4 days ago
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.
