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Marcus Delon Wesson (born August 22, 1946) is an American Mass murder and child rapist, convicted of nine counts of first-degree murder and 14 sex crimes, including the rape and molestation of his underage daughters. His victims were his children, fathered through sexual abuse of his daughters and nieces, as well as his wife's children."Marcus Wesson's Family Tree", Court TV, May 10, 2005
After dropping out of high school, Wesson joined the U.S. Army, serving from 1966 to 1968 as an ambulance driver, which included a deployment in the Vietnam War.The Many Portraits of Marcus Wesson - Those who know the accused killer draw starkly conflicting views of him. (April 18, 2004). The Fresno Bee.
One of Elizabeth's younger sisters left her own seven children with them, claiming that her drug problem made her unable to care for them. Wesson never held a steady job; he lived off welfare spending and forced his working adult children to give him all their earnings. In 1989, Wesson was convicted of welfare fraud and perjury. The family often lived in run-down shacks, boats, and vacant houses.
Wesson was abusive towards his wife and children. He prevented Elizabeth from participating in the children's upbringing. He homeschooled the children and taught them from his own handwritten Bible that focused on Jesus Christ being a vampire. He told the children that he was God and had them refer to him as "Master" or "Lord." He taught the children to be prepared for Armageddon and said that the girls were destined to become Wesson's future wives. Wesson's school "curriculum" involved teaching girls oral sex as young as 8 or 9. Their domestic responsibilities included washing Wesson's dreadlocks and scratching his armpits and head. The girls were not allowed to talk to their male siblings or their mother. Both male and female children were physically abused. Wesson raped two daughters and three nieces beginning at age eight; all five girls became pregnant.
Wesson told the police to wait at the door and disappeared into the home. When he came back to the door, his clothes were bloodied.
Fresno police testified they did not hear gunshots being fired shortly after, though other witnesses at the standoff testified they did hear gunshots fired at that time. Child brides and vampire names: Bizarre the norm in mass murder trial By Harriet Ryan, Court TV via CNN.com, Thursday, May 19, 2005, In the aftermath, police discovered nine bodies, including two of Wesson's daughters and a total of seven of their children, in a bedroom filled with antique coffins. Each victim had been fatally shot through the eye. Wesson's other children, who were not present inside the house, survived the incident.
The house that the murders took place in was later demolished.
Victims
Trial
At Wesson's trial, the prosecutor was Chief Deputy District Attorney Lisa Gamoian. Wesson was represented by public defenders Peter Jones and Ralph Torres. They presented the defense that his 25-year-old daughter Sebhrenah committed all the murders, including of her son Marshey, and then committed suicide.i
The murder weapon, a .22 caliber handgun, was found with her body, and Sebhrenah's DNA was found on the gun, which lent credence to Wesson's claim. There was also no gunpowder residue on Wesson's hands at the time of his arrest. The jury declined to find that Wesson fired the fatal shots but convicted him of murder anyway, presumably finding that he had pressured his children into entering a suicide pact.
Conviction and sentence
Wesson was convicted of nine counts of first-degree murder on June 17, 2005, and also found guilty on 14 counts of forcible rape and the sexual molestation of seven of his daughters and nieces. Wesson was sentenced to death on June 27, 2005, and is currently in San Quentin Rehabilitation Center.
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Categories: 1946 Births, 2004 Murders In The United States, African-american United States Army Personnel, American Mass Murderers, United States Army Personnel Of The Vietnam War, American Murderers Of Children, American People Convicted Of Child Sexual Abuse, American People Convicted Of Murder, American Prisoners Sentenced To Death, American Rapists, Criminals From Kansas, Filicides In California, Founders Of New Religious Movements, Incestual Abuse, Living People, People Convicted Of Incest, People Convicted Of Murder By California, Prisoners Sentenced To Death By California, Inmates Of San Quentin State Prison, Massacres In 2004, Mass Murders In California, 2000s Mass Murders In The United States, Adult Filicides In The United States, Child Filicides In The United States, Familicides In The United States
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