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Insets: Stephanie Dowells and her husband David Brinson (KCRA/YouTube). Background: Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, Calif., where David Brinson allegedly strangled Stephanie Dowells (KCRA/YouTube).
A California woman having a “conjugal visit” with her husband — a convicted killer serving four consecutive life terms for a quadruple murder — was strangled by the 54-year-old, which he tried to play off by saying she passed out, according to police.
David Brinson, an inmate at Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, is accused of killing his wife Stephanie Dowells, 62, in November 2024 while the two of them were behind bars together late one night having their visit, according to the Amador County Sheriff’s Office and California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR).
Local NBC affiliate KCRA spoke to Dowells’ family about the alleged slaying, the cause of which was revealed by police Tuesday after a four-month investigation. They noted how it was surprising that someone with Brinson’s criminal history, which includes gunning down four people during a 1994 robbery, was able to have conjugal visits regardless of their relationship status.
“Given the history that this guy has, we kind of wanted to know how is it even possible for them to be unsupervised?” asked Dowells’ son, Armand Torres. “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.”
While Dowells’ death remains under investigation, CDCR officials told KCRA that Brinson is suspected of killing Dowells sometime before 3 a.m. on Nov. 13, 2024. No other suspects or witnesses were identified or discovered during the CDCR probe. Brinson claimed that Dowells passed out, with him notifying prison staff in an attempt to get help, KCRA reported. Staff attempted to perform lifesaving measures but were unable to save Dowells, who was a mother of two and grandmother to six.
“They would read the Bible together,” Nataly Jimenez, Dowells’ daughter-in-law, told KCRA about Dowells and Brinson. “He was in school in there because she was pushing him to try to be this better person.”
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Court records obtained by the Los Angeles Times show that Brinson is serving four consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole after a 1993 conviction for the four people he murdered during the robbery. He and Dowells were having a conjugal visit “in private, apartment-like facilities on prison grounds,” according to CDCR officials, which are said to last “approximately 30 to 40 hours” to give couples time to be intimate.
“Family visits are a privilege, and incarcerated persons must apply and meet strict eligibility criteria to be approved,” a CDCR spokesperson told KCRA. “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.”
Those who are usually barred from taking part in such visits include death row inmates, sex offenders and people with disciplinary restrictions on their record, the CDCR says.
Amador County District Attorney Todd Riebe told the Times that charges have not yet been filed because his office is still waiting on the fully completed autopsy report to make its official charging decision, despite Dowells’ death being ruled a homicide. That’s expected to be filed in the coming days.
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