Fresno killings
 

U.S.
Fresno suspect charged with murder
Man faces nine counts in brutal slayings

Sunday, March 14, 2004 Posted: 3:57 AM EST (0857 GMT)
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Marcus Wesson, right, was charged with nine counts of murder.
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FRESNO, California (CNN) -- Police Saturday charged 57-year-old Marcus Wesson with nine counts of murder and set his bail at $9 million, a day after discovering the victims' bodies piled atop one another in his Fresno home.

All of the dead were his children, some apparently by incestuous relationships, according to Fresno police.

"If this case, where nine innocent people were killed -- including eight children -- if this does not qualify for the death sentence then there is no case that would," Police Chief Jerry Dyer said.

The female victims were 24, 17, 8, 7 and two were just 1 year old. The male victims were 7, 4 and 1.

It appears that Wesson is the father and grandfather of two of the youngest victims, Dyer said. He believes Wesson had children with two of his daughters.

Wesson was taken into custody Friday afternoon after a short standoff, and has been cooperative, Dyer said.

There are still 10 to 12 immediate family members who must be contacted.

Dyer said his officers interviewed neighbors and four women they think are the mothers of some of the victims.

Wesson is believed to have been in a sexual relationship with at least four women, Dyer said. He is not sure whether the suspect was married to any of them.

Michael Varin, a friend of 21-year-old Marcus Wesson, Jr. -- who was not at the house Friday -- told CNN that the elder Wesson was "a really strange individual" who practised his own brand of religion.

Dyer said he is not sure about Wesson's religious beliefs and whether they may have played a role in the case.

Police have not discovered a motive at this point, Dyer said.

Varin said Wesson "pretty much controlled the whole family, kept them all isolated. This doesn't really surprise me. That's the worst of it."

Dyer said police believe most or all of the victims lived at the residence. He said neighbors rarely saw the children outside the house but believed they did live there.

Authorities were initially called to the home Friday afternoon, after two women told police they were trying to get custody of children they had turned over to Wesson.

When police arrived, "there were four or five adults in the front part of the residence and two females who were outside who had initially called police," Dyer said. "They were trying to gain entry to regain their children."

Wesson ran to the back part of the house and barricaded himself inside, giving police time to get the other adults out of the house.

Told that Wesson might be armed, police called for the SWAT team, but before they arrived, Wesson came out "and appeared to have blood on him."

Then, Dyer said, police entered the back of the house and discovered the bodies "intertwined and stacked on top of each other."

Clothing was also intertwined with the bodies and scattered around the bedroom where the victims were found, complicating the process of identification.

The Fresno County Coroner's Office performed liver temperature tests on the bodies to determine the time of death. Tests to determine how the victims were killed were also carried out.

Authorities also found 10 empty wooden caskets in the front part of the home, stacked on top of each other, Dyer said. Wesson reportedly told neighbors he had bought the coffins from antique stores for the wood.

Varin told CNN that Wesson "had those for quite some time."

The caskets have not been collected as evidence and do not appear to have played a direct role in the crime, Dyer said.

Several of the police officers who discovered the bodies were so distraught they were placed on paid administrative leave, Dyer said.

"This has been a tragic incident for our agency for our officers. We have gone through some emotional difficulties. Our officers who were first on scene are receiving counseling -- psychologically and spiritually from our chaplains as well as psychologists," Dyer said.

"It is horrific," he said, "something that you hope you would never see in your career, something that you face here, and we're trying to do the best we can with a horrible situation."

-- CNN Correspondent Miguel Marquez and Radio Correspondent Ninette Sosa contributed to this report

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This is a sad and sick story! He's a brother too! Like they said in Barber Shop 2: we could tell by the crime if the person was black or white, not anymore.

Re: Fresno killings
 

Me and my friend were talking about this sick and twisted individual this morning. I would have NEVER guessed some incestuous killing machine was Black. Never. Between him, Muhammad, and Malvo... I have no words.

U.S.
Murder suspect 'best dad anybody could ever have'
Man faces nine murder counts in brutal slayings

Sunday, March 14, 2004 Posted: 5:22 PM EST (2222 GMT)
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Marcus Wesson, right, was charged with nine counts of murder.
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FRESNO, California (CNN) -- The son of a California man suspected of killing nine of his own children is defending his father in the news media, calling him "the best dad anybody could ever have."

Serafino Wesson, 19, crouched and stared at the ground as he spoke Saturday to reporters outside the family home in Fresno, where the bodies were found Friday. Wesson said he found the murder charges "hard to believe."

"He's the best dad anybody could ever have," Wesson said. "He looks really dangerous ... but he's such a gentle guy, I can't believe he did it."

Police have charged 57-year-old Marcus Wesson with nine counts of murder in the deaths, which include the killings of at least two children police said he fathered with his own daughters. Bail has been set at $9 million.

Serafino Wesson and his brother Dorian Wesson, 29, denied reports that their father was part of a cult or that he was a polygamist. But Serafino Wesson said his father had been involved in sexual relationships with other women, some of whom had been runaways or involved with drugs.

Marcus Wesson refused to give the children to their mothers "because of the way my other members of the family were ... raised," he said.

"They were raised up the way no kids should be raised," he said. "And when they left the house, my dad was like, 'There's no way you're going to raise my kid ... that way.' But I did not think he would do such a thing. I thought he would take it to court."

Marcus Wesson was taken into custody Friday afternoon. Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer said he appeared to have had sexual relationships with four women.

Asked how his family explained the lifestyle, Serafino Wesson said he was raised "the way I would like to raise my kids, if I have kids."

"I don't have a record at all. I have never seen the inside of a jail cell," Serafino Wesson said."Yesterday was my first time being inside a police station."

He said his father had been jailed, including once for about two months, for "silly little things" such as traffic tickets he forgot to pay.

Authorities were initially called to the home after two women told police they were trying to get custody of children they had turned over to Wesson.

Inside, they found a 24-year-old woman and five girls, ages 17, 8, 7 and two 1-year-olds.

Three boys, ages 7, 4, and 1, also were killed. All of the bodies were found piled atop one another.

Dorian Wesson urged people not to "jump to conclusions," and suggested other relatives may have known more about the circumstances surrounding the killings.

"I think there should be a thorough investigation," he said. "In America, you're not guilty until proven guilty."

CNN's Miguel Marquez contributed to this report.

This is a shame. Is this some kind of cult?

This story brings tears to my heart. How could you ever take the life of your own child ( or anybody's for that matter).
I am not a big advocate of the death penalty...but if he is found guilty... i can't think any other fitting punishment.
Or just maybe.... rotting in jail with the guilt of it might work.

I watched his son on the news last night, and felt so bad for how blind he is. I know its hard to face facts when it comes to your own - especially a parent, but as we can all see, the more evidence that is collected, the worse this case become. Poor children, even Serafino, it's so tragic.

The fact that this crazed man had sex with his own daughters and fathered grandchildren with them- is absolutely SICK!!!

I say cut his penis off, then end his life. Obviously he has no heart and he does not have a conscience.

A truly feel sad for the children and family that remain. How do they possibly go on.

pNc

Yuppers. That "man":rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: raped his own kids. No sympathy here. My anger is over dead babypeople and children.:mad:

*shaking my head* My co-worker was like, "It used to be that most of the crazy killing/just plain crazy folk were white people. I guess craziness is an equal opportunity thing now."

I was :eek: when I saw that he was an old scary looking black guy. I was already :mad: when the news told of how grisly the scene was and how many women and children were dead. People these days, I tell you......

See the snipers just bust it wide open....I mean come on, this is just not us. Times are a changing, next thing Willy in the projects wil be bbq'ing third graders...:(

I heard about this last week, and I was like oh my gosh, when I saw that dude was a crazy looking black man, I was really floored. I read some of the article on Black America web, and how you have sex and father kids with your own daughters, I'm sorry but that is just sick.

Re: Re: Re: Fresno killings
 

My prayers are with the family he left behind, especially his "blind" son.