20 years since the worst mass murder in Fresno history
Years ago, the home was torn down where the murders took place, and now the dirt lot still remains vacant to this day.
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Nine lives taken too soon. Exactly 20 years ago, one of the most unthinkable mass murders in Fresno took place at a home in Central Fresno.
Marcus Wesson had his children and grandchildren shot in cold blood.
For Mayor Jerry Dyer, who was police chief at the time, it's still unlike anything he's ever seen before, with seven young kids all shot in the eye.
"It was just horrific, the worst mass murder that we had experienced in the history of our city, and it wasn't just the fact that nine people were killed, it was how they were killed, the lifestyle that was occurring in that household, Marcus Wesson convinced his family that he was God, that Jesus was a vampire," said Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer.
Every chilling detail is still fresh for defense attorney Ralph Torres, who worked on the court-appointed Wesson defense team.
"I see all the evidence, it was the most gut-wrenching part of the case where I was just a young father. I had a five-year-old young boy, and there was a boy that looked from behind, like my kid," said defense attorney, Ralph Torres.
Even in his 34-year career, it is a case that continues to stand out the most on his resume.
"It was life-changing; I've never seen anything like it; I've done 16 murder trials since then and nothing like it," said Torres.
Years ago, the home was torn down where the murders took place, and now the dirt lot still remains vacant to this day.
"There's no way that that property could have existed or continued to exist without bringing back horrible memories, and property values would have been devalued," said Dyer.
Today, Marcus Wesson, who is now 77 years old, is continuing to serve his death sentence at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center after being convicted in 2005.
But Dyer, who saw Wesson in prison in 2008, is still angry that Wesson gets to stay alive.
"Marcus Wesson was an evil person. He is somebody, as I said then to national media, he deserved the death penalty then, and he deserves the death penalty today. Unfortunately, that doesn't look like it's going to be the case," said Dyer.
In 2019, Governor Newsom halted executions in California and has since dismantled death row.
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