Nationwide — Stephanie Diane Dowells, a 62-year-old African American girl from California who was visiting her husband in jail, died in a single day in November 2024. Authorities say her husband strangled her and is now going through a homicide cost.
On November 13, 2024, simply after 2 a.m., David Brinson known as jail employees at Mule Creek State Jail to say his spouse had handed out. Officers started life-saving efforts and known as 911, however Dowells was pronounced useless at 2:51 a.m.
In response to Folks, an post-mortem decided she died from strangulation, and her dying was dominated a murder. Brinson, 55, was charged with homicide on August 13, 2025, based on Amador County District Lawyer Todd Riebe. He’s scheduled for arraignment on September 19 and has not but entered a plea.
Dowells, a hairdresser, lived in Inglewood together with her son, daughter-in-law, and younger grandson. Her household declined to remark, however their lawyer, Michael Oppenheimer, launched a press release thanking prosecutors for pursuing the case and calling her killing preventable.
Brinson has been serving 4 consecutive life sentences with out parole since 1993 for killing 4 males throughout a theft.
Dowells’ dying was the second killing throughout a household go to at Mule Creek State Jail in 2024. In July, Tania Thomas, 47, was killed whereas visiting her husband, Anthony Curry, who was later charged together with her homicide. Curry is serving time for tried second-degree homicide and carjacking.
Riebe stated these two circumstances are the primary violent acts throughout household visits on the jail that he has seen in additional than 25 years as district lawyer.