A San Jose woman has been convicted of murdering a family in Oakland in 2016. According to a press release from the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, the cause of the incident was a disagreement within her motor club.
On November 15, 2022, Dana Rivers, 67, was found guilty of three counts of first-degree murder. Rivers was convicted of murdering a family of three in 2016, including Charlotte Reed, Patricia Wright, and their 19-year-old son Benny Toto Diambu-Wright.
Rivers was also found guilty of arson of an inhabited dwelling.
Rivers was determined to be legally sane when she committed the murders, meaning she’ll serve time in prison rather than a mental health institution.
The DA’s Office believes Rivers was motivated by her allegiance to an all-woman motor club known as the Deviants.
According to the DA’s Office, Reed joined the Deviants in 2016 but left shortly after. She ended up 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.
On November 11, 2016, the Oakland Police Department was called to Dunbar Drive on a report of gunshots. Officers found a man with gunshot wounds lying in front of the home.
The police searched the area for suspects and heard a sound from the garage. After, Rivers walked out of the house, smelling gasoline and covered in blood.
When Rivers was searched, they found knives and ammunition in her pockets. According to prosecutors, police believed Rivers had set fire to the garage to “cover up the crimes inside.”
Inside the residence, police found two women who had been stabbed and shot inside their bedroom. Both victims had two gunshot wounds, but Reed has over 40 stab wounds on her body. Wright had two.
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.
