Father to Be Tried in Killings of 9 Children

Marcus Wesson will stand trial on charges that he killed nine of his children in this city's worst mass slaying, a judge ruled Thursday.

Defense attorneys had sought dismissal of the charges, contending that prosecutors had not proven that he committed the killings.

Wesson emerged from his Fresno home March 12 with blood on his body and clothes. In a back bedroom, police discovered a bloody pile of bodies: nine of Wesson's children ranging in age from 1 to 25.