What Led a 14-year-old Girl to Murder | Forensic Files

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At around 2:00 a.m. on Tuesday, March [music] 19, 1985, 32-year-old David Brown got out of bed, put on some
clothes, and then headed outside to his Honda Prelude, which was [music] parked in the driveway.
David got into the car and backed out into Ocean Breeze Drive, the wide residential street in Garden Grove,
Southern California, where he lived with his family. The mood at the Brown residence had been
somewhat tense that evening. David's parents had come over to have dinner with David and his 23-year-old wife,
Linda. David and Linda had argued about how best to parent their 8-month-old daughter, Ashley, not her real name, as
she had been crying a lot lately. David didn't think this was normal and he wanted Linda to rock Ashley to sleep
to prevent her crying at bedtime. Linda wanted Ashley to learn how to self soothe and said it would be fine to let
her cry herself to sleep. This had resulted in a quarrel between the couple. When David asked his parents whether
Ashley's crying was normal, they reassured him that it was, and he subsequently apologized to Linda.
[music] That hadn't been the only unpleasant aspect of [music] the evening. David had a 14-year-old daughter named
Cinnamon from a previous relationship who lived with him and Linda. Lately, Cinnamon had been butting heads with her
stepmother, and she'd been in a particularly bad mood that night, squabbbling with Linda and being
disobedient. [music] Cinnamon was off school that week for spring break and spending more time at
home, which only heightened the tense atmosphere. To make matters even more difficult,
Linda's 17-year-old sister, Patty Bailey, had also [music] moved in with the young family.
Their three-bedroom ranchstyle house didn't feel big enough to accommodate all the issues related to having a small
infant and two teenagers living in the same space. David, a successful man with his own
computer [music] business, was having trouble sleeping and decided to go for a late night drive.
First, he headed to a convenience store for a snack. He bought a single serve apple pie and a Dr. Pepper soft drink as
well as four comic books. David then headed back to the highway and drove aimlessly for a while.
The roads were pleasantly quiet due to the lateness of the hour. Eventually, he turned onto Newport
Boulevard and made his way to a Denny's Chain restaurant to use the bathroom there.
When he was done, David made his way back home. He parked his car in the driveway, then quietly went inside.
As he walked into the living room, [music] he was met by an alarming sight. His sister-in-law, Patty, stood there
holding 8-month-old Ashley, trembling violently and sobbing loudly. While David had been out, something
[music] terrible had happened. At 3:25 a.m., a call came through to a 911 dispatcher at the Garden Grove
Police Department. A caller identifying himself as David Brown blurted out, "Either my daughter
or my wife, or both, I don't know, are dead." [music] He explained that he'd just
returned home to find his wife's sister in a state of distress. David said that Patty had been sleeping
when all of a sudden, she was startled awake by the sound of a firearm going off.
14-year-old Cinnamon had been standing at the foot of Patty's bed holding a handgun.
She'd fired a single shot into the wall behind Patty's bed. Cinnamon then left [music] and Patty
heard two more shots fired from the direction of the main bedroom. Baby Ashley cried out from her nursery,
which sat between Patty's room and the main bedroom. Terrified, [music] Patty said she raced
into the nursery and scooped Ashley up before barricading the two of them in her room until she heard David return
home. She and David then briefly tried looking for Cinnamon, but there was no sign of
her. David told the 911 dispatcher he was worried she might have harmed her stepmother and herself. [music]
He'd glanced into his bedroom and noticed his wife lying in bed in an unnatural position.
He couldn't bring himself to go in and take a closer look, too scared of the grizzly sight that might be waiting.
Within minutes, a patrol officer arrived at the Brown residence. Ocean Breeze Drive was a pleasant,
well-kept street in a nice part of town. [music] Home to professionals, middle-aged couples, and young families.
It was the last place anyone would expect a murder. "The officer was met at the front door
by David, who was visibly distraught. "I'm afraid to go in there and look, officer," he said [music] in a shaky
voice. The officer headed through the living room and [music] den towards the main
bedroom. Its door was closed, so the officer pushed it open, shining his torch into
the dark space ahead. Its beam landed on the bed, casting light across Linda Brown, who was lying
on her back. Her lower half was covered by a blue blanket, but her torso was visible.
Both her t-shirt and the sheets beneath her were soaked with blood. Her right arm was extended while her
left hand was holding her left ear. Lying on the gold shag carpet next to the [music] bed was a Smith and Wesson
38 caliber snub-nosed revolver. From the doorway, the police officer could hear Linda gurgling.
She was still alive. Paramedics were urgently summoned. They found that Linda still had a pulse,
though it was weak. She also drew a short, shallow breath. Linda was transferred to the dan where paramedics
administered CPR, then rushed her to the Fountain Valley Community Hospital. Meanwhile, more police officers arrived
at the property. Some began to secure the crime scene while others inspected the house.
Overall, the place was a mess. Clothes and other objects were strewn throughout the residence. All of the rooms were
cluttered, and waste paper baskets were overflowing. A dresser had three of its drawers open,
revealing various women's clothes, prescription pill bottles, and an empty gun holster. [music]
Beneath Linda and David Brown's bed was a box of 12- gauge shotgun shells. There was a bathroom adjacent to the
main bedroom. Police checked to see if Cinnamon was in there, possibly injured as well, but
there was no sign of her. Other officers began to search the property's exterior in case Cinnamon was
out there. The front yard was entirely empty. In the backyard was a garage, a trailer,
and a secured kennel with two dogouses inside, home to the family's three dogs. But there was no sign of Cinnamon.
An officer radio dispatch with the description of the missing girl. Brown hair, brown eyes, short at a little over
5 ft tall, and weighing about 120 lb. A police helicopter was sent to Ocean Breeze Drive to see if Cinnamon could be
spotted from above. It hovered low over the houses, shining a spotlight into their yards.
Police trolled the street on foot, using their flashlights to look for Cinnamon [music] and door-nocking neighbors to
find out if they'd heard anything. One man who lived directly across the street said he'd been woken by a loud
thud at around 3:30 a.m. but heard nothing further. No one else reported hearing or seeing
anything. Meanwhile, Linda Brown's sister, Patty Bailey, began filling in the gaps via a
police interview carried out at the house. Patty had moved in with Linder and David
6 years earlier when she was 11. She'd been having some issues at home, and the newlyweds had welcomed her in.
David's daughter, Cinnamon, had only just moved in with them 6 months earlier in September 1984.
Cinnamon hadn't been getting along with her mother, so moved in with her dad. At first, everything seemed great.
Cinnamon adored her father, was content to share a bedroom with Patty, and appeared excited to be a big sister to
baby Ashley. She even helped Linda out with the baby where she could. But Patty said that within a few months,
cracks began to show. Around Christmas, Cinnamon had become very moody and withdrawn.
She started arguing with her father and stepmother about household rules and the
chores she was expected to perform. Cinnamon seemed resentful of how much attention her infant sister received in
comparison to her and became increasingly rebellious and sarcastic. Patty recalled that a few weeks earlier,
Linda had finally lost her patience. She requested that Cinnamon move out of the house and into a trailer they kept
in the backyard. Even though the trailer was properly furnished and had its own stereo and TV,
this banishment only increased tensions. Cinnamon started dividing her time between the Brown residence and her
mother's place again, and she blamed Linda for her increasingly unsettled situation.
When the officers asked Patty for an account of that evening's events, she explained that David's parents had come
over for dinner and to play cards, leaving at around 9:30 p.m. [music] After that, Linda had a shower and went
to bed while David, Patty, and Cinnamon had watched television in the living room.
At one point, Linda got up for a drink and saw Cinnamon still up and sitting on the couch.
She reminded the 14-year-old to go to bed, but Cinnamon ignored her. At about 11 p.m., David went to bed, and
Patty and Cinnamon went to Patty's room, where there was a trundle bed that Cinnamon often slept on.
As Patty got ready to go to sleep, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong with Cinnamon.
Patty didn't know what it was, but she could sense that Cinnamon wanted to tell her something.
Patty offered to stay up a bit longer and watch MTV and offer Cinnamon accepted.
As they sat together in front of the television, Patty said she tried to encourage Cinnamon to open up [music] to
no avail. Eventually, Patty decided to go to bed. A few minutes after she went to her
room, Cinnamon followed. She asked Patty to explain something to her before going to sleep.
Cinnamon then revealed she was carrying a small handgun and [music] asked, "How do you work this?"
Patty asked why. Just in case, Cinnamon replied. When Patty asked, "In [music] case of
what," Cinnamon stated, "In case someone breaks in." [music] Patty tried to reassure the girl
that their home's alarm system would prevent intruders, but Cinnamon was adamant that she wanted to know what to
do in case of an emergency. Patty eventually told her, "I'm not positive. I've just seen this on TV. You
just [ __ ] it back and pull the trigger. Cinnamon thanked Patty and left. Then Patty went to sleep.
The next thing she knew, she was being woken up by Cinnamon firing a single shot into the wall of her bedroom.
David Brown gave a similar account of the evening's events, though he explained that he hadn't been home when
the shooting unfolded. After going to bed beside his already sleeping wife, he'd read a few comic books but
struggled to doze off. His mind troubled and racing due to the recent discord in
his home, he decided to go for a drive to clear his head. He described how when he returned home
more than an hour later, he'd found a distraught Patty holding his baby. Patty told him what had happened before
going out to the backyard to look for Cinnamon, checking in the trailer where she usually slept, but Cinnamon had
vanished. While Patty looked for Cinnamon, David called his parents in a state of shock.
They told him to call the police, and that's when he phoned 911. David told officers that the family
owned eight rifles as well as two handguns that were always loaded. While some of the firearms were kept in
a safe, he kept his blue steel revolver wrapped in a Kmart shopping bag in the bottom drawer of his nightstand.
The other handgun belonged to Linda, and David said he didn't know where she kept
it. Gunshot residue tests were carried out on Patty and David to see if either of
them could have fired the weapon. Both tests [music] came back negative. David was visibly distraught, shaking
and chain smoking as he spoke with the police. His parents soon arrived at the residence and took baby Ashley into
their care. At 4:26 a.m., almost exactly an hour after David first called 911, a call
came through from the hospital. Linda Brown had died. The case was now a murder investigation,
and the suspect [music] was still missing. By 6:00 a.m., daylight was beginning to
break. During a search of Cinnamon's trailer, [music] police officers had found a
small Daxund puppy which belonged to the 14-year-old. They decided to place it in the kennel
in the backyard where the family's other dogs, two cockaspananiels and a Pomeranian, were kept.
Detective Fred Mlan and two other officers entered the kennel and set the puppy down.
As they did so, Detective Mlan noticed something poking out of one of the two doghouses that sat at the back of the
pen. It was a white tennis shoe. Detective Mlan walked towards the doghouse and bent down.
Peering inside, he saw a small figure curled up in the fetal position. It was a young girl whose long brown
hair had fallen across her face. Cinnamon, [music] Detective Mlan called. The girl muttered unintelligably in
response. The detective reached inside the doghouse and took Cinnamon's hand in his, pulling her up and out of the small
space. She wore a sweatshirt and pants which were covered with what looked to be
bright red vomit. Vomit also coated the floor of the doghouse Cinnamon had been lying on,
dotted with what looked to be pill capsules. The smell of [music] urine permeated the
air. Cinnamon's hair was disheveled. She was shaking and appeared [music] barely
conscious. Clutched in one of her hands was a piece [music] of pink cardboard paper wrapped
with a red ribbon. Detective Mlan took [music] the paper from Cinnamon. Written on it in messy childlike
handwriting were the words, "Dear God, please [music] forgive me. I didn't mean to hurt her."
Detective Mlan guided Cinnamon into a waiting police car to be driven to the station.
On the way, Cinnamon asked the two officers accompanying her if her father was all right. They told her he was. "Is
Patty [music] all right?" Cinnamon asked. "Yes," they answered. "How about Linda?" Cinnamon said. "How's
Linda?" The two officers didn't reply. When they reached the police station, Cinnamon was photographed, underwent a
gunshot residue test, and was checked by paramedics. Still as groggy as she'd appeared at
home, [clears throat] Cinnamon drifted between lucidity and unconsciousness. It appeared that she was either
intoxicated or under the influence of a drug. Her blood pressure was low, but she
wasn't in any danger and could still answer questions. At 8:00 a.m., Cinnamon Brown was
interviewed by Detective Mlan. "Do you know why you're here?" Detective Mlan asked.
"Because I hurt Linda," Cinnamon replied. "How did you hurt Linda?" he asked. "I
shot her," came the response. Detective Mlan informed the teenager that Linda was dead and then read
Cinnamon her rights. While Cinnamon said that she felt sick, she agreed that she understood her
rights and would proceed with questioning. She told Detective Mlan that she'd moved
out of her mother's home because her mother yelled too much and it made her nervous.
Cinnamon got along well with her father, so she'd thought living with him would be better, but she and Linda soon began
to clash. Cinnamon said she disapproved of Linda's parenting, especially her use of a self
soothing method for the baby, which Cinnamon saw as neglectful. [music] She also accused Linda of sometimes
hitting her baby, which angered Cinnamon. She said that Linda was tired of her and
didn't like her, adding that Linda had said she no longer wanted Cinnamon in the house, so she'd moved out to the
trailer in the backyard. But that hadn't resolved matters. Cinnamon said that the previous evening
she and Linda had had a big fight. She told me that she hated my guts, and I go, "I guess I hate you, too,"
Cinnamon recalled. Detective Mlan asked if Linda had said why she hated her. No, Cinnamon replied. She wouldn't tell
me. Cinnamon believed Linda was jealous of her close bond with David, adding, "I'm
my daddy's daughter." Though she struggled at points to answer the questions, Cinnamon managed to
continue. She said that the previous night's argument had culminated in Linda threatening to kill Cinnamon if she
hadn't left the house by the time Linda woke up the following morning. Detective Mlan asked Cinnamon [music]
whose gun she had used to shoot Linda. Cinnamon said it was her father's and that she'd found it in an office drawer,
explaining, "I shot three shots. One of them was in my room with Patty and the other two
were with Linda. Cinnamon hadn't planned to shoot Patty. That shot had only gone off due to
Cinnamon trying to figure out how to operate the weapon. She said that no one had shown her how
to use the revolver, but she'd had some experience firing little guns before. As the interview went on, Cinnamon
became increasingly drowsy and her speech slowed with each answer. At one point, she murmured under her
[music] breath, "Please don't let them get away with murder." When Detective Mlan reminded her that
she had to answer his questions to ensure she didn't get away with it, Cinnamon replied in a dazed divorce,
"I'm trying to, but I can't keep my eyes open." Realizing Cinnamon was on the verge of
passing out, Mlan ended the interview after just 30 minutes. By this stage, she could barely hold her
head up. Just as they were about to leave the interrogation room, Cinnamon explained
why she was so tired. Earlier that morning, she'd taken about 80 capsules of some kind of drug.
Testing revealed that she'd taken a massive overdose of Darviset, a prescription painkiller, and Diozide, a
diuretic used [music] to treat high blood pressure. Cinnamon was admitted to the Garden
Grove Medical Center for treatment. After arriving at the hospital, Cinnamon told another police officer there how
she'd shot Linda before falling asleep. She was subsequently transferred to the jail ward of another hospital where she
confessed twice more to a physician and a psychiatrist. Cinnamon was monitored carefully over
the following days. All up, she had consumed three bottles of prescription medication that had
belonged to her father, and it was a miracle she had survived. The dose she'd taken contained more than
six times the fatal amount of propoxifene, an opioid, and a key ingredient in Darviset.
During an interview with the police, Cinnamon's father, David Brown, said this was not the first time his daughter
had selfharmed. Just two weeks earlier, she had overdosed on aspirin. David said he blamed himself for Linda's
murder because he hadn't realized how deeply troubled Cinnamon was, and he therefore hadn't encouraged her to seek
therapy sooner. He said he'd forgotten to set the house alarm before his late night drive. Had
he done so, Cinnamon [music] might have triggered it and Linda might still be alive.
Regardless of Cinnamon's actions, David vowed to stand by his daughter, insisting she needed him now more than
ever. "I just love her to death," he said. An autopsy confirmed that Linda Brown
had died from two gunshots to the chest, one of which had pierced her superior venneava, the large vein that carries
blood from the upper body to the heart. One shot had been made from 12 to 18 in away, while the other had been closer at
a distance of 3 to 6 in. 3 days after the murder, a memorial service was held for Linda with a
viewing of her body, which was [music] dressed in a blue lace dress, her head resting on a burgundy colored pillow.
Mourers approached the casket in [music] turn, each placing a red rose inside as
they paid their respects. Linda was subsequently cremated and her ashes were interred in the base of a
fountain at Pacific View Memorial Park. A plaque was added that read, "Your love, kindness, [music]
caring, and beauty will shine forever. Love Ashley and David." Meanwhile, [music] Cinnamon Brown was
formally charged with firstdegree murder. She was booked into Orange County Juvenile Hall in Absentia [music]
while she remained hospitalized. Cinnamon Brown's trial began less than 6 months after Linda's death. Due to her
age, California law dictated that she could not be prosecuted as an adult and that she would be tried by a judge
alone. In a curious development, Cinnamon pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, claiming that she had no
memory of the shooting. A psychiatrist testifying on her behalf stated that she was suffering from
psychoggenic amnesia, disassociative disorder, and recurrent depression, which prevented her from recalling any
details of the crime. As each new witness took the stand, from police investigators to the medical
personnel who had treated her, Cinnamon insisted they were all strangers. The prosecution completely rejected the
insanity plea, arguing that Linda's death was a cold-blooded murder carried out by a quote, "Depressed and angry
girl who had carefully planned the crime." Their most damning evidence came from
the testimony of their first witness, Patty Bailey. Cinnamon appeared stunned, confused, and
somewhat betrayed as Patty took the stand. Patty detailed Cinnamon's behavior leading up to the murder, including her
moodiness, depression, and suicidal thoughts. She described how Cinnamon's misunderstandings with Linda escalated
into full-blown arguments so intense that Patty would have to leave the room. She also recounted her memories of the
night of the shooting, including how Cinnamon had shown her the revolver and asked her how to use it.
Yet Patty's testimony was not as critical of Cinnamon as many had anticipated. She stated that she had never heard
Cinnamon say she hated Linda and she had even seen the pair hug on occasion. Patty defended Cinnamon against claims
of drug use and refused to state definitively that she was the figure she'd seen standing over her bed after
the first gunshot or the one she later glimpsed slipping out the back door. Patty was accused of trying to protect
Cinnamon, which she denied. Cinnamon watched the trial in a bleak state, her expression perplexed as she
struggled to follow the police jargon, medical terms, forensic science, and expert analysis.
All the while, she kept scanning the room for familiar and supportive faces. Among them was her mother, Brenda. But
there was one very noticeable absence. David Brown didn't attend the trial as either a witness or supporter, citing
illness related to a liver disorder. His testimony was presented via stipulations, agreements between the
prosecution and the defense about certain facts or evidence, meaning neither side had to prove them with
additional testimony. Both sides stipulated that David Brown believed Cinnamon was guilty.
After hearing the closing arguments, [music] the judge declared a 15-minute recess.
Upon returning, he announced that he had reached a verdict. He concluded that Cinnamon Brown had
killed Linda Brown with premeditation and deliberation, finding her guilty of murder.
Cinnamon shook her head faintly, her face downcast. It was then up to the judge to determine
Cinnamon's state of mind at the time of the killing, a decision that would decide whether she ended up in a
hospital or a prison cell. Multiple witnesses were called to assess her mindset, specifically whether she
was able to distinguish right from wrong during the shooting. Psychiatrists found Cinnamon too
grounded to be psychotic and too sincere, remorseful, and upset to have an antisocial personality.
She showed no signs of psychosis or hallucinations and appeared to function intellectually in the average to above
average range. The only possible explanation they could find for her actions was intermittent
explosive disorder, [music] a condition characterized by impulsive aggression and regular verbal and
physical outbursts. However, this couldn't be definitively concluded as Cinnamon refused to fully
cooperate with the doctors. One psychiatrist who tried to examine Cinnamon said, [music]
"She wouldn't let me in. I had the feeling that there is a tremendous amount of chronic emotional turmoil in
this young woman and [music] with the assumption that she indeed did what she is accused of. In my opinion, this
represents severe interpersonal and emotional difficulties. [music] After reviewing reports from doctors,
investigators, and Cinnamon's friends and family, the judge concluded that she was sane at the time of Linda's murder.
Cinnamon was sentenced to [music] 27 years to life in a juvenile correctional facility where she would receive
psychiatric treatment. Given her age at the time of the offense, she could be eligible for early
release in as little as 6 years, provided [music] she remained a model inmate and made progress in her
treatment. Before being led away, Cinnamon burst into [music] tears. >> [music] >> Following her trial, Cinema Brown
settled into life at the California Youth Authority Prison [music] in Ventura, about 2 hours drive north of
where she'd lived with her family. After missing Cinnamon's trial entirely, her father visited her regularly,
telling her he was working hard to have her case reopened and secure her release. David's visits always lifted
Cinnamon's spirits. He funded her commissery account, allowing her to buy food and personal care items, and even
letting her charge his business accounts to order items by mail. Around his daughter, David remained his
characteristically fun and upbeat self. He was optimistic about Cinnamon's situation, reassuring her, "You'll be
out of here soon." David also updated Cinnamon on life outside. He spoke of major changes,
notably his purchase of a new home in Anaheim Hills. Though he admitted it wasn't ideal,
calling the neighborhood shoddy and a step down from Garden Grove, [music] he said he couldn't bring himself to stay
in the house where Linda had been killed. David's parents moved in to help [music]
raise baby Ashley, while Patty Bailey was remaining temporarily until she could arrange a more permanent living
situation. David told Cinnamon that she wasn't missing out on much as the family spent
most of their days at home. Over time, David's visits grew less frequent. He cited his declining health,
which [music] made the drive to the facility difficult. David had a liver disorder and sometimes
struggled with his breathing. On phone calls, Cinnamon [music] begged him to come up to visit, saying she
missed him and feared she might never see him again. It was difficult to get hold of David.
Most of the time when Cinnamon called the house, her grandparents answered and told her David wasn't around.
When he did visit, [music] their meetings were brief and often ended before Cinnamon could voice her worries
about her predicament. If she managed to open up, [music] David either ignored her concerns or offered
vague assurances, like saying he was contacting lawyers to have her case reopened and working on securing her
release. He always wanted to know exactly what she was telling those overseeing her
care, instructing her not to disclose anything and [music] to keep insisting that she didn't remember the night of
the shooting. Without David's visits, Cinnamon found other ways to pass the time. Her
behavior in detention was exemplary. Though she mostly kept to herself, she was cooperative and friendly, and she
adjusted well. She attended high school classes and earned good grades while also working a part-time job to save
money. She got along with the other incarcerated teens and even sang in the facility's church choir. She
participated in nearly every program offered except counseling, which she consistently refused.
Despite undergoing numerous psychological examinations in an attempt to understand what drove her to kill,
Cinnamon remained markedly guarded and unwilling to let anyone inside her mind. Then one day in December 1986,
14 months into Cinnamon's sentence, she made a peculiar remark to her examiners.
Four weeks earlier, Cinnamon had been visited by her paternal grandfather, Arthur Brown.
Arthur was a devoted family man who loved Cinnamon deeply and was profoundly distressed [music] to see her spending
her youth incarcerated. According to Cinnamon, Arthur had made a significant comment during his visit.
He'd claimed he knew who had really killed Linda and that when the time was right, he would reveal it.
Word of Arthur Brown's peculiar remark reached detectives Jay Newell and Fred Mlan, the investigators who had worked
Linda Brown's case. Although Linda's murder had technically been solved, Newell and Mlean had been
unable to shake the unsettling feeling that the story was incomplete. There were some curious aspects to the
crime that had left them scratching their heads despite its seemingly clear-cut nature.
For starters, David's actions in the wake of his wife's murder had been odd. After returning home to find Patty
Bailey distraught and talking about gunshots, David had refused to even enter the bedroom to check on Linda.
He'd called his father before calling 911 and told first responders he was too afraid to see Linda.
This behavior was at odds with the way family members of victims typically responded by rushing to check on their
loved one and administer first aid. When police had interviewed David in the aftermath of Linda's murder, he'd made
some emotional outbursts and seemed more concerned with complaining to detectives
about having a bad headache. [music] David had told detectives that earlier that night, after going to bed, he and
Linda had sex. Yet, her autopsy revealed no evidence that she'd recently had intercourse.
David had also mentioned how he'd asked Patty to go out in the backyard to look for Cinnamon when he first arrived home.
This struck detectives as bizarre. At the time, Cinnamon had been a potentially armed fugitive who'd just
[music] killed her stepmother and fired a shot into Patty's bedroom. Why would David ask a 17-year-old to
look for his [music] daughter outside in the middle of the night instead of looking for her himself?
Some strange [music] things had happened at Linda's funeral, too. During the service, the minister
presiding over the ceremony spoke about how David and Linda's marriage was sometimes rocky.
This prompted David to start hissing at the minister and [music] gesturing for him to stop speaking.
The minister paused the memorial and went to speak to [music] David before returning to the pulpit and telling the
audience that he'd been mistaken. David and Linda's marriage had been almost perfect.
Despite outwardly supporting Cinnamon, [music] David hadn't attended her trial except to hear the verdict.
At that time, he'd acted [music] oddly, flirting with his ex-wife and Cinnamon's
mother, Brenda, by playfully pulling her hair. He hadn't looked somber or concerned
about his daughter's fate at all. All of these strange things left Detective Jay Newell wondering if there
was more to the case than met the eye. In his experience, a murder of this kind within a family was usually the result
of a slow buildup of grievances over a long period of time. But according to Cinnamon and the other
family members, Cinnamon's decision to shoot her stepmother had been impulsive, springing up almost out of nowhere.
Detectives had recovered diaries and other documents that Cinnamon had kept. Nothing she had written expressed any
animosity or resentment toward her stepmother. They were breezy, light-hearted scribblings about pastimes and music she
liked and activities she was doing with friends. Arthur Brown's alleged comment to his
granddaughter, Cinnamon, only reinforced [music] the detective's belief that Linda Brown's murder was not the open
and shut case the courts had been led to believe. Detective Newell had spoken with Arthur
during the initial investigation and found him to be skittish and nervous. After reports surfaced that Arthur had
told Cinnamon he knew who had really killed Linda, Detective New decided it was time to pay him another visit.
Arthur had recently moved in with David in his new home in Anaheim Hills. While David had told Cinnamon their new
neighborhood was shoddy and a downgrade from their previous home, this couldn't be further from the truth.
The lavish blue green stucco and fieldstone manor sat on a quiet treelined street in the county's most
exclusive neighborhood. It featured a large manicured lawn, a triple garage, a balcony with
picturesque views, and a swimming pool with a hot tub. It was a massive upgrade from David's
modest bungalow in Garden Grove. Detective New discovered that the Anaheim Hills house had been paid for in
cash thanks to several life insurance payouts that David had received following Linda's murder.
He had also used the payout to purchase multiple high-end cars and fund a lavish
lifestyle that included gambling trips to Las Vegas. The discovery of these payouts was of
particular interest to Detective New. Early in the investigation, David had told the authorities that Linda only had
one small life insurance policy. It turned out that he'd actually taken out three policies with a fourth in
progress at the time that Linda was killed. In total, he'd collected more than $842,000
from his wife's death, [music] the equivalent of more than $2.5 million in today's money.
Detective Newell discreetly watched the property, scanning for any sign of Arthur, and more importantly for David.
[music] He suspected the only way he could get Arthur to open up was to speak to him
privately away from the prying ears of his son. When Nule spotted Arthur in the yard and saw that David's car wasn't in
the driveway, he seized the opportunity. Arthur was immediately wary of the detective's unexpected presence, though
agreed to speak briefly. >> [music] >> Newell explained that Cinnamon had been upset by something Arthur had recently
told her. Arthur immediately went on the defensive, insisting he didn't know what
he could have said to cause concern. Still, his affection for Cinnamon was evident as he referred to her as a
darling little girl. Arthur revealed that he had only ever visited Cinnamon when David was present,
[music] except for the one meeting 4 weeks earlier. He had gone alone after Cinnamon called him, saying she wanted
to talk. Arthur claimed that Cinnamon had simply wanted to tell him how much she loved
him and that she had managed to get 6 months off her sentence for the good work she'd been doing.
Arthur told Detective New that the juvenile correctional facility was no place for Cinnamon. He then added
nervously, "I don't believe she had anything to do with it, and I still don't. I never
will." The detective asked what he had said [music] to Cinnamon. Arthur replied, "I told her that I was
sure I knew who planned the whole thing. New advanced cautiously, sensing Arthur's apprehension to speak. It was
clear to him that the older man was genuinely frightened. When New suggested that Cinnamon might
not bear the full weight of guilt, Arthur nodded silently in agreement. He then [music] said,
"I told Ciney that I felt like I knew who planned it [music] because I heard her say she was going to do something to
save David." Detective New pressed for clarification. Heard who say? Arthur went quiet and glanced anxiously
over his shoulder before continuing. Patty. Arthur claimed that two weeks before
Linda's murder, he had been driving to a picnic with Linda, David, and Linda's sister, Patty Bailey.
During the drive, Linda got out of the car to use the bathroom. At this point in his recounting to
Detective Newell, Arthur [music] spat on the ground to emphasize his disgust as he described the then 17-year-old Patty
as a quote foul-mouthed [ __ ] Arthur said that while Linda was away, he overheard Patty talking about wanting
to get rid of Linda in order to save David. Patty allegedly claimed that Linda was
plotting with her twin brother Allan to kill David and to take over his business.
Arthur said it took him more than 5 months after the murder to recall this conversation in the car due to the shock
he was experiencing at the time. He told Detective New he hadn't liked Patty since and that he might have told
Cinnamon what he'd heard, though he couldn't be certain. Still, Arthur was adamant that Cinnamon
wasn't fully responsible for Linda's murder, declaring, "I'd bet my life on that."
Detective New was left in a difficult position. Arthur Brown's story would likely never hold up in court, and he'd
only agreed to speak with New on the condition that his comments remain confidential.
But even if New couldn't act on Arthur's allegations, he still wanted to know everything about them. He asked Arthur
if he was fabricating the story out of dislike for Patty. Arthur staunchly denied this, saying he
simply hoped that by confiding in Nule about the incident, it might help Cinnamon.
At that moment, a car suddenly pulled into the driveway. It was David Brown. Panic flashed across Arthur's face. As
he muttered, "If I stick my neck out too far, I'll lose my son, my granddaughter,
and another granddaughter." Newle quickly reassured him that wouldn't happen. All he wanted was the
truth. As David approached, Newell stuck out his hand [music] and thinking on his
feet, introduced himself as a real estate agent named Jerry Walker. Arthur stood beside him, lips pressed
shut, sweat dotting his forehead. "How you doing?" David asked casually, shaking New's hand.
It seemed that David didn't recognize New as one of the detectives who had investigated his wife's murder nearly 2
years earlier. The three men shared a friendly conversation about property in the area
before New quietly took his leave. The allegation that Patty Bailey had wanted her older sister dead [music] was
startling. Patty had never told the police that she'd felt any animosity toward Linda,
speaking of her only with fondness. When Patty had been 11 years old and having troubles at home, it was Linda
who had suggested that she move in with her and David until things improved or until she turned 18.
Linda had told Patty, "I'd love to have you." When Patty was formally interviewed for
the first time after Linda's murder, she was asked point blank, "Did you kill your sister?"
Without hesitation, she replied, "No, I didn't." After Cinnamon's sentencing hearing,
Detective Fred McClan ran into Cinnamon's paternal aunt, Susan, in the courthouse parking lot.
She revealed that the last time she spoke with Linda, it was clear she was miserable because she and David were
fighting a lot. However, according to Susan, Cinnamon wasn't the source of the family's troubles.
The problem was Patty. Susan explained that Cinnamon's move into the trailer wasn't punishment to
appease Linda, but done because Patty didn't want to share her room. Despite Patty's claims, Susan said her
relationship with Cinnamon was [music] distant at best. Patty had little sense of humor and
became irritated whenever Cinnamon was having fun. Linda had also noticed Patty's [music]
smug expression whenever Cinnamon was in trouble. In the end, Patty got what she wanted,
and Cinnamon was sent to live in the trailer. Patty always got her way with David.
Susan told Detective Mlan. Linda had allegedly confided in Susan that she felt Patty was dangerous,
admitting she never let Patty care for her baby alone for fear she might cause harm.
Susan told Detective Mlan. Linda was very worried about Patty's behavior. She said Patty was acting
strange. There was another worrisome observation that Susan had made. Ever since Linda's death, Patty and
David had become inseparable. Susan's revelations highlighted a major challenge for investigators.
During their initial inquiry, they had tried to uncover as much as possible about the Brown family, but they'd been
hindered by David's fiercely guarded privacy. David was especially protective of his
family, a trait he had instilled in Cinnamon, Patty, and Linda. The family spoke little, if at all,
about their home life. It wasn't until investigators revisited the case after Cinnamon's conviction
that the most troubling stories emerged, and it became clear why they hadn't surfaced earlier.
The truth was, David's marriage to Linda hadn't been the almost perfect union that he had described, and their
relationship had some problematic origins. The couple had met about a decade earlier when David was in his 20s and
Linda was in her early teens. Life hadn't been easy for Linda's family when she was growing up. Her mother,
Ethel, had been left to raise her 11 children by herself while struggling with alcohol addiction.
Ethel depended on welfare payments for support. The family was close but dysfunctional
at times and they always struggled to get by. There were also allegations that some of
the girls in the family were sexually abused by a relative. The family's luck seemed to shift one
day when they met David Brown, a young computer specialist who lived next door to their home in Riverside.
David explained that he'd heard about the family's dire financial situation and thought he might be able to help.
David was extremely ill with cancer [music] and doctors had only given him 6 months to live. He could no longer
perform basic household chores and wondered [music] if the Bailey girls that he'd seen walking to and from
school would be able to help. David was happy to pay them in exchange for their housework.
Ethel Bailey agreed, later saying, "How do you say no to a dying man?" From then on, Linda and her teenage
sisters [music] had started spending time helping David out around the house. His home became something of a fun
hangout spot with David inviting the girls to play games and chat with him. He soon began dating Linda's older
sister, Pam, who was then 15 or 16 years old. The relationship didn't last long,
and David turned his attention to Linda, [music] who was even younger at 14. The two soon became a couple.
Linda seemed smitten with David, who was soft-spoken and romantic, penning love letters and sending Linda flowers.
Despite the fact that he was a divorced adult with a young child, Ethel Bailey wasn't concerned by David's interest in
either Pam or Linda. She saw David as a safe person and a successful businessman with means and
opportunities that they [music] didn't have. As the months continued to pass, David
shared some good news with the Bailey family. His cancer had miraculously been cured.
In 1979, he proposed to the then 17-year-old Linda, who said yes. [music] Due to her age, she needed her
mother's signature so the two could marry in Las Vegas. Just one month later, they divorced and
David married another woman. He continued having an affair with Linda throughout this other marriage, which
also ended quickly. David then went back to Linda [music] and the pair remarried.
Privately, many saw the relationship as highly inappropriate. It was skewed in David's favor with him
being the much older, dominant, and respected breadwinner. Almost overnight, [music]
Linda went from being a regular teenager to a wife and a stepmother who was expected to be a homemaker.
She was also responsible for handling the administrative work at David's successful and thriving computer firm.
Early into her and David's second marriage, Linda's younger sister, Patty, moved in with them [music] to escape the
chaos of the Bailey family home. Then Linda became pregnant with Ashley [music] and David's daughter, Cinnamon,
arrived as well. Outside of the home, Linda was isolated. [music] She had no friends and no social
life to speak of. Neighbors said they only ever saw her when she was mowing the lawn.
Inside the home, she was juggling the difficult task of raising two teenage girls who weren't much younger than she
was, in addition to being a new mother. Moreover, Linda's mother-in-law was somewhat overbearing, and David tended
to side with her, which led to arguments between the couple. Patty and Cinnamon often squabbled and
competed for David's attention, further increasing tensions. All things considered, Linder and
David's marriage hadn't been the fairy tale he had tried to portray it as. While the life insurance policies that
David had neglected to mention along with Arthur Brown's claims about Patty Bailey were undoubtedly suspicious,
detective Jay Newell didn't have any evidence to tie either of them to Linda's murder.
Before Cinnamon had lawyered up and claimed to have no recollection of Linda's murder, she had been adamant
that she had acted entirely alone in the killing. Detective New was if Cinnamon revealed it herself.
Because she was still underage, the detective was not permitted to approach her for a conversation without
permission from her guardian, David Brown. Instead, [music] Detective New beded his time.
For 3 years, he kept track of David Brown's business and personal affairs while also monitoring Cinnamon's
activities at the youth prison. As soon as she turned 18, [music] he planned to tell her everything he'd
discovered. Although Arthur Brown was unwilling to talk to the authorities any further,
[music] he continued to speak with Cinnamon. Sometimes he let small details slip,
such as how nice David's new home was and how much more expensive it was than his previous one.
Arthur also mentioned that Patty Bailey was still living with David. [music] In early 1987, she became pregnant to a
man named Doug, who took off after finding out about the pregnancy. Patty gave birth to a girl in September
1987 and the two continued to live with David. Another year went by and on Sunday, July
3, 1988, Cinnamon celebrated her 18th birthday. [music] Investigators finally had their chance.
Now she was no longer a minor, they could approach her as an adult. Detective Jay Newell called Cinnamon and
laid out what they had discovered. Her father's massive insurance payout and the life of luxury he was now living.
And that wasn't all. During one surveillance visit to the Anaheim Hills home, Detective New had
observed something that cemented his concerns. [music] David Brown locked in a passionate kiss
with Patty. At first, Cinnamon Brown refused to believe what the detective was telling
her. She loved her father deeply and believed he was fighting for her freedom. But Detective New kept visiting, [music]
bringing proof that what he said was true. He showed Cinnamon the four life insurance policies David had taken
[music] out against Linda, as well as photographs of David and Patty in an embrace.
He also had proof that the pills Cinnamon had taken after shooting Linda should have killed her.
Gradually, Cinnamon's perspective began to shift. This information, combined with the
details her grandfather had revealed, painted her father in a terrible light. And the truth was, a few months before
Linda's murder, Cinnamon had witnessed a [music] kiss between David and Patty for
herself. This had left her incredibly upset and confused, but she tried to forget about
it. There was also the undeniable fact that David's visits had tapered off, and several years had gone by with no
evidence that he was working to have her released. On Wednesday, August 10, 1988, Cinnamon
called Detective New and said she wanted to talk in person. Cinnamon was the only child of David
Brown and his first wife, Brenda. The couple had met when they were teenagers and married when Brenda became pregnant.
They were both just shy of their 18th birthdays and barely scraping by when their healthy baby girl arrived.
They wanted to give her a name that was unique and memorable, [music] one that would stand out if she ever
became famous. They chose Cinnamon Brown. David was immediately smitten with Cinnamon, whom he affectionately called
Ciney. While Brenda took on the role of the steady parent, managing the daily routine and discipline, David cast
himself as the fun parent. He showered Cinnamon with affection and indulgences from trips to Disneyland to
rides on his motorcycle. In turn, Cinnamon grew to adore her father. After David and Brenda divorced when
Cinnamon was four, she began living with Brenda full-time while seeing her father
on weekends. Over the following years, Cinnamon went back and forth between her parents as
they built new lives. They both remarried, relocated, and had other children. David earned a technical degree and
built a successful career in the computer industry, eventually founding his own data recovery business and
amassing considerable wealth. Cinnamon remained in the primary care of her mother. But as she got older, their
relationship became strained. As tensions with her mother grew, she increasingly saw her father as her hero.
Family members later said that Cinnamon had always seemed desperate for her father's affection.
David cultivated this devotion, competing with Brenda for Cinnamon's love. When Brenda remarried and had another
daughter, David used this to his advantage, encouraging the now teenaged Cinnamon to break the rules while in her
mother's house. And while David could be all fun and games in some ways, he also had a
controlling side. He forbade Cinnamon from having friends over or giving out their phone number.
As she grew older, he refused to allow her to date or even socialize with boys. He wanted Cinnamon's life to revolve
around him and the family he built. Sometimes he tested Cinnamon's loyalty by seeing if she would shoplift for him,
a tactic he [music] had also used with the Bailey sisters. Although Brenda considered Cinnamon a
good kid, and Cinnamon loved her mother, the two clashed over rules and boundaries.
After one particular argument escalated into violence, Brenda decided that Cinnamon might benefit from spending
more time with her father. In September 1984, 14-year-old Cinnamon moved in with David at his Garden Grove
home where he lived with his new wife, Linda, and Linda's younger sister, Patty.
One day after moving in, Cinnamon was sitting in the living room watching television with her father and Patty. At
one point, Patty got up to go to the kitchen. Once she reached the door, she suddenly
froze and appeared to be listening intently to something. Patty told the others that she'd
overheard a conversation Linda was having on the phone with her twin brother, Alan.
They were talking about killing David [music] with Linda saying she needed to get him out of the way.
Cinnamon dismissed this as a joke Patty was playing on them, but Patty was adamant that it had really happened.
In the days and weeks that followed, David seemed to become paranoid. He repeatedly approached his 14-year-old
daughter, saying, [music] "Linda is going to try to kill me." When Cinnamon asked why he thought that,
David replied, "Don't worry about it. I just know she is." He said that Linder and Allan wanted him
gone so they could seize control of his company and the multiple properties he owned.
Cinnamon gradually began to believe there was some truth to what her father was saying, and she suggested that David
get a divorce. David refused this idea, stating that even if he divorced Linda, she would
still come after him. He also said that Linda knew too much about his computer business and
understood their proprietary methods. If they divorced, [music] she would just set up a competing
business and steal his clients. David told Cinnamon, "I'll just leave you guys. I'll leave you guys with
everything and take off and start over again." Upset by this suggestion, Cinnamon
repeatedly begged her father not to leave. David replied, "I have to. Either that
or we have to get rid of Linda." Convinced [music] that her father was in mortal danger and facing a kill or be
killed situation, Cinnamon began to talk seriously with David about what to do next.
Over the [music] next few months, what started as seemingly hypothetical discussions about getting rid of Linda
turned darker. David encouraged Cinnamon and Patty to compete [music] for his approval by
coming up with the different ways they could kill Linda. They discussed various scenarios,
[music] running her over with their van, pushing her out of it, or hitting her over the head.
They even joked about electrocuting her in the bath until someone remembered that Linda only took showers.
On Monday, March 18, 1985, the day before Linda was killed, [music] the family intended to drive out to the
desert to go target shooting, but the trip was called off on account of rain. Had they made it out there, the plan was
for someone to take a running charge at Linda and shove her up a cliff. Whenever Cinnamon expressed a doubt or
faltered in these conversations, David asked her, "Do you love me? Would you do anything for me?"
Other times, he talked wisfully about how he was thinking of leaving. The prospect of her father abandoning
her was always enough to bring Cinnamon back to the plan. She told David she would do anything for
him. There was only one way to prove just how much she loved him. She had to kill his
wife. [music] David explained to Cinnamon that she was the perfect person to carry out
the murder because at 14 years old, she couldn't be charged as an adult. He insisted that if she staged a suicide
attempt afterwards, the juvenile justice system would simply send her to a psychiatrist for evaluation before
releasing her home. He had cinnamon practice writing a suicide note. On the evening of Monday, March 18,
David [music] invited his parents over for dinner. After the meal, Cinnamon helped Linda
with chores while the others played cards and watched TV. When David's parents left, Linda went to
take a shower, leaving David alone with the [music] two teenagers. He told Cinnamon that she had to kill
Linda that night. He explained that the situation had become urgent as Linda was
planning on killing him any day. Cinnamon began to cry as she grappled with the idea.
Linda and David soon went to bed. As the house's alarm system [music] had been activated, Cinnamon couldn't go outside
to her trailer without setting it off. So, she and Patty [music] both went to Patty's room.
They dozed off only to be abruptly woken by David telling them to get up. Get up.
We have to do it now. He'd turned the alarm system off so they could move freely through the property,
then took Cinnamon to the back of the house where he had prepared a cocktail of pills for her to take.
Cinnamon was somewhat concerned by how many there were, two or three bottles worth.
David reassured her it was just enough to make her [music] sick and to make it look like a genuine suicide attempt.
Putting her trust in him completely, [music] Cinnamon swallowed them. The previously complicated plants had
been replaced by one to simply shoot Linda. David handed Cinnamon a small brown pillow and showed her how to use it to
muffle the sound of his handgun. He told Cinnamon to shoot Linda twice in case the first shot didn't work, warning
that Linda would separate the family if she survived. He also suggested that Cinnamon shoot
herself in the head afterwards, [music] not anything fatal, just a small injury to add further weight to the staged
suicide attempt. David then left the home, [music] telling Cinnamon and Patty, "You girls
take care of business while I'm gone." Patty handed Cinnamon the loaded gun, and [clears throat] Cinnamon headed to
the main bedroom where Linda was fast asleep. She held up the gun and fired it through
the pillow, just like David had instructed. But the gun's hammer became caught in
the pillow. Cinnamon panicked. [music] She raced back into Patty's room where the two of them managed to free the
weapon, but it discharged in the process. From the main bedroom, they heard Linda
moaning. Patty told Cinnamon to go in there again. Cinnamon returned [music] and fired a
third time before dropping the gun on the floor. By this [music] point, the pills were
kicking in, and she started to feel dizzy and nauseated. She went outside and laid down in the
doghouse with a pre-prepared [music] suicide note gripped in her hand, just like David had told her to.
She had no idea that the dose of pills he'd prepared was potentially lethal. Only her body's rejection of the drugs
through repeated vomiting had saved her life. Detectives [music] Jay Newell and Fred
Mlan sat horrified as they listened to Cinnamon Brown tell her story. While they had always suspected something more
had been at play, the gravity of David's deception and callousness towards his own daughter was staggering.
They knew they had to expose David for the manipulative predator that he was. They just had to figure out how.
After giving it some thought, they presented Cinnamon with a plan. Cinnamon agreed to help.
When David failed to visit her on her 18th birthday, she called him and asked him to come and see her, saying she had
something urgent to discuss. David was reluctant, claiming that on top of his many ailments, he was now
prone to panic attacks and simply wasn't well enough to make the trip. He pressed her to explain over the
phone, but she refused. In the end, [music] he agreed to visit that coming weekend.
On Saturday, August 13, 1988, David drove up to the Youth Authority prison in Ventura.
The father and daughter headed out to a small yard and sat across [music] from each other at a picnic table beneath a
pine tree. Other inmates and visitors milled about nearby while guards kept a close watch
on the scene. The two made small talk for a while before Cinnamon revealed the reason
she'd requested the visit. She wanted to tell authorities the truth about Linda's
murder. David desperately tried to calm his daughter. When Cinnamon asked what was the purpose
of it all, David offered a scattered, unsubstantiated story about Linda being deep into drugs and owing money to
dangerous people. He said that if Cinnamon really wanted to leave prison, Patty would confess to the crime and
take her place instead. At the mention of Patty's [music] name, Cinnamon asked if David was really the
father of Patty's baby, which was a possibility. the detectives had suggested. David evaded the question with awkward
jokes before Cinnamon returned to the subject of Linda's murder. David cast all of the blame on Patty,
saying she was the one who'd believed Linda was plotting with her twin brother to kill him and that murdering Linda had
been her idea. Patty's the one, David said. You and I didn't plan anything. Patty's the one
who heard it. Patty's the one who did it. Isn't it logical that if Patty did it, then Patty should be punished for
it? I didn't want it to happen. You should remember that. Cinnamon started crying, saying, "But
before that, you wanted it." "No, I didn't," David [music] replied. "I wanted to live."
He claimed he was now living in fear that Patty was going to kill him, just like she'd done to Linda.
Cinnamon then brought up the pills that David had given her that night. "What kind of pills were those?" she asked.
"Those things really had me knocked out." David replied, "I have no idea." Cinnamon reminded her father that he had
handed her pills to take, but he deflected, stating, "Patty said, "You didn't take what I mixed because it was
too gross." Without denying that he'd provided the drug cocktail, he urged Cinnamon to
maintain that she couldn't remember what happened on the night of Linda's murder.
David warned, "You can't tell the true story because everyone who knew beforehand would be imprisoned."
David promised Cinnamon that he would convince Patty [music] to take the blame so that Cinnamon could be released,
but he himself could never go to jail. "I can't survive in prison," he [music] whined.
I would kill myself before I'd let myself die a slow and painful death in a cell.
What David didn't realize was that his meeting with Cinnamon was being closely monitored by detectives [music] and was
entirely recorded via a wire that Cinnamon wore beneath her blouse. While David had made some incriminating
comments, the detectives wanted more. Two weeks later, Cinnamon phoned her father and requested that he and Patty
both visit that day. David agreed and he and Patty made the trip to Ventura. This time it was two against one [music]
as Cinnamon repeatedly asked them about Linda's murder. The pair denied any knowledge of it. Patty and David also
claimed not to remember many of the events Cinnamon described from the night of the crime.
Cinnamon asked the David why he told her to write a fake suicide note if he didn't want her to harm Linda.
David said he had no memory of this and neither did Patty. The more David and Patty tried to
manipulate Cinnamon into thinking she was crazy or confused about what had happened, the [music] more she stood
firm in her convictions. Finally, towards the end of the visit, Patty offered to take the blame.
She told Cinnamon, "If you didn't do it and they've stuck you in here for what you didn't do, the least I can do is the
same thing for you. If you're in here for nothing, I'll go back in for nothing because I love you to death."
Although the pair didn't outwardly admit to planning Linda's murder, they did make some incriminating statements.
Of particular interest were David's comments about the pills he gave to Cinnamon and his imploring of her to
pretend she couldn't remember the night in question. Detectives spoke to Linda's twin
brother, Alan, about the allegations made against him. Alan was surprised by the claim and insisted he had never
threatened David's life, not even in jest. He recalled that Cinnamon had once considered him her favorite uncle. But
after her personality shifted around Christmas of 1984, she grew to dislike him.
He'd had no idea why and was unaware of just how unstable she had become. On Thursday, September 22, 1988,
Detective Jay New led a team to David's luxurious Anaheim Hills home and arrested both David and Patty, taking
them to the police station for questioning. For 2 hours, David maintained his ignorance about Linda's murder. He
denied ever discussing the crime with Patty or Cinnamon and said he never gave his daughter drugs.
He also continued to deny having any romantic relationship with Patty. But David's web of lies began to unravel
when detectives revealed they had photos of him and Patty in an embrace as well as recordings of his conversations with
Cinnamon at the prison. His demeanor shifted instantly and he immediately began spinning a new tale.
David said he was terrified of Patty and that he'd always believed she was the one who really killed Linda.
He claimed [music] the only reason he told Cinnamon to take the blame was because he was afraid of Patty and her
family. While David had admitted that Cinnamon and Patty were convinced that Linda and
her twin brother were conspiring to kill him, he insisted he never believed the two young women would really kill Linda.
Meanwhile, 20-year-old Patty Bailey was being questioned in another room. The investigators laid out the evidence
piece by piece, showing her how David had used both her and Cinnamon as pawns. They told her what David was saying in
his interview and how he was throwing her under the bus. For the first time, Patty began to see
clearly how David had manipulated her for over a decade. David had entered Patty's life when she
was just 8 years old when he lived next door to the Bailey family and ingratiated himself by offering to pay
the girls to clean his house. David would have Patty sit on his lap while telling her how pretty and
intelligent she was. Given the troubles in the Bailey home, Patty was in a vulnerable position.
She had also been sexually abused by a close relative. The positive attention from David made
Patty feel special. What started as inappropriate touching by David escalated to sexual abuse.
When Patty moved into the Brown household at the age of 11, David had complete access to groom and manipulate
her. He convinced her that if she wanted to develop into a woman one day, she needed
to perform oral sex on him. He said [music] it was the only way she would grow up and assured her that it
was entirely natural. When Patty's chest later started developing, she thought to herself,
"Hey, this guy is God." By the time Patty was 15, David started raping her. These assaults happened
during drives to school or whenever Linda was out sleeping or in the shower. If Patty ever resisted, David told her a
million other girls would love to take your place. When she outright refused, David threatened to send her back to her
mother's house. He undermined Patty's sense of self by telling her, "No one's [music] going to
like you for you. If she did as he said and behaved the way he told her to, then people would
like her." With nothing else to compare his behavior to, [music] the young girl gradually came to believe this was the
way things went in every home. David [music] promised Patty he would marry her when she was old enough,
despite the fact he was already married to her older sister. He had started planting seeds about
killing Linda shortly after Patty had moved in with them. The first instance was when the family
was driving home from a shooting expedition in the desert and a gun was laying in Patty's lap. They had stopped
at a fast food restaurant and Linda went inside to get a drink. It was then that David said, "Wouldn't
it be funny if the gun in your lap went off and shot Linda?" Patty assumed he was joking, but over
the years he made other similar comments, such as suggesting Patty shove Linder off a cliff.
After Cinnamon moved into the home, David started pitting Linda, Patty, and Cinnamon against each other. He
encouraged them to v for his attention and to turn against one another. While Cinnamon and Patty had initially
shared a room, the real reason that Cinnamon had been forced [music] to move from the house into a trailer wasn't
because of Linda. It was so that David could sneak into Patty's bedroom at night.
Over time, David [music] succeeded in convincing both Patty and Cinnamon that Linda was plotting to murder him. Given
that David was everything to Patty, this possibility left her distraught. Initially, David attempted to convince
Patty to kill Linda before Cinnamon had even moved in with them. One night, he woke Patty, handed her a
gun, and told her to shoot a sleeping Linda at close range through a pillow. Patty went to Linda's room. But as she
stood in the doorway with the gun, looking at her sleeping sister, she realized she loved her and [music]
couldn't pull the trigger. Regardless, David convinced her to go along with other parts of his plan,
roping her into manipulating Cinnamon instead. Patty admitted to the detectives that in
July 1986, just 16 months after Linda was killed, she and David had secretly married in Las Vegas. [music]
At the time, he was 34 and she was 18. It was David's sixth marriage. They kept the true nature of their
relationship a secret, not even telling David's parents who lived in the same house.
When Patty became pregnant, David concocted an elaborate lie that she had met a man named Doug who had abandoned
her. This allowed David to play the role of kind benefactor, [music] generously allowing the pregnant
teenager to continue living in his home. After their daughter was born, David refused to be named as the father on the
birth certificate. He convinced Patty to go along with his ruse, telling her that if people knew
they were together, they might judge them, or worse, suspect they played a hand in Linda's death.
For Patty, the realization that she'd gone along with so much only for David to sacrifice her as readily as he'd
sacrificed Cinnamon and Linda, shattered the last remnants of her loyalty. In October 1988, just a month after her
arrest, Patty Bailey made the crucial decision to confess and cooperate with authorities.
Her choice was influenced by multiple factors. David's betrayal in trying to blame her entirely for the murder, her
growing understanding of how he had manipulated her throughout her life, [music] and the crushing weight of guilt
over her role in her sister's death. The details she provided about events leading up to the murder and the night
in question matched those Cinnamon had shared. The police were elated. Patty's decision
to break her silence was crucial in exposing the full scope of David Brown's murder plot, [music] and both she and
David were charged with firstdegree murder. Because Patty [music] had been a minor
when Linda was killed, she would face juvenile court. But David was looking at serving hard time.
In January 1989, nearly 4 years after Linda Brown's murder, the preliminary hearing for David Brown began in the
Orange County Municipal Court. Not only would the hearing determine whether there was sufficient evidence to
proceed to trial, it would also be the first time that both Cinnamon Brown and Patty Bailey publicly testified [music]
against him. Deputy District Attorney Jeffrey Robinson painted a picture of David
Brown as a master manipulator who orchestrated his wife's murder to collect her life insurance money.
[music] The hard work of detectives Newell and Mlan had revealed that David's reputation as a devoted family man was
far from the truth. In reality, he was intimidating, charming, [music] and adept at twisting situations to his
advantage. He also used his wealth and status to gain favor. David had told others that he was the
black sheep of his family and that he had endured corporal punishment from a young age.
As a teenager, he developed a fixation on his health and told others that he suffered from numerous ailments.
His bedside drawers were full of various medications and vitamins. He spoke of enduring everything from
high blood pressure and serious gastrointestinal issues to mental health afflictions and suicidal ideiation
throughout his life. He repeatedly claimed to have [music] terminal cancer from which he somehow always managed to
recover. In addition to Linda and Patty, David had been married to three other women
with his previous partners recounting episodes of controlling behavior, violent clashes, psychological abuse,
sex addiction, and extrammarital affairs. Of particular concern was his reported
proclivity for underage girls. David sat emotionless as Deputy District Attorney Jeffrey Robinson described how
he had twisted the loyalty and love of the young girls in his family to do his bidding.
In contrast, David's defense attorney suggested Cinnamon and Patty were setting David up as a fall guy,
attempting to shift blame for their own actions onto an innocent man. Cinnamon Brown was the first witness to
take the stand. now 18, she testified about how her father had convinced [music] her that Linda and her brother
were plotting to kill him. He had assured her that because of her age, she would face no real consequences
if she was the one who ended Linda's life. She described her desperate need for her
father's love and approval [music] and how he had used that need to manipulate her into murder.
Patty Bailey testified despite not being offered immunity and knowing she could face serious consequences.
The 20-year-old described how David had sexually [music] abused her since she was 11, grooming her with attention and
gifts while isolating her from others. Her testimony corroborated Cinnamon's account of how David had convinced them
both that Linda needed to die. She revealed the careful planning that had gone into the murder, David's
[music] specific instructions, and how he had orchestrated the cover up afterward.
Despite the defense's attempts to paint Cinnamon and Patty as unreliable witnesses seeking revenge, the judge
found there was more than sufficient probable cause to believe David Brown had masterminded Linda's murder.
The judge ordered David bound over for trial. As he was led from the courtroom, David
maintained the same emotionless expression he had worn throughout the hearing. While in jail awaiting trial, David
Brown met a fellow inmate named Richard Steinhard. [music] Steinhardt was a former member of an
outlaw motorcycle gang who was in custody on a parole violation related to a previous cocaine conviction.
The two men quickly developed a rapport when David discovered that Steinhardt was a martial arts expert with a long
criminal history and ties to the underworld. He was also due to be released shortly.
These factors were appealing to David as he was putting together a new plan. Rather than face court for Linda's
murder, he had decided to simply eliminate those who were trying to put him behind bars.
The three people David saw as the greatest threats to his freedom were Patty Bailey, Detective Jay Newell, and
Deputy District Attorney Jeffrey Robinson. He reasoned that if Newell and Robinson
were out of the picture, new personnel would have to be assigned to the case. If David argued his right to a speedy
trial, this would put the prosecution at a disadvantage, while getting rid of Patty meant the prosecution would lose
their star witness. He wasn't too worried about Cinnamon, believing that she could be discredited
as unreliable and willing to do anything to get herself out of prison. David told Richard Steinhard that he had
$500,000 buried in the desert and offered to pay him $10,000 per victim as well as $200,000 for expenses if he'd
carry out these three murders. David also wanted his own house and motor home burned down to make it appear
like he too was being targeted. Steinhard agreed. He later said, "The idea of killing somebody or hiring
someone else to do the killing didn't matter to me. I just wanted the money for drugs."
To prove he was serious, David arranged for $600 to be placed in the glove compartment of his car so that
Steinhardt could purchase guns after he was released. Steinhardt agreed that after the
killings were complete, he would also help David escape from jail. Richard Steinhard was released in early
February 1989. David authorized his attorney to pay his brother Tom Brown large installments of
money which would be passed on to Steinhard as he carried out different parts of the plot.
David didn't tell Tom what the payments were for. He simply said that he needed a favor.
On Monday, February 13, David phoned Steinhart from prison. Steinhardt told him that he had killed
both Jeffrey Robinson and Detective Jay Newell, stating, "Bang bang." Right in the back of their head.
David's response was simply, "All right." David had his brother deliver $11,000 in
cash to Steinhardt within the hour. Soon after, Steinhardt told David that he had arranged for a hit woman to be
arrested so that she would be placed in the same prison as Patty. She had agreed to kill Patty in exchange
for $10,000. David was elated, telling Steinhard, "Wonderful. You're a good man. You did
great. To further cement his plan, David contacted another inmate from Patty's prison named [music] Sally Jacobs.
In the wake of Patty's death, he offered to pay Sally if she told the authorities
that Patty [music] had admitted to lying in her story against David. What David didn't know was that one of
his earliest conversations with Steinhardt had been overheard by a fellow prisoner who had gone straight to
authorities with the details of the plot. When they confronted Steinhardt with the information, he quickly agreed
to turn informant. Police set up recording equipment capturing every detail of David's
murderous scheme. Between early January and early February 1989, investigators taped 25 to 30 phone
calls between David Brown and Richard Steinhard. The recordings revealed David discussing
the planned murders of his wife and two law enforcement officials as casually as
one might discuss the weather. Just as damning was David's use of his own brother as an unwitting accomplice.
Tom Brown had no idea that he was facilitating a murder for higher plot when David asked him to deliver $11,000
in cash [music] to Steinhard. He was simply doing a favor for his incarcerated brother.
"Upon learning the true purpose of the money he delivered," Tom was devastated. "As far as I'm concerned, I don't have a
brother anymore," he told investigators. Anyone who could screw his family like this isn't [music] part of the family.
We trusted him. Sully Jacobs was also an undercover police officer. The fact that David had tried to have
her claim Patty was lying only strengthened the case against him. Prosecutors subsequently filed several
new charges against [music] David. Conspiracy to commit murder, arson, and perjury.
When Patty was told about the charges, she said, "I expected something like this from him. I don't put anything past
him." Now, as David Brown faced these new charges, attention turned to the fate of the now
21-year-old Patty Bailey. Her position was unique and troubling. She was both a victim and a perpetrator,
a child who had been sexually abused, groomed, and manipulated. Yet, she had also been an active
participant in the plot that led to Linda's death, [music] even attempting to kill her sister herself before losing
her nerve. Because Patty was 17 at the time of Linda's murder and cooperated fully with
prosecutors, testifying against David without any promise of immunity, she was allowed to proceed in juvenile court.
On May 11, 1989, Patty pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced to
4 years in prison. Despite her age at sentencing, she would serve her time in the California Youth
Authority, the same facility as Cinnamon. It was a stark contrast to the 27-year
sentence that had been handed to Cinnamon Brown 4 years earlier. The difference lay not just in their
relative culpability, but in timing. Patty's testimony had helped to break the case that would finally bring David
Brown to justice. For Patty, the sentence marked both an end and a beginning. Although she would remain in custody
until she was 25, she had broken free from David Brown's influence. Patty would have 4 years to come to
terms with everything that had happened to understand how thoroughly David had twisted her perception of normal family
life and to prepare for whatever life might hold when she emerged. While incarcerated, Patty truly began to
grapple with what had happened to Linda and the role she played in her death. As described in the book, A Killing in
the Family by Steven Singular and Tim [music] and Danielle Hill, Patty spoke to visitors about her deep regret and
pain and her desire to somehow go back in time and change what had happened. If I'd have said something, none of this
would have happened, she said. I could have told a teacher at school or told Linda even before I moved in that David
was doing funny things. If I talk about Linda in therapy and to deal with her death, I'll start to
forget about her. I don't want to do that. So, I won't. I just don't want to forget her.
I took my sister's life. I'm out here on this pretty day and she's not. David Brown's trial began in the Orange
County Superior Court in spring of 1990. The prosecution's case was built on the
recorded conversations between David and Cinnamon, testimony from Cinnamon and Patty, and recordings and testimony by
Richard Steinhard about David's subsequent attempt to have witnesses [music] killed.
They painted a picture of a man driven by greed and control. The defense called very few witnesses,
and [music] David didn't testify at all. Throughout the trial, he maintained the
same emotionless demeanor that had characterized his behavior since Linder's death.
During closing arguments, [music] Deputy District Attorney Jeffrey Robinson heaped scorn on David, calling him a
classical sociopathic personality and a poor excuse for a human being. On June 15, 1990, after less than 7
hours of deliberation, the jury returned with their verdict. David Brown was found guilty of
first-degree murder with special circumstances for financial gain and conspiracy to commit murder.
At his sentencing hearing the following month, the judge told David, "Mr. Brown, [music]
you're a scary person. Look what you did to your own children, to your sister-in-law.
It's scary to think you can manipulate people and to do all this and to not bat an eye.
He sentenced [music] David to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Cinnamon [music] and Patty both heard
the verdict while incarcerated at California Youth Authority. After learning of David's fate, they
found each other, sat down together, and cried. Linda Brown was just 23 years old when
she died. The tragedy of her murder rippled through multiple lives. A young woman dead, her infant daughter left
without a mother, a 14-year-old girl manipulated into killing her stepmother, and an 11-year-old child groomed and
sexually abused before being drawn into her own sister's murder. The case inspired two books, both
published in 1991, as well as a killing in the family. There was true crime author Anne Rules,
If You Really Loved Me. NBC aired a 4-hour miniseries titled Love, Lies, and Murder based on Rule's
book. The dramatization of the tragic story brought national attention to the case.
And in 1992, after serving 7 years of her 27-year sentence, Cinnamon Brown was parrolled at the age of 21.
After her release, assistant district attorney Jeffrey Robinson remarked, "The real story is the courage of this
kid who was abandoned by her family. A 14-year-old kid who was completely brainwashed for a number of years by her
father, who herself has been the victim of terrible crimes and has now paid her debt to society, maybe even more of a
debt than she should have." Robinson acknowledged the challenges that lay ahead for Cinnamon.
Her battle will be a very, very tough one because her case is of such a high profile, a girl who has been earmarked
as a killer for the rest of her life. Cinnamon's first ever television interview was on the Oprah Winfrey show.
Appearing via video link, Cinnamon looked like a deer in the headlights as she struggled to answer questions and
describe how her father had manipulated her into killing Linda. The power that David still held over her
emotions was evident. He's always going to be my father and I love him, she [music] said.
David Brown unsuccessfully appealed his conviction and on March 22, 2014 after more than two decades in prison, he died
of natural causes at the age of 61. He passed away without ever expressing remorse for his [music] crimes.
David and Linda's infant daughter, Ashley, was raised by her paternal grandmother and has no memory of ever
meeting her father despite seeing him regularly until the age of five. As a young child, Ashley was told that
her mother was killed in a car accident, only to later learn that Linda had actually been murdered.
Initially, [music] Ashley was told that her father had been framed by her older halfsister, Cinnamon, until some friends
helped her uncover the truth by finding a book about the case at a library. Today, Ashley is married with children
of her own. She has spoken about how hard it was growing up without a mother and how [music] her kids can't have the
quintessential grandmother who loves and spoils them the way other children do. After Patty Bailey was released at the
age of 25, she changed her name and eventually remarried, fighting for and winning custody of the daughter she
shared with David. She attempted to reconnect with Cinnamon after their releases, but Cinnamon
declined, saying she wasn't ready and needed to focus on re-entering society. Cinnamon found work in the travel
industry and married in 1994. She expressed deep remorse for Linda's murder. Despite Linda's young age, she had cared
for Cinnamon like a mother, even standing up for her and defending her when David [music] put her down.
Speaking to Anne Rule for her book, If You Really Loved Me, Cinnamon said, I feel very ashamed of what I did to
Linda. It's [music] very painful knowing I took her life and she'll never have a
chance again. I cry and pray for her often because I loved her. That's what hurts more than anything.
[music] I loved her and still believed my father's lies [music] and I killed her.
If there was one wish given to me and it could be anything, I'd wish Linda her life back.
>> [music]

In the early morning hours of Tuesday, March 19 1985, police were summoned to a shocking scene at an ordinary suburban home in Garden Grove, California. 23-year-old wife and mother Linda Brown had been shot twice and killed.

The culprit was her 14-year-old stepdaughter, Cinnamon Brown, who was found barely conscious and clutching a suicide note in a dog kennel in the backyard. Cinnamon openly admitted to shooting Linda, and the case appeared to be open-and-shut… But nothing was quite as it seemed in this picture-perfect family.

CREDITS Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Erin Munro, Eileen Ormsby & Milly Raso Creative direction – Milly Raso Production & music – Mike Migas Audio editing – Anthony Telfer

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Brief Summary

Cinnamon Brown shot her stepmother Linda, influenced by her father David's manipulation and deceit, leading to a tragic family murder case.

Key points

A Distressing Night. David Brown returns home to find his family in chaos after a shooting incident.
A Troubling Discovery. Detectives find Cinnamon hiding in a doghouse, covered in vomit and pills.
David's Guilt. David blames himself for Linda's murder, believing he failed to support Cinnamon.
Cinnamon's Insanity Plea. Cinnamon pleads not guilty by reason of insanity, claiming memory loss of the shooting.
David's Odd Behavior. Detectives find David's actions after Linda's murder suspicious, questioning his motives.
The Startling Allegation. An allegation surfaces that Patty Bailey wanted her sister dead, shocking everyone involved.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I'm my daddy's daughter.

Cinnamon's assertion of her bond with her father.

21:34WatchOct 25, 2025

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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