Wives Murdered During Prison Visits | David Brinson and Anthony Curry

Around 2:00am on uh, November 13, 2024 at the Mule Creek State Prison in California, one of the inmates named David Brinson called prison staff over saying that his wife, 62 year old Stephanie Diane Dowels, had quote, passed out. Medical staff gave her CPR and tried to save her. 911 was also called, but Stephanie was pronounced dead at 2 2:51am welcome to Love and Heartbreak to Homicide, your weekly true crime podcast that tells you cases of relationships that turn to murder. But I always tell each case with the victim in mind, so you may hear some ranting and ravings. Now, quick note before we get started, school is back in session so I’ll be off for the next two weeks. While I’m away, you will still get irregular content through pre recorded mini episodes. And of course your bonus episodes will still be coming out. and subscribe on whatever platform you’re on. If you haven’t already, make sure you’re signed up on the Patreon patreon.com loveandmurder you can join the free tier so you never miss an episode and you still get a few extra benefits. But I recommend one of our bonus tiers. That’s where you’ll unlock bonus cases, add free episodes, case extras, and so much more. Head over to patreon.com loveandmurder and become part of the Lambda Fam today. And now, as I remind you, each Monday, grab your butts, grab your glass of apple juice and let’s get back into this case of love and murder. After Stephanie’s death, David’s story changed. To some, he said she passed out on the floor. To others, he claimed she collapsed on the bed. So they were like, well, which one is it? Stephanie’s body was sent for autopsy and instead of saying that her death was natural, the coroner said that she had been strangled to death during her routine family visit. Stephanie was a hairdresser from Englewood who lived with her son, daughter in law and young grandson. Her family describes her as caring and devoted, someone who believed her husband could still turn his life around. Her daughter in law, Natalie Jimenez, said Stephanie and David would read together during visits and she encouraged his studies while in prison. But David Brinson’s past was anything but. Hopefully. Uh, at 54 years old, he was already serving four consecutive life sentences. For murdering four men during a robbery in the 90s. He’d been incarcerated at Mule Creek since 1994. Stephanie was at the prison through California’s Family Visit program, an initiative that allows inmates to spend up to 40 hours with family members in private apartment style units. The program is meant to strengthen family ties and encourage rehabilitation, but it also relies heavily on privacy, with only occasional unscheduled checks. This is a prison. He’s serving four life sentences. Where did you think. How did you think this was a good. I. Is it just me? Please stop right now and go to the comments and tell me if it’s just me. For months after her death, no charges were filed as investigators continued to build their case. Then, on August 13, 2025, David was officially charged with murder. Amador County District Attorney Todd Reby said the evidence came from both prison records and the autopsy. David has not yet entered a plea deal, and his arraignment is set for September 19, 2025. I mean, what difference does it make? He’s already serving four life sentences. What difference is it going to make? I. I honestly don’t even understand why you’re wasting taxpayers money to bring another charge against him and go to trial and all this stuff. What difference? I. I don’t. I don’t get it. And I’m not saying she doesn’t need justice. Don’t get me wrong. What I’m saying is, why are you wasting money to bring this to trial when what else could have happened in that room? He was literally the only one there. It literally showed that she was strangled. Do you think she strangled herself? And he’s already serving four life sentences? Like, that’s what I’m saying. I’m totally not saying she doesn’t deserve justice. I’m just saying this is crazy. Stephanie’s family is devastated. Her son Armand, uh, Torres told reporters, quote, how could they just let this happen? I just don’t get it. Given the history that this guy has, we kind of wanted to know, how is it even possible for them to be unsupervised? My mom just left alone and she called for help, I’m sure, and there’s nothing she could do. Armand, I completely agree. This is what I was saying. How are you just getting a guy who’s on 4 Life sentencing so in his head he has nothing to lose? How are you letting him sit in a room unsupervised with somebody? I. I don’t get it. And then you’re about to run him through a trial like we’ll Give him a fair trial. Who else could have done it? You’re, you’re, you’re like giving him a setup for him to plead guilty or not guilty. And if he pleads what, not guilty? What, are you going to put forth a whole trial to find out the proof? Like, I don’t, I don’t understand this. The family’s attorney, Michael Oppenheimer, released a statement saying, quote, while nothing can bring Stephanie back to her family, this is the first step towards getting justice for her brutal murder. This and other murders should have never happened and could have been prevented by the state of California. I mean, I guess if this is in order to sue the state of California and this prison system so that this doesn’t happen to another family member, I guess I can see why it’s going to trial. But other than that, like I said, he’s already serving four life sentences. I mean, would it be crass of me to say just tack on something else because, I mean, he’s not getting out anyway. Is that wrong of me to say? All the signs point to he did it. That’s the only reason I would say something like that. Is, uh, that wrong of me to say that? I could be wrong? Let me know in the comments below. The Dowels family, along with the family of another victim, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. They argue that the prison failed to protect visitors and ignore critical safety protocols. You heard me correctly, though. I said the Dowels family, along with the family of another victim. This is not the first time this has happened. Just four months ago, four months earlier, on July 1, 2024, 47 year old Tawnya Thomas was found unconscious inside a family visiting unit at Mule Creek State Prison. Staff discovered her unconscious and tried to save her. Sound familiar? But she didn’t survive. In December 2024, the Amador County Coroner’s office ruled her death a homicide. Tonya Thomas was described as someone who, quote, lived her life to the fullest, even when battling lupus. Since her teenage years, the autoimmune disease required daily medication and regular dialysis, but she refused to let it define her. She raised a son who is now 25 and serving in the Air Force and spent years working for the San Francisco UN School District. @ the time of her death, she was serving as a mentor for developmentally delayed adults. Her cousin Janine Rojo spoke of their bond, saying, quote, we literally have been together since birth. We were like sisters. Tanya’s husband, 48 year old Anthony Curry, was serving a life sentence for attempted second degree murder. Convicted for shooting his then girlfriend, 19 year old Sinata Browning, in the head back in 1999. And this is the person you said should have family visits? Um, unsupervised family visits. This is that person. Tawnya survived, but was left permanently blind, partially paralyzed and without memory of the attack. Anthony was also serving a 13 year sentence for carjacking. This is the person that you were like, you know, he deserves a unsupervised visitation. Despite his violent past, Tonya had reconnected with Anthony. They secretly married in 2023, a decision her family never knew about and probably wouldn’t have supported. The two also shared the 25 year old son just months before her death In January 2024, Anthony was denied parole, but told Tonya to, quote, wait for him by March 2025. After reviewing autopsy details of the prison’s investigation, Amador County District Todd Reby formally charged Anthony with murder in connection to Tanya’s death. On April 4, 2025, Anthony appeared by video from Pelican Bay State Prison, where he’d been transferred after the murder. In court, he pled not guilty and demanded a, quote, speedy trial. Do you see what I’m saying? That’s the same thing that Dave is going to do. He’s going to say not guilty and then what are you going to do? Like, I don’t, uh, it’s frustrating to me. Attorney Ribe said that this was unusual. Most defendants in a murder case waive that right because of the gravity of the charge. So what he’s saying is most people, most defendants do not request a speedy trial because of the gravity of the charge. And they want to make sure that they get a fair trial, not just a fast trial to get this over with. Uh, a preliminary hearing was scheduled for April 18, 2025, where prosecutors would lay out the evidence and witness testimony before a judge to decide if the case should move forward to trial. Anthony’s defense attorney offered no public comments because, I mean, literally, what could you say again, he’s the only one in the room with her. Just another case of who else could have done it. The defense attorney said that he still needed to meet with his client and, and review discovery from the prosecution again. Discovery of what? Attorney Rebe said, quote, it’s very concerning. It’s unprecedented in my experience, it’s unprecedented in the facility. I’ve never seen anything like this. So this is uncharted territory, at least for me, in more than 25 years as a DA these are the first violent incidents during Family visits he has ever seen at Mule Creek. I mean, if it happened one time, I’m shutting it down. Like I’m not waiting for, maybe it was just a fluke, let’s do it a second time, let’s do it a third time. The first time that was the fluke and the story not happening again. That’s just my opinion. As of now, going back to David, he still waited an arraignment and the legal process is still in its early stages. And although Anthony was supposed to be in court, I’ve seen no updates on his case either. But Stephanie’s family and Tanya’s are demanding justice and change. Both are calling for the state to reevaluate its visitation policies, warning that without reform, more tragedies could follow. I mean, I don’t understand how you still have this open or you haven’t reformed it immediately. I would be like anybody with like violent charges, like shooting their ex girlfriend in their head, murdering four people, stuff like that, you wouldn’t get visitation. That’s just that. I’m not saying shut it down completely, but it’s just like, it’s just crazy. Like maybe it’s me, maybe I’m just being way too harsh. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below because if I’m wrong, if I’m being too harsh, literally, for real, like, bring me down. These incidents, just four months apart, has actually thrown a light on California’s family visit program. Like I told you before, these visits take place in private apartments, department style units that are on the prison grounds. And they can last up to 40 hours. You have them alone up to 40 hours. According to the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, they’re considered a, uh, privilege meant to support family connections and encourage rehabilitation. To qualify, inmates have to show good behavior and meet certain requirements. Death row inmates, sex offenders, and those under disciplinary restraint restrictions are banned. But there’s no rule that bans people convicted of violent crimes, which is what I’m saying. This dude murdered four people. The other one shot his ex girlfriend in the back of the head. Are, uh, these examples of people who should be in this program unsupervised? I mean, you can see your family if you want, but it’s not going to be unsupervised in an apartment alone for up to 40 hours. You know what I’m saying? That’s, that’s insane that you are doing this. Security for these visits is minimal. Inmates have to show up for count four times within a 24 hour period. And watch commanders can order surprise Inspections can not that it’s definite that this is going to happen. It might happen. But the manual also makes it clear that privacy should be protected as much. Uh. Oh, my God. Are you serious? The manual makes it clear that privacy should be protected as m much as possible for both the inmate and their visitors. And that’s exactly what the families of both victims are furious about. Janine said, quote, something needs to be done. And it should have been done two homicides ago. I’m sick to my stomach that this happened to Tawnya. But then it happened again just months after her, to Stephanie. It should have been prevented. Both families believe neither Anthony nor David should have been granted unsupervised visits given their violent pasts. They want the eligibility rules rewritten and more safety checks during visits to prevent another tragedy. My case is, how are we still asking for this? Like the evidence is clear that we need this rewritten? How is it not like that should have been overnighted? And Janine raised another point. One thing I do want to know is how many other times has this happened in Mule Creek and it’s gone undetected? If Stephanie’s family and Tonya’s family didn’t come forward, the public would not have known. That is an excellent point. How many times for them to continue acting so cavalier about this? How many times has this happened before? That’s an interesting point, Janine. The two murders exposed a, ah, dangerous flaw in the system. A program meant to promote rehabilitation instead ended with two women dead. So what’s the balance between rehabilitation and safety? Should violent offenders with a, uh, history like David’s or Anthony’s ever be left alone with family members? Or is the system overlooking serious risks in the name of privacy? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. I definitely want to hear from you. I want to know if I was going off the deep end. Maybe I’m being too harsh. Tell me what you think in the comments below. And before I end this episode for today, first of all, I want to thank you for bearing with me with this mini episode. Just trying to get the school year started off right and without stress. So this is why it’s just mini episodes for the next two weeks. And then after that, I’ll be back with your full episodes. But I also want to have a short heart to heart with you before I end this episode. Love and murder exists because of listeners like you, my lams. But every case you hear on LAM takes hours, sometimes days, to research, write and record, not to mention edit and post. And I do it all alone, six days a week, 10 hours a day, sometimes more. Because I care about telling these stories right, making sure every detail is accurate, despite some of the comments that I get where they tell me like, this isn’t right, or I make up the story, or I don’t even know why I would make up a story. All you have to do is look on the Internet. You’ll find everything I found. But I always want to make sure that every detail is accurate and that the voices victims come through clearly. That is one of my main focuses. That’s why I don’t take sponsors who do try and control how I talk about these cases. You’ve heard in the past, I do have some commercials and you’ve heard in the present that you don’t hear commercials coming from me. They’ll try and tell me to stop ranting or stop calling people out. And we all know that I’m not going to do that. But that also means the show only survives with your help. I’m not asking for free money. Like, I’m totally not. I would never do that. That’s why I built the Patreon. So you get more, more episodes, bonus episodes, behind the scenes clips you get from the cases that I put out for the public. You do get case extras. You get videos of the trials. I compiled the entire trial so you could see the trial if you wanted to from beginning. Um, you get, if they don’t have that, there might be clips of the sentencing. You might get pictures of, uh, the evidence. In most episodes, you’ll get pictures of the victims and the, and the perpetrators and where it happened and stuff like this. So you get case extras, you get behind the scenes, you get kyrents, like this one, for instance. And you even get bloopers when I am able to compile them. But you do get a lot of stuff in the Patreon. And, uh, you can only join for just $3 a month. Now, I do have a lot of different tiers, but the $3 a month is the beginning tier. And that’s where you get intro free and commercial free episodes plus the case extras. But if you want bonus episodes, then you choose $5 a month and above. And if you don’t love it, you can cancel anytime. It’s not like you’re stuck in a contract. But if you do love, love and murder. If you do want to support what I do, if you do want to help, be a voice of the victim and keep this podcast alive and help me eventually hire people who’s lost their work in this economy because I do want to give back to the community as well. I just see how many people are losing their jobs and if I’m able to, I want to give back to my community, bring back jobs to some people as much as I can. Then go ahead and Join the Patreon patreon.com loveandmurder thank you for your support. Thank you for being here. Thank you for listening all the way to the end and also thank you for dealing with me throughout this break that on while I get my kids situated in school and before we end this episode, I want to remind you, like I end every Monday episode, that it’s say it with me now. All, uh, love and no murder. Y’ all stay ah, tuned for my commercial guest. Bye.

There are over 200,000 unsolved homicides in United States justice system right now. And many of those cases haven’t seen the light of day in years. Decades in some instances. The case files and evidence are sitting in a box on a dusty shelf in a basement, forgotten by law enforcement and the media, while the families and friends left behind wait for answers and fight for justice. Sometimes there is nobody left to remember or to speak up on behalf of the victim. I’m Arlene.

And I’m, um, Leah. And that is exactly what Box in the Basement sets out to do to shine a light on those forgotten victims and to bring attention to unsolved murders and disappearances. We want to help families tell their stories and we want to assist the families and friends of victims find the resources and support they need to continue their fight for justice. Join us every Thursday for new episodes of Box in the Basement. Wherever you find your podcasts.