In a case that has gripped Alameda County and beyond, triple murderer Dana Rivers, previously known as David Chester Warfield, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Wednesday. Judge Scott Patton, who presided over the trial, described the crimes as “the most depraved” he had encountered in his 33 years in the criminal justice field.

Rivers, formerly a teacher and transgender advocate, was convicted last year of the 2016 murders of Charlotte Reed and Patricia Wright, a lesbian couple, and their son Benny Wright. Patricia Wright was a long-time employee of the Berkeley Unified School District, and Benny had graduated from Berkeley High School in the same year he was killed. Rivers initially pleaded not guilty but later changed the plea to not guilty by reason of insanity. Judge Patton ruled Rivers was sane at the time of the murders. …

Rivers will now serve his life sentence at the Central California Women’s Facility. This controversial decision to place Rivers in a women’s prison is due to California’s Transgender Respect, Agency, and Dignity Act (SB 132), which took effect on January 1, 2021. This law, signed by Governor Gavin Newsom, allows prisoners to be housed based on their self-declared gender identity rather than their biological sex. However, it has sparked significant debate, as Keep Prisons Single Sex USA (KPSS) reports that a third of male inmates requesting transfers under this new law were registered sex offenders.

[California is now in the business of handing over victims to predators. This is absolute nonsense, and it’s dangerous to the women who are inmates at the facility — especially in relation to a murderer who targeted lesbians. — Ed]