A prisoner serving four life terms had been charged with the murder of his wife after she passed away during an overnight visit to his prison.
California man David Brinson, 54, is currently serving life behind bars, having been convicted in 1993 of four counts of murder after killing four men during a robbery.
In November last year, Brinson was visited by his wife Stephanie Diane Dowells in jail, but she never came out again.
Dowells, 62, was a hairdresser who lived in Inglewood, California, with her son and his family.
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The wife and mother had been visiting Brinson overnight on November 13 when he called the prison officials at Mule Creek State Prison shortly before 2.00am to explain that his wife had fallen unconscious.
Sadly, even after providing life-saving measures, Dowells was pronounced dead at 2.51am, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said.
Her death was ruled a homicide by strangulation.
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Officials have now charged Brinson in connection with the murder, Amador County District Attorney Todd Riebe told PEOPLE.
Dowells' family attorney, Michael Oppenheimer, provided a statement to the outlet on behalf of relatives, sharing: "While nothing can bring Stephanie back to her family, this is the first step towards getting justice for her brutal murder.
"We thank the District Attorney for doing the right thing. This and other murders should have never happened and could have been prevented by the State of California."
Dowells’ son, Armand Torres, and his wife, Nataly Jimenez, claimed that Brinson's accounts of the events kept changing in the days after she died.
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Speaking to NBC News, Jimenez said: “He would say, you know, she passed out on the floor, or she was passed out on the bed.”
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation stated on its website that some inmates are eligible for family visits, which happen in apartment-like facilities on the prison grounds.
Those visits can last anywhere from 30 to 40 hours.
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In a statement on the visits, a spokesperson for the department said: “The family visits are a privilege, and incarcerated persons must apply and meet strict eligibility criteria to be approved. Only those who demonstrate sustained good behavior and meet specific program requirements are considered.”
As per the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Dowells' death is the second time in a year a visitor has died at Mule Creek State Prison in 2024.
On 1 July 2024, 47-year-old Tania Thomas was found unconscious while visiting her partner, Anthony Curry.
Curry was subsequently charged in connection with her murder and pleaded not guilty to the crime.
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Riebe said previously that any charges relating to Dowells' death are based on prison and autopsy reports.
Brinson will now be arraigned on September 19 after not entering a plea for the murder charge.
Britt Jones