Some Fear Mishandled Evidence May Result in “Speed Freak” Serial Killer Being Set Free

209 TimesSan Joaquin County, Stockton 30 Comments

Source: Noam Galai/Getty Images North America

STOCKTON- Last Wednesday San Joaquin County Deputy District Attorney Haley Mott and California State Public Defender Jessica McGuire argued over the preservation of evidence before Judge Michael Garrigan, the judge who sent Wesley Shermantine to death row on May 16, 2001.

Shermantine’s Public Defender is now making a request not to destroy evidence in the “Speed Freak Killer” case that some estimate may involve over 70 victims. The killing spree that involved Wesley Shermantine (currently on Death Row in Sam Quentin) Loren Herzog (now reportedly dead via suicide within days of being scheduled to be set free due to a mishandled interrogation) and it is speculated possibly other suspects, lasted from 1984 to 1999. 

Why is Shermantine’s Public Defender now requesting that evidence not be destroyed in a case nearly twenty years old? 

Our sources speculate she’s most likely “setting the table” for her next argument, which is to complain evidence has already been destroyed in this case, some of it via cremation.  

What is for absolute certain is that the San Joaquin County Grand Jury allowed Sheriff Moore to conduct his own audit of the evidence room he himself was accused of stealing from. After investigating a claim from a whistleblower that 10,000 pieces of evidence were missing from Sheriff Moore’s evidence room, Grand Jury Foreman Bert Brown told Fox 40 reporter Kay Recede that “evidence was not missing, it was just misplaced.” 

The Grand Jury Foreman failed to acknowledge evidence that is misplaced is evidence whose chain of custody has been permanently broken; making its value in court totally worthless. The San Joaquin County Grand Jury receives their legal advice from the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office. 

Even after Sheriff Steve Moore admitted to Sacramento Bee reporter Anita Chabria that the Colt .22 evidence gun he obtained at a never publicly quantified “substantial discount” from a subordinate originated from the Sheriff’s Office, District Attorney Tori M. Verber-Salazar still refused to criminally charge Sheriff Moore with public embezzlement. 

Comments 30

    1. I know a house in San Andreas that’s never been considered that Wesley lived at. There’s a curious cavity under the garage slab/house where there’s holes big enough for a pool stick to go through that never touch bottom. I reported this to the FBI and never got a response.

  1. Shermantine confessed where more bodies that he was not convicted of killing were found..This article is fear mongaring that there is even a slight possibility that he could be released..They could prosecute him for the victims found in the well that he admitted to disposing there..

  2. You cannot let Wesley go…he is a killer i knew him personally and he was a very scary man. He even had a conversation one time with my father about killing girls…my father told him whats the fuck wrong with you get ouyta my house talking like that!!

    1. Please keep me updated on any developments in this case I had met shermintine at one time scary to think about it.

  3. If he ever is released I pray that all the Citizens pull together and make certain his sentencing of death is carried out. By our own hands.

  4. Being from San Andreas and knowing Shermantine he can not be set free, this man is crazy and if set free there will be more victims! Sometimes the law is no different from this mad man to even think about a release from prison!

  5. Who ever wrote this story can you reach out to me I was raised around this man I hate him, He would beat and talked my mother to hate me because my color..I was the only black in family.. I have a story I feel like its time to share w the world because many kids face this situation now days..

  6. Whose, this may concert, To edit..Hello my name is Corey I have history w this man due to my mother.. He use to convince my mother to hate me every day because i was a black kid among white brothers..I taugh me how to hang myself w belt..Growing up I tried it many times, but when God ready for you than its your time…He use to take my blood mother and little brother to his private property out by 8 mile in Stockton…

  7. They should just kill the freak already. No waiting. Hang him high with a public viewing of it and show it on TV too. Along with all the other death role inmates, one after another till they are all dead. If it takes 3 days do not stop till all are dead. Let God sort them.

    1. So sorry for your loss as well as the loss yo all the victims family I pray for all of you Its time everyone gets some closer and we carry out the sentence that was handed down

  8. This .an is crazy and he killed my daughters best friend. He needs to be killed and why the hell should we as tax payers pay for him to stay alive. The thousands of dollars a month spent on him could give a lot of support to the needie. His family told me he was a killer and could not be around him. Death row no death yes.

  9. I don’t believe he’ll be set free, if this happens I’ll gladly take the life out of his ass. He killed my sister JoAnn! I know for sure he would kill again. He and his other friends have a lust for killing, I believe it was more than him and Loren in on this. I know they had an other very close friend whom they consider a brother Y the name of Jason J. The police should be look a little more deeply into this guy. I can’t believe our Governor has taken out the death penalty. Our state (we the people) voted it in. Who is he to push aside what we all wanted.

  10. If he is released you people are nuts .. .He killed chevy wheeler cyndie vanderhyden joann dotson and god know who else what is wrong with u people my son is serving 17 yrs with 85 percent for 2 counts of gbi he didnt kill or harm anyone he was set up but wouldnt open his mouth hes been down 7 yrs this past march 12th and has 8more yrs to go if he would of killed someone he most likly would of veen home already . . My God what is wrong with u people

  11. I was almost a victim from both of them, when I was 17 they called and asked me to go 4 wheeler, I went well we stop at Herzog place so he could grab is duffle bag when he came back to the truck he didn’t have the bag Wesley asked him where’s the bag he said Carl is in the house and he said not her she goes home tonight he said Carl is gonna call her in the morning and said she better answer, a week later Cindy was killed

    1. Did you live in Linden?? I had a relative that used to live not to far from the house. Where they will get high on drugs and take off and do the killings.

  12. This death row craziness is coming straight from the governor we elected. If you are in favor of the death penalty, don’t vote in these liberal Democrats. If you didn’t vote, you better get registered and vote in the coming elections. I hate politics but it’s our system and you really can’t blame others if you don’t make YOUR voice heard.

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