Dana Sue Gray, a California woman serving life in prison, has resurfaced in public discussion for an unexpected reason. Now 67, Gray claims she has become an advocate for incarcerated women, arguing that many inmates remain silent because they are conditioned to follow orders. In a 2024 interview, she framed her activism as empowerment. Yet for many observers, the contrast is striking. Gray’s current role sharply conflicts with the violent crimes that placed her behind bars nearly three decades ago and continue to haunt Southern California’s criminal history.
In the mid-1990s, Gray was linked to a disturbing series of attacks targeting elderly women in gated communities. On February 16, 1994, 86-year-old Norma Davis was found stabbed and strangled in her Canyon Lake home. Detective Joseph Greco described the scene as “overkill,” noting violence that felt deeply personal. Just twelve days later, another woman, 66-year-old June Roberts, was beaten and strangled in the same area. Credit cards were stolen, but valuables were left behind, signaling that brutality — not robbery — was the driving force.
The case began to unravel when a third victim survived. Antique store worker Dorinda Hawkins was attacked but lived to describe her assailant, who chillingly told her the violence “wasn’t about money.” Surveillance footage, witness accounts, and a young boy referring to the suspect as his “other mommy” eventually led investigators to Gray. Before police could arrest her, she struck again, murdering 87-year-old Dora Beebe and withdrawing money from her account.
In 1998, Gray accepted a plea deal, admitting guilt in two murders and one attempted murder to avoid the death penalty. One suspected killing was never charged. Today, while she promotes herself as a voice for prisoners, investigators remain cautious. As Greco put it, helping others may be positive — but sincerity is difficult to judge in someone capable of such calculated violence.
