OAKLAND, Calif. (KRON) — A San Jose woman has been convicted of murdering a family in Oakland in 2016, after a disagreement took place with her motor club, according to a press release from the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office.
On Nov. 15, 2022, Dana Rivers, 67, was found guilty by a jury of three counts of first-degree murder. Rivers was convicted of the triple-murder that left a family dead in 2016, including Charlotte Reed, Patricia Wright and their 19-year-old son Benny Toto Diambu-Wright. The jury also found Rivers guilty of arson of an inhabited dwelling.
Earlier this month, a judge determined that Rivers was legally sane when she committed the murders, which means she will serve time in prison for her crimes rather than a mental health institution. The DA’s Office believes that Rivers was motivated by her allegiance to an all-woman motor club known as the Deviants. The Deviants motor club was once associated with the Hells Angels motorcycle club, according to the DA’s Office.
The DA says Reed joined the Deviants for a time in 2016, but left shortly after, and she ended on “bad terms” with the club president. Rivers was reportedly the club’s “enforcer,” and after the murders, she was promoted to Sergeant of Arms.
KRON ON is streaming now
On Nov. 11, 2016, officers with the Oakland Police Department were called to Dunbar Drive on report of gunshots. Officers found a man with gunshot wounds lying in front of a home.
As officers searched the area for suspects, they heard a sound coming from the garage. Shortly after, Rivers walked out of the house, smelling of gasoline and covered in blood. Police searched her and found both knives and ammunition in her pockets. Police determined that Rivers had set fire to the garage to “cover up the crimes inside,” prosecutors wrote.
Once inside the residence, police found two women who had been stabbed and shot inside of their bedroom. Both women had two gunshot wounds, but Reed had over 40 stab wounds on her body, while Wright had two.
Rivers had previously gained notoriety after her public suit of a Sacramento school district after she transitioned from male to female more than 20 years ago. The school district ultimately settled, and Rivers shared her journey with the news show 20/20 in 2004.
Rivers is due back in court on Jan. 31. She is currently being held at the Santa Rita Jail and could face life without the possibility of parole for her crimes.
