Fresno, Calif.
A suspected polygamist was accused this week of killing nine of his children and grandchildren after an apparent custody dispute. Two women told police they had gone to the Fresno home of Marcus Wesson, 57, to demand that he turn over their children. Wesson shut himself and the victims inside, surrendering after a brief standoff. Inside, police found nine bloody bodies, and 10 coffins. All of the victims had been shot, and seven were under age 8. Neighbors said Wesson ran his home like a “small commune,” lording over four women and a dozen children like a cult leader. Police suspect Wesson of fathering two of the youngest victims in an incestuous relationship with one of his own daughters.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Zimbabwe’s driving crisisUnder the Radar Southern African nation is experiencing a ‘public health disaster’ with one of the highest road fatality rates in the world
-
The Mint’s 250th anniversary coins face a whitewashing controversyThe Explainer The designs omitted several notable moments for civil rights and women’s rights
-
‘If regulators nix the rail merger, supply chain inefficiency will persist’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
