Notorious LA Murderer Kills Wife During Conjugal Visit: Police

LOS ANGELES, CA — A prisoner serving a life sentence for a notorious quadruple killing in Los Angeles killed his wife during a prison conjugal visit, the Amador County Sheriff’s Office said this week.

Stephanie Brinson, 62, died in the early morning hours of Nov. 13 while visiting her husband David Brinson, 54, at Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation confirmed to Patch.

"David Brinson, used the family visit unit phone to notify CDCR officers that his wife had passed out during her visitation," department spokesman Todd Javernick said in an email. "Officers immediately initiated life-saving measures and activated 911. Mule Creek State Prison fire department responded and took over the life saving measures. Paramedics arrived on scene and took control of the life saving measures. The visitor was pronounced deceased at 2:51 a.m."

The incident remains under investigation by Mule Creek State Prison investigators and the Amador County District Attorney’s Office.

Amador County Dist. Atty. Todd Riebe has not yet announced a charging decision in the case. Amador County Sheriff Gary Redman told The Sacramento Bee Stephanie Brinson was strangled to death.

Brinson is now being held at the California Health Care Facility in Stockton.

In 1993, a jury convicted Brinson of four counts of special-circumstance murder, two counts of robbery, and two counts of attempted robbery. He was sentenced to four consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole plus an additional 20-year term.

Last year, an appeals court denied his bid for early release on the grounds that he was a youthful offender. Brinson was 18 when he murdered four people.

In 1990, Brinson shot and killed Robert Marks, 59, and three friends during a robbery at Marks' mid-Wilshire apartment.

According to Javernick, conjugal visits are a privilege reserved for inmates who meet eligibility criteria such as good behavior.

"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," said Javernick. "These visits are designed to support positive family connections and successful rehabilitation."