Marcus Wesson, once perceived as a caring father, committed a heinous crime over two decades ago that left witnesses traumatized. A former soldier, Wesson subjected his wife and her children to relentless abuse for 30 years, fathering several children with her. Following his service in Vietnam, he initiated a relationship with Rosemary Solorio and moved in with her and her eight children.
In 1971, Rosemary bore Wesson’s son, and shortly after, the appalling predator began sexually assaulting Rosemary’s daughter, Elizabeth, who was only eight years old at the time. When Elizabeth turned 14 and Wesson was 34, they wed, and four months later, she gave birth to their first child.
The couple ultimately had ten children, including one who tragically passed away. Additionally, one of Elizabeth’s sisters entrusted seven children to the couple due to her struggles with substance abuse. Wesson, who lived off welfare and coerced his children into surrendering their earnings to him, had a history of welfare fraud and perjury convictions by 1989.
Behind closed doors, Wesson’s tyranny reached horrific levels as he subjected his wife and children to abuse. He imposed strict control, insisting on homeschooling and authoring a distorted version of the Bible where he portrayed himself as God and Jesus as a vampire. Wesson forced his daughters into sexual servitude, resulting in pregnancies for five of them.
The household chores included degrading tasks, like washing Wesson’s body, while siblings were prohibited from interacting with each other or their mother. In 2004, Wesson announced a move from Fresno to Washington, prompting a confrontation with his extended family members and nieces who had fled his house of horrors.
Upon police intervention, a gruesome scene unfolded as nine bodies, Wesson’s own children, were discovered shot through the eye in a bedroom adorned with antique coffins. The ghastly incident, the worst mass murder in Fresno’s history, continues to haunt witnesses like the current Mayor, Jerry Dyer, who described the crime’s chilling details.
Today, at 79 years old, Marcus Wesson remains imprisoned at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, having been convicted to death in 2005. Amidst the halt on executions in California, he no longer faces the death penalty, a decision that evokes frustration and disbelief from those who witnessed his monstrous acts.