Trans Activist, Triple Murderer Controversially Housed in Woman's Prison is 'Preying On' Inmates: Report
A former trans activist turned convicted murderer is reportedly terrorizing inmates at California’s largest women’s prison, according to fellow inmates incarcerated at the facility.
Washington Free Beacon detailed how Dana Rivers, who was convicted of murdering a lesbian couple and their son, is currently sharing a cell with several other women at Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla. Women within the facility claim he “ogles them, speaks demeaningly to them, and demands they push him around in his wheelchair.”
“Rivers has been a problem since he rolled in the door,” one message reviewed by the outlet stated. “He is trying to control the women saying he gets to bypass everything—special treatment.”
In a phone interview, another inmate named Tomiekia Johnson said she recently noticed Rivers leering at her.
“She felt him looking at her, she said, ‘I felt someone watching me, and there he was, staring at my butt,’” said Johnson, who previously lost her prison job after complaining about being housed with biological men.
“I think it’s a slap in the face, because as much as they know I’ve been vocal about being housed with predators, and how much they target me, and how much it’s a known fact that they harass me and provoke me, for them to put him in the building with me is beyond negligent,” she continued. “I feel betrayed by the prison for doing this.”
The organization Women II Women, which monitors the rise of transgender inmates at female prisons, provided the Free Beacon with complaints from other women about Rivers’ conduct.
“Overall, the whole vibe is, how are we supposed to rehabilitate and recover from these traumas when we’re housed with the same kind of people we were trying to get away from?” said the group’s founder Amie Ichikawa. The group’s founder was formerly incarcerated at the same facility.
“You thought prison would at least allow you to leave that behind while you work on yourself—meaning [leave behind] domestic abusers and woman beaters,” she continued.
Rivers, previously known as David Warfield, gained prominence as a transgender activist in 1999 when he was dismissed from his high school teaching position for openly discussing his intentions to undergo a sex change with students.
He responded by taking legal action against the school and was eventually awarded a $150,000 settlement, which he used to finance his sex-change operation.
After his operation was complete, he became an active member of an all-female biker gang known as the Deviants MC. After becoming obsessed with fellow biker Charlotte Reed, a lesbian, who had left the gang, Rivers went on to murder Reed, her lesbian partner, and their 19-year-old son.
According to the New York Post, Rivers’ brutal murder involved the following:
- Rivers shot Reed twice and stabbed her 40 times
- Rivers shot and stabbed Reed’s partner, Patricia Wright.
- Rivers also fatally shot the 19-year-old son.
Judge Scott Patton, who sentenced Rivers, described the killings as the “most depraved crime I ever handled.”
“This is the most depraved crime I ever handled in the criminal justice system in 33 years. Frankly, you deserve to spend the rest of your life in prison,” Judge Patton said in a June court hearing.
Given the shocking brutality of the crimes, Rivers’ transfer to a women’s prison has quickly captured all sorts of attention.
Dana Rivers, Mass Murderer
Rivers brutally killed two women and their son in their own home, Benny, Pat & Charlotte. The women were both stabbed and “riddled with bullets” in their bed. Charlotte was stabbed over 40 times, to the point of being unrecognizable. Rivers is awaiting… pic.twitter.com/knftfWB8V5
— WomenAreReal (@WomenAreReals) April 23, 2023
The U.K.’s Daily Mail reported on the controversy, alleging that Rivers was “preying on” his fellow inmates.
This has all been allowable because California is among several U.S. states to enact laws allowing the incarceration of biological men in female prisons. So far, a total of 52 male inmates have been moved to women’s prisons in California alone.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) claimed it could not comment on any of the presented allegations as it would amount to a violation of privacy law.
“CDCR is committed to providing a safe, humane, respectful, and rehabilitative environment for all incarcerated people, including the transgender, non-binary, and intersex community, and is working to implement the law,” a CDCR spokeswoman said in a statement.
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