Prosecutors said a mass murderer strangled his wife during a couple's visit to a California prison.
David Brinson, who has already brought life to life for the four murders, claimed that his wife, Stephanie Dowells, was stunned when he was found dead last November, his 62-year-old grandmother, after an unsupervised overnight visit at a Mule Creek prison near Sacramento.
However, investigations showed that his wife had been slotted, and her death ruled the murder, prosecutor I told KCRA.
Prosecutors said they were waiting for officers to finish the investigation before bringing further charges against their husband, who had already lived without the possibility of parole to fire four people during the 1994 robbery.
The duration of the pair married was not immediately clear. But the two children at Dowells demand that they know how to be left alone with known violent murderers.
“How could they make this happen? I don't understand that,” her son, Armando Torres, told the outlet.
“Given the history this guy has, did we want to know how possible they are even not being monitored?
“My mother was just left alone and she asked for help, I'm sure, and there's nothing she can do,” he added.
Currently, the only inmates prohibited from so-called family visits are people on death row or sex offenders in the California Department of Corrections site, which are held “in a private apartment building on the prison site” and can last up to 40 hours.
“Family visits are privileged and those who are incarcerated must apply and meet strict eligibility criteria for approval,” a department spokesman said.
“Only those who demonstrate sustainable behavior and meet specific program requirements will be considered. These visits are designed to support positive family connections and successful rehabilitation.”
Dowells' daughter-in-law, Natalie Zimenez, said the murdered victim is pushing her spouse into a better person.
“They'll read the Bible together,” she said. “Because he was in school there and she was trying to be this better person for him.”
