CA - Five unprovoked murders of men ages 21 to 54, Stockton, July-Sept 2022 *Reward*

[airyberry]

Whether or not the perp is an amputee in either of these unrelated cases or not, below is the suspected perp in the unsolved case in which some consider that he might be an amputee, fwiw.imo

Video released of suspect with distinctive gait in Barry and Honey Sherman murders

The suspect, with a hitch in their right leg, was seen walking around the couple's home when they were killed, police say

nationalpost.com

''The video shows the individual walking with an unusual gait in his right leg PHOTO BY TORONTO POLICE SERVICE''
“Through our investigation we have been unable to determine what this individual’s purpose was in the neighbourhood,” said Det.-Sgt. Brandon Price.”I would ask that you pay particular attention to the gait or stride or walk style that this person has on the video.”

''The use of gait analysis in criminal investigations, says Michael Nirenberg, a “forensic podiatrist,” dates back to the 1830s, and has been used a number of times in American courts through the 20th century.''

“What was once an almost accidental source of evidence has become a routine forensic option for some law enforcement agencies,” Nirenberg writes in the book Forensic Gait Analysis: Principles and Practice.

From his initial look at the footage — 22 seconds of the suspect, who appears to be wearing a hip-length jacket, striding along a cleared sidewalk on a snowy night — Nirenberg said he can see distinctiveness in the swing of the suspect’s arm and the tilt of the head. A gait analyst, he explained, would build a head-to-toe profile of the way a suspect walks, in order to link them to footage of a perpetrator.''

rbbm.

HUNTER: Are cops hunting amputee in Sherman double murder?

For four long seasons, Dr. Richard Kimble hunted a one-armed man he claimed murdered his wife.

torontosun.com

''Michael Arntfield, a University of Western Ontario criminology professor and cold case expert, told the Toronto Sun that homicide detectives could possibly be dealing with an amputee as the possible killer of the Shermans.''

“I received a phone call from at least one physiotherapist. In their experience, the subject observed in the video is an experienced amputee,” Arntfield said, adding he doesn’t have the expertise to determine the veracity of the tip but wanted to make sure it was passed on to police.''

Wow thank you for this! This is really interesting. They both certainly do have a similar gait, ofc I have no expertise there so I can't say for sure if they're the same case but there's something there. Other options could be one leg is shorter, nerve paralysis, or something else. I'm sure they've had their own gait analysis done hence why they pointed out the gait, but I'm really curious what they've concluded.

 

[BlaiseFinlay]

Gaits can be very identifiable. I’m not saying to a level of reliability for a court, but for a useful tip, absolutely. I remember back when I worked in an office, I was able to almost always identify who was walking down the hallway toward my office by the sound of their walk. I certainly knew the sound of the walk of everybody senior to me.

 

[charminglane]

I am recovering from foot surgery.
My gait has changed tremendously.
Due to my new experience, I find the study of gait to be a very important component of profiling!
Fascinating.

 

[swedeheart]

Stockton serial killings: Everything we know now about suspect Wesley Brownlee

Here's everything we know so far about the shootings and the suspected killer.

www.kcra.com

 

[SLouTh]

Stockton serial killings: Everything we know now about suspect Wesley Brownlee

Here's everything we know so far about the shootings and the suspected killer.

www.kcra.com

Thanks for that great article and video…. A good overview…
This is a very interesting case IMO…. TBH … I have never followed a “serial” case before…

So, as per the video, the Police have other videos (assume CCTV) of this person they have not released … I wonder if this publicity will deter or enrage the suspect??

 

[Helloyou]

Information about the victims:

What we're learning about victims of the Stockton serial killings

Here is what KCRA 3 has learned about the lives lost.

www.kcra.com

Notably, now info about the incident on Hammer. The victim was in his car and lived in the apartments where he was shot.

 

[SLouTh]

Does any one know if multiple shots are used every time??

I haven’t read every about every individual murder as yet, but Police have linked all of the cases via ballistics…..

Just curious as the first woman was shot 10 times…. just wondering about his experience with a firearm … ??? A bad aim or just pure intent to kill?? Or both??? OR have some been single shots?? And if 10 shots would require a pause for re-loading???
TIA

I had to google:
Can a revolver hold 10 bullets?

The Nagant M1895 revolver has a 7-shot cylinder, the Webley-Fosbery Automatic Revolver has an 8-shot cylinder in . 38 caliber, and the LeMat Revolver has a 9-shot cylinder. Several models of . 22 rimfire-caliber revolvers have cylinders holding 9 or 10 rounds.


The string of killings has shaken the California city of Stockton. Six victims have been killed with police saying they are connected through ballistics evidence.

Intense search for suspected Stockton serial killer continues

The search for the suspected Stockton serial killer continues. The attacker is tied to at least six murders with a seventh victim escaping his grasp.

www.newsnationnow.com

 

[Bit of hope]

Could This Profile Help Catch California Serial Killer?

A number of experts have weighed in on who may be responsible for a series of murders in Stockton and Oakland—with one providing a very specific description of the perpetrator.

www.thedailybeast.com

...snipped...
The Daily Beast spoke to three experts on serial killers about who the Stockton killer might be, why he is killing, and how he might be caught.

All agree that the killer is likely local or very familiar with the Stockton area, plans out his crimes, and intentionally chooses vulnerable victims.

Enzo Yaksic, author of Killer Data: Modern Perspectives on Serial Murder, and a researcher at Atypical Murder Research Group, offered the most specific profile of the Stockton killer.

The killer is a male in his early thirties, Yaksic predicts, based on data his group has collected on serial killers, and lives in the same north Stockton neighborhood where most of his victims have been killed. He lives with close relatives who may not be aware of his activities.

He may be killing out of a need to appease intense feelings of anger, Yaksic says. Killing may be “the offender’s way of relieving the stress and pressure he experiences in daily life,” Yaksic told The Daily Beast by email.

He believes the reason so many of the victims were homeless is because they were easy targets.

“Part of the reason that many serial murderers target the unhoused, beyond their inherent vulnerability, is that they reside in unmonitored places and generally do not have devices such as cellphones that can record them,” Yaksic wrote.

But he also said that the killer may be homeless himself, or at least familiar with the community. Although most of the killer’s victims are Latino, police have said they do not currently believe the killings are hate crimes. The shooter may be Latino himself, Yaksic says, as the majority of serial killings are intra-racial.

He may be keenly watching the media coverage of his crimes, Yaksic says, and enjoying being “recognized for his deeds.”

Yaksic is confident the killer will be caught when someone from the community comes forward with information.

...more...

Also a profile from Jeffrey Rinek, a retired FBI agent. Rinek served with the FBI for 30 years. In his long career he worked serial murder cases, and specialized in cases involving children. For several years, Rinek worked out of the FBI field office in Sacramento, only 50 miles from Stockton.

and from Robert Shug, a forensic psychologist and a professor of criminology and forensic psychology at California State University Long Beach.

 

[SLouTh]

Could This Profile Help Catch California Serial Killer?

A number of experts have weighed in on who may be responsible for a series of murders in Stockton and Oakland—with one providing a very specific description of the perpetrator.

www.thedailybeast.com

...snipped...
The Daily Beast spoke to three experts on serial killers about who the Stockton killer might be, why he is killing, and how he might be caught.

All agree that the killer is likely local or very familiar with the Stockton area, plans out his crimes, and intentionally chooses vulnerable victims.

Enzo Yaksic, author of Killer Data: Modern Perspectives on Serial Murder, and a researcher at Atypical Murder Research Group, offered the most specific profile of the Stockton killer.

The killer is a male in his early thirties, Yaksic predicts, based on data his group has collected on serial killers, and lives in the same north Stockton neighborhood where most of his victims have been killed. He lives with close relatives who may not be aware of his activities.

He may be killing out of a need to appease intense feelings of anger, Yaksic says. Killing may be “the offender’s way of relieving the stress and pressure he experiences in daily life,” Yaksic told The Daily Beast by email.

He believes the reason so many of the victims were homeless is because they were easy targets.

“Part of the reason that many serial murderers target the unhoused, beyond their inherent vulnerability, is that they reside in unmonitored places and generally do not have devices such as cellphones that can record them,” Yaksic wrote.

But he also said that the killer may be homeless himself, or at least familiar with the community. Although most of the killer’s victims are Latino, police have said they do not currently believe the killings are hate crimes. The shooter may be Latino himself, Yaksic says, as the majority of serial killings are intra-racial.

He may be keenly watching the media coverage of his crimes, Yaksic says, and enjoying being “recognized for his deeds.”

Yaksic is confident the killer will be caught when someone from the community comes forward with information.

...more...

Also a profile from Jeffrey Rinek, a retired FBI agent. Rinek served with the FBI for 30 years. In his long career he worked serial murder cases, and specialized in cases involving children. For several years, Rinek worked out of the FBI field office in Sacramento, only 50 miles from Stockton.

and from Robert Shug, a forensic psychologist and a professor of criminology and forensic psychology at California State University Long Beach.

Thanks for the article … a couple of additional interesting points …

Two of the shootings stand out to Rinek as different from the others. The first known shooting took place in Oakland, 70 miles from Stockton, when Juan Miguel Vasquez Serrano was killed on April 10, 2021.

Rinek said that if he was investigating the case, he would be looking closely at that killing, as well as the shooting of Natasha LaTour, the killer’s lone surviving victim.

Could This Profile Help Catch California Serial Killer?

A number of experts have weighed in on who may be responsible for a series of murders in Stockton and Oakland—with one providing a very specific description of the perpetrator.

www.thedailybeast.com

The fact that LaTour survived shows the killer is not infallible, Rinek says. “That means the offender made a mistake. You can tell from the mistake they make what they’re trying to do,” Rinek says. If he was investigating, he would ask himself: what went wrong that night?

LaTour was shot at least nine times, she says. That makes Rinek think the weapon is probably a semi-automatic pistol, capable of firing several rounds quickly.

 

[Bit of hope]

Somehow LE seems to think this are no hate crimes....what is it then and how do they know?

Something about bias-related hate crimes. I don't know how things are in other states so I take it as an example.

This is from DC
Hate/Bias-Related Crimes.

To establish a bias-enhanced offense under D.C. Code § 22-3701 et seq., USAO-DC must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the perpetrator committed the underlying crime (such as an assault or a threat) because of the perpetrator’s prejudice based on the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, family responsibility, homelessness, disability, matriculation, or political affiliation of the victim. Pursuant to the local D.C. statute, a designated act need not solely be based on or because of an accused’s prejudice.

 

[SLouTh]

And this Is interesting …. Wonder if this statement will end up being correct when this person is caught ????

The close proximity of five of the shootings—clustered in north Stockton—suggests to Rinek the perpetrator may know the area well.

“If you took all these locations, and determined the center of them, what would be there?,” he says, “It’s very possible that the offender is living right there.”

Could This Profile Help Catch California Serial Killer?

A number of experts have weighed in on who may be responsible for a series of murders in Stockton and Oakland—with one providing a very specific description of the perpetrator.

www.thedailybeast.com

 

[SLouTh]

Somehow LE seems to think this are no hate crimes....what is it then and how do they know?

Something about bias-related hate crimes. I don't know how things are in other states so I take it as an example.

This is from DC
Hate/Bias-Related Crimes.

To establish a bias-enhanced offense under D.C. Code § 22-3701 et seq., USAO-DC must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the perpetrator committed the underlying crime (such as an assault or a threat) because of the perpetrator’s prejudice based on the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, family responsibility, homelessness, disability, matriculation, or political affiliation of the victim. Pursuant to the local D.C. statute, a designated act need not solely be based on or because of an accused’s prejudice.

I definitely can not answer your question, but in the definition you have quoted “homelessness” is definitely on the list ….

Could it be that Police don’t want to use that terminology as yet, so not to frighten people more than they already are???

Great question though, given the definition …..
limo

 

[SLouTh]

As posted above the Police have released information that ballistics connects the crimes….

Will the “killer” be caught trying to purchase a new weapon??? Is that what Police are hoping???

Or will he now continue using the same weapon as his “trademark” so to speak????

It is this gun that may prove key to identifying the killer. Police have implied that they have ballistic evidence that links all seven shootings. Rinek says it’s interesting the police have chosen to make that information public.

“Now the offender knows to get rid of that gun,” he says.

Could This Profile Help Catch California Serial Killer?

A number of experts have weighed in on who may be responsible for a series of murders in Stockton and Oakland—with one providing a very specific description of the perpetrator.

www.thedailybeast.com

 

[SLouTh]

Also more on the theory of the “killer” being central to the locations….


The Stockton killer appears to be utilizing a relatively small geographic area as their hunting ground. Five of the killings have occurred within about a 3-mile radius, and every attack occurred after nightfall on dark, quiet streets.




Studies on geographic profiling have consistently found that serial killers tend to operate fairly close to some kind of home base, whether that’s their actual home or an oft-frequented spot like their workplace. The most famous of these studies, the “circle theory,” took the two furthest crime scenes of each serial offender and used that to create a diameter. The study found that most offenders lived within the circle drawn from that diameter. A 1998 study found that 86% of the 126 American serial killers analyzed fit this pattern.

Map shows where Stockton serial killer has attacked their victims

The Stockton killer has shot six men and one woman.

www.sfgate.com

 

[SLouTh]

In a report on techniques for investigating serial killers written by the FBI’s behavioral analysis unit, hunting grounds are defined as “geographic areas offenders identify, become familiar with, and then later utilize to attack potential victims that enter into those locations.”

Map shows where Stockton serial killer has attacked their victims

The Stockton killer has shot six men and one woman.

www.sfgate.com

This links straight to the FBI Report for further reading / info if interested.

 

[SLouTh]

Geographic's and number of murders for 2021 and 2022 to date ….for Stockton….

Stockton, in California's Central Valley east of the Bay Area, is a city of about 322,000 residents, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The city saw 39 homicides in 2021 and 43 so far this year, Silva said.

Feds join possible Stockton serial killer investigation after 2 more shootings linked

Both shootings occurred in April 2021, Stockton police said. In one case, a 46-year-old woman survived her injuries.

www.nbcnews.com

Wonder how many of these cases have been solved.??? is there a way to look that up anywhere????

Doe s this seem like a lot of murders in a 2 year period for such a small population??? Or fairly average???

 

[dub]

Geographic's and number of murders for 2021 and 2022 to date ….for Stockton….

Stockton, in California's Central Valley east of the Bay Area, is a city of about 322,000 residents, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The city saw 39 homicides in 2021 and 43 so far this year, Silva said.

Feds join possible Stockton serial killer investigation after 2 more shootings linked

Both shootings occurred in April 2021, Stockton police said. In one case, a 46-year-old woman survived her injuries.

www.nbcnews.com

Wonder how many of these cases have been solved.??? is there a way to look that up anywhere????

Doe s this seem like a lot of murders in a 2 year period for such a small population??? Or fairly average???

So that would be what, like 12-13 murders per 100k? That’s fairly high but not off the charts.

If I’m remembering my statistics right, national average is around 5 per 100k and the cities with the highest rates are in the 40s and 50s.

 

[BlaiseFinlay]

Information about the victims:

What we're learning about victims of the Stockton serial killings

Here is what KCRA 3 has learned about the lives lost.

www.kcra.com

Notably, now info about the incident on Hammer. The victim was in his car and lived in the apartments where he was shot.

Which is particularly interesting because it pretty much debunks the theory that he was targeting homeless people or people who could be mistaken for homeless.

 

[cvaldez1975]

Stockton has a system where police are alerted to gun shots. The first Stockton victim said she was shot as a train was passing. Would the noise of the train prevent the system from picking up the gun shots?

The 2022 shootings in July and August are also right next to the train tracks. Is there a way to know if a train passes by at the time of the killings?

The last 2 in September are in what are considered nicer areas, one near Lincoln Center which is a high end shopping center and the other near a school. Wondering if he was getting frustrated that his work wasn’t getting media attention and by moving to those areas he hoped to get media coverage.

Up until the news of it being a serial killer, there was very minimal coverage of any of these killings.

oakland also has shot spotter and thats how they were alerted to his first victim.

 

[cvaldez1975]

Geographic's and number of murders for 2021 and 2022 to date ….for Stockton….

Stockton, in California's Central Valley east of the Bay Area, is a city of about 322,000 residents, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The city saw 39 homicides in 2021 and 43 so far this year, Silva said.

Feds join possible Stockton serial killer investigation after 2 more shootings linked

Both shootings occurred in April 2021, Stockton police said. In one case, a 46-year-old woman survived her injuries.

www.nbcnews.com

Wonder how many of these cases have been solved.??? is there a way to look that up anywhere????

Doe s this seem like a lot of murders in a 2 year period for such a small population??? Or fairly average???

stockton is pretty bleak. ghetto.