The family of a 62-year-old woman who died during a conjugal visit at California’s Mule Creek State Prison is demanding answers after officials revealed she was strangled—months after initially claiming her death was from natural causes.
Stephanie Dowells died in November while visiting her husband, David Brinson, a convicted murderer serving four life sentences for a 1990 quadruple homicide. Shockingly, Dowells was the second person in a year to die during a conjugal visit at the prison. In a separate case, 47-year-old Tania Thomas was allegedly strangled by an inmate during a family visit, according to Amador County District Attorney Todd Riebe, told NBC News.
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California’s prison system allows “family visits”—extended 30-to-40-hour stays in on-site apartments—but restricts them to immediate family. Dowells’ relatives were initially told she died of natural causes, but a coroner’s report four months later ruled her death a homicide by strangulation.
Nataly Jimenez, Dowells’ relative, said the family ordered a private autopsy after a forensic expert suspected foul play. “I honestly feel like they were trying to sweep it under [the rug],” Jimenez said Monday, questioning the delayed investigation.
Prison records show Brinson called guards at 2:04 a.m. on November 13, claiming Dowells had fainted. Officers attempted CPR, but she was pronounced dead shortly after. However, Dowells’ son, Armand Torres, and Jimenez noted inconsistencies in Brinson’s account, including conflicting statements about where she collapsed.
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Former prison warden Lenard Vare called the deaths “troubling,” noting Brinson had a documented history of suicidal tendencies. “That should have been a big red flag,” Vare said. The case remains under investigation by prison officials and the district attorney’s office, but Dowells’ family insists justice has been delayed—and possibly denied.
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