A Bay Area mother-of-two whose death was long considered a suicide was actually murdered by her husband, prosecutors now say — and he’s finally facing charges.
Michael Anthony Leon, a former Antioch mayoral candidate, was just charged for the death of his wife Brenda in 2015 after an investigation uncovered “previously unknown digital evidence,” according to the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office.
“Brenda Joyce’s family never lost faith that the truth would come to light,” said District Attorney Diana Becton on Friday. “Today’s filing in Contra Costa Superior Court honors that perseverance and demonstrates that cold cases are never forgotten, regardless of how much time has passed.”
Police discovered Brenda’s body with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, alongside a suicide note on September 28, 2015, according to SF Gate.
Brenda’s two adult daughters had their suspicions about their mother killing herself, and filed a wrongful death lawsuit in 2021 claiming a male killer identified as “John Doe” faked the suicide and set the scene before cops arrived, the outlet reported.
“After an extensive investigation, the District Attorney’s Cold Case Unit determined that Brenda Leon’s death on September 28th, 2015, was an act of homicide,” the DA’s Office said. “The investigation uncovered previously unknown digital evidence and new factual details that were central to the decision to file charges.”
The new evidence and details have not yet been released.
The 66-year-old accused killer came in fourth place in his run for mayor, amassing just 1,700 votes. He described himself in an Op-Ed as a “simple family man.”
“I’m under-employed, lost most of my savings and seen my home values go down, but hell if I’m going to let those timid souls in city government sit and do nothing or think they can solve problems just by raising taxes,” Leon said.
If convicted, Leon faces up to a maximum of 50 years to life in prison. He is scheduled to be arranged in court on January 26.
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