this was going to be a quick trial and verdict. There must be something within the testimony that isn't public knowledge as of yet. Just goes to show ya, the wheels of justice grind slowly.

[Et al]

To be announced between 10:45 and 11:00