A long-running Emeryville homicide case reached its courtroom climax on Thursday, when an Alameda County jury convicted Oakland resident James Wheeler, 45, in the 2023 killing of 34-year-old Dexter Appleby. Prosecutors said the verdict capped a multiyear investigation that leaned heavily on forensic work and witness cooperation. Wheeler was found guilty in the shooting near 41st Street and San Pablo Avenue and remains in custody as he awaits sentencing, currently set for June 10.
The shooting unfolded late on May 26, 2023, after officers responded to reports of gunfire and found a man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to SFGATE. Local reporting later identified the victim as 34-year-old Appleby.
Prosecutors say surveillance, phone data and the weapon tied the suspect to the scene
In court, prosecutors told jurors that two eyewitnesses saw the shooter fire once while Appleby was standing and then twice more after he fell. They said surveillance footage helped point investigators toward a suspect seen in the area around the time of the killing.
According to prosecutors, phone-tower records placed Wheeler in the vicinity during the shooting, and investigators eventually recovered the murder weapon from his home. They noted that homicide detectives spent nearly two years piecing the case together before it was ready for trial.
Wheeler, who was arrested in September 2025 while already in custody at Santa Rita Jail and was previously convicted in a separate Oakland manslaughter case, now faces a maximum sentence of 50 years to life. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for Thursday, June 10, 2026. Alameda County District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson said, “My thoughts are with the victim’s family as they continue to live with the loss of their loved one,” as reported by KRON4.
Local context and next steps
Appleby’s death was Emeryville’s first homicide in years, and the slow-burning investigation drew sustained local attention as new details emerged long after the shooting. Coverage of the case has chronicled community reaction and urged anyone with information to contact the Emeryville Police Department, per reporting by The E'ville Eye.
