A California death long labeled a suicide is now being treated as a homicide—allegedly carried out by the victim's husband of 33 years, a former local mayoral candidate. Contra Costa County prosecutors on Friday announced the arrest of 66-year-old Michael Anthony Leon in the 2015 death of his wife, Brenda Joyce Leon, at their home in Antioch. Brenda, 52, was found dead of a gunshot wound on Sept. 28, 2015, alongside what appeared to be a suicide note. Authorities at the time concluded she had taken her own life, and her obituary described her as being survived by "her loving husband," reports SFGate.
The couple's two adult daughters never accepted that conclusion. They maintained that their mother was not suicidal and, in 2021, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against an unidentified man listed as "John Doe." The complaint alleged that the killer had forged a suicide note and staged the scene before police arrived. The civil case remains active, with a case management conference set for April. In a new lawsuit filed Friday, the two daughters name their father as the defendant, per People. "We're not going to stop until this person I'm ashamed to call my father is behind bars," daughter Monica Tagas tells the San Francisco Chronicle.
The district attorney's cold case unit says it turned up new digital evidence that prompted criminal charges, without disclosing specifics. Outside court on Monday, family attorney Matt Guichard said evidence collected through the lawsuit revealed the alleged suicide note was not written on Brenda's laptop, raising questions about the author, the Chronicle reports. Michael Leon—who once ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Antioch urging crime deterrence through neighborhood watches—is now being held on $1 million bail on suspicion of first-degree murder, with an added firearm enhancement. He could face 50 years to life if convicted.
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