Latest news with #DavidBrinson
CBS News
3 days ago
- CBS News
Mule Creek inmate charged with wife's murder during conjugal visit
An inmate serving life in prison has now been formally charged with his wife's murder during a conjugal visit last year at Mule Creek State Prison. David Brinson is accused of strangling his wife, Stephanie Dowells, at the Amador County prison. This was the second death, we'd later learn, of a visitor during a conjugal visit at the same facility just months apart. Both families are partnering up for answers. "It has taken a long time, and nobody likes that, especially a family, to make them suffer even more. But now that he has been charged with a murder, there's some sense of justice," said Michael Oppenheimer, the attorney representing the families of Dowells and Tania Thomas. "There's no way to bring her back, but at least the state finally did the right thing in charging him with murder." Oppenheimer said the family knows that even with this murder charge, there's still a long way to go. Just last month, the families of both women filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, claiming the prison didn't have enough safety protocols in place to protect them. The lawsuit claims the prison's failure to supervise these visits shows a dangerous disregard for the safety of these women, calling for urgent changes to be made.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
A Woman Visited Her Husband in Prison. She Never Made It Out — and Now He's Charged with Murder (Exclusive)
David Brinson has been charged with murder in connection with the November 2024 strangulation of Stephanie Diane Dowells, Amador County District Attorney Todd Riebe tells PEOPLE. NEED TO KNOW Stephanie Diane Dowells, 62, was killed in November 2024, during an overnight family visit with her husband, David Brinson Brinson was convicted in the 1990s of murdering four men during a robbery, and sentenced to four consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole Dowells was the second person in a year to die during a family visit at Mule Creek State Prison in four months The wife of a California man serving life in prison for four murders died during an overnight visit with him last year — and now her husband is charged with killing her. David Brinson, 55, was charged with murder on Aug. 13, in connection with the November 2024 strangulation of Stephanie Diane Dowells, 62, Amador County District Attorney Todd Riebe tells PEOPLE. On Nov. 13, 2024, shortly after 2 a.m., Brinson called prison officials and told them that his wife had passed out, prompting officers to begin life-saving measures and call 911, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has said. Dowells could not be saved and was pronounced dead at 2:51 a.m. Her death was ruled a homicide by strangulation. Dowells, a hairdresser, lived in Inglewood, Calif., with her son, his wife and her young grandson. Brinson was convicted in 1993 of murdering four men during a robbery, and was sentenced to four consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole. Reached Thursday, Dowells' family declined to comment through her daughter-in-law and referred PEOPLE to their attorney, who did not immediately return a request for comment. Brinson has not yet entered a plea to the murder charge — he is set to be arraigned on Sept. 19, Riebe was the second person within months to die at Mule Creek State Prison during a family visit, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Tania Thomas, 47, was killed in July 2024 while she was visiting her husband, Anthony Curry, at the Northern California lockup. Curry was charged with murder in connection with her death; he pleaded not guilty. Curry is serving a life sentence for attempted second-degree murder, plus 13 years for carjacking, a Department of Corrections spokesperson said. Riebe has said the killings of Dowells and Thomas are the first violent acts during family visits at Mule Creek that he has seen in his more than 25 years as district attorney. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
30-03-2025
- Yahoo
Elgin cold case • Family jailed in Mexico • Man found shot in burning home
CHICAGO - Two American citizens from Michigan are being held in custody in Mexico over a dispute over a time-share; a 62-year-old grandmother was killed while having an overnight "conjugal visit" with her convicted murderer husband at a California prison; and more than 40 years after an Elgin woman went missing without a trace, a stunning discovery could be the answer to her mysterious disappearance. These are the top stories in Fox 32's Week in Review. It has been an international nightmare for two American citizens who are stuck in a Mexican jail for a dispute over a time-share for 21 days. FULL STORY A 62-year-old grandmother was killed while having an overnight "conjugal visit" with her convicted murderer husband at a California prison, according to reports. David Brinson, 54, was found guilty of killing four men in 1993 and was sentenced to life in prison without parole, court records show. FULL STORY More than 40 years after an Elgin woman went missing without a trace, a stunning discovery could be the answer to her mysterious disappearance. Officials confirmed late Tuesday night that skeletal remains were found in Karen Schepers' submerged vehicle, which was recovered from the Fox River hours earlier. FULL STORY A Texas grandfather is dead after getting caught in the crossfire while buying food at a popular restaurant chain as his family reportedly waited outside. The shooting happened earlier this week at a McDonald's location in Katy, Texas, which is just outside of Houston. FULL STORY A man was found shot to death inside a home that had been set on fire Saturday morning in the Hyde Park neighborhood. Fire crews extinguished the blaze and later discovered 47-year-old Boyd "BJ" Jarrell, who was unresponsive with a gunshot wound to the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene. FULL STORY A 25-year-old Hobart man who was reported missing on Monday has been found dead, according to police. Nathaniel Betz was discovered Monday night at Jerry Pavese Park, just hours after police asked for the public's help in locating him. FULL STORY A Chicago man was arrested after allegedly leading police in DuPage County on a high-speed chase and then trying to elude officers on foot last Friday. FULL STORY A birthday celebration at a Near North Side restaurant took a shameless turn when three women dined, dashed, and bragged about it online. Chicago police are now investigating the incident. FULL STORY A man is dead and a woman is critically injured Sunday night in a two-car crash on Chicago's Southwest Side, police said. A black sedan and a silver sedan were traveling north when the silver sedan attempted to merge from the outer lane to the inner lane, according to police. FULL STORY A man and a woman were killed and four other people were injured in a two-vehicle crash early Wednesday near Midway Airport, authorities said. FULL STORY
USA Today
24-03-2025
- USA Today
Convicted murderer accused of killing wife in northern California prison during visit
A California inmate convicted of killing four people is now being accused of killing his wife during a conjugal visit at a prison in November, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times. David Brinson killed 62-year-old Stephanie Brinson at Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, about 40 miles northeast of Stockton in northern California, the Times reported this week, citing a local sheriff's and district attorney's office. David Brinson, 54, is serving four consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole for killing four men during a robbery at a Los Angeles apartment in 1990, the Times reported. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation did not respond to USA TODAY's request to confirm the killing on Saturday. The department only released a statement saying that on Nov. 13, David Brinson phone corrections officers around 2 a.m. to report "that his wife had passed out during her visitation." Officers attempted to resuscitate her but she was pronounced dead at 2:51 a.m., the department said. The investigation into Stephanie Brinson's death by Mule Creek State Prison investigators and the Amador County District Attorney's Office is ongoing. "The Family visits are a privilege, and incarcerated persons must apply and meet strict eligibility criteria to be approved," the department said in its statement. "Only those who demonstrate sustained good behavior and meet specific program requirements are considered. These visits are designed to support positive family connections and successful rehabilitation." Amador County District Attorney Todd Riebe confirmed to the Times that Stephanie Brinson was killed during a conjugal visit and had yet to receive reports from Mule Creek to make a charging decision. The Amador County District Attorney's Office and Amador County Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment Saturday. The agencies confirmed to multiple other media outlets that a homicide investigation was underway and that Stephanie Brinson had been strangled. 'We're just devastated,' son says Stephanie Brinson, known by those closest to her as Stevi, was a hairstylist and a small business owner in the Los Angeles area, local MSNBC affiliate KCRA3 reported. She was a mother to two sons and a grandmother to six. "She was the most giving, kindhearted person,' her mother, Oveta Wilson, told the outlet. "Stevi was literally the glue that held the family together." Armand Torres, Stephanie Brinson's son, told the outlet that his family was "just devastated." He said that she would visit her husband at the prison and "would read the Bible together." "He was in school in there because she was pushing him to try to be this better person,' daughter-in-law Nataly Jimenez told the outlet. The Amador County Coroner recently told the family that Stephanie was strangled, and her death had been ruled a homicide, MSNBC affiliate KCRA3 reported. Torres told the outlet he believes the prison should be held accountable for his mother's death. 'How could they just let this happen? I just don't get it,' Torres said. "My mom was just left alone, and she called for help, I'm sure, and there's nothing she could do. Given the history that this guy has, we kind of wanted to know how is it even possible for them to be unsupervised?"
