A formal investigation is underway as police try to piece together what led to the death of a 62-year-old woman. Stephanie Dowells was visiting her husband, who was convicted of a 1990 mass shooting, but their conjugal visit soon turned fatal when Dowells was pronounced dead.
Her husband, David Brinson, 54, was convicted of four murders for shooting four people during a 1990 robbery. Since then, he’s been serving four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole at the Mule Creek State Prison near Sacramento, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Now, he’s become the center of the investigation into his wife’s death after he was the last person to see her alive.
Brinson first claimed his wife fainted during their unsupervised, overnight visit on Nov. 13, 2024. But soon, it was confirmed Dowells had been strangled, with her death ruled a homicide, according to KCRA. She was pronounced dead around 2:51 a.m.
Now, Dowells’ family continues to demand answers as to why an inmate with such a known violent past was allowed to have unsupervised visits in the first place. “Given the history that this guy has, we kind of wanted to know how is it even possible for them to be unsupervised?” Dowell’s son, Armand Torres, said. “My mom was just left alone, and she called for help, I’m sure, and there’s nothing she could do,” he continued.
According to the California Department of Corrections, only inmates on death row, convicted sex offenders, or those under disciplinary restrictions are banned from having conjugal visits “in private, apartment-like facilities on prison grounds and last approximately 30 to 40 hours.”
Dowells was a licensed hairstylist and a small business owner in the Los Angeles area. Many knew her as “Stevi,” according to KCRA. It’s unclear how long Dowells and Brinson had been married, but those closest to her say she tried to get her husband to change his ways.
“They would read the Bible together. He was in school in there because she was pushing him to try to be this better person,” Nataly Jimenez, Dowells’ daughter-in-law, told KCRA.
Prosecutors said they are waiting for the investigation to complete before filing charges against Brinson, according to the New York Post. As of Monday, March 24, no charges have been filed.