In March 1985, a seemingly ordinary family in Garden Grove, California, became the center of a shocking murder investigation after 23-year-old Linda Marie Brown was found fatally shot inside her home. At first, the case appeared relatively straightforward. Her 14-year-old stepdaughter, Cinnamon Brown, confessed to the killing, and investigators discovered the teenager in the backyard after what appeared to be a suicide attempt.

But detectives were not convinced that the teenager had acted entirely on her own.

Behind the apparent family tragedy was a disturbing plan involving manipulation, financial gain, a secret relationship and a father who had allegedly spent years persuading two teenage girls that his wife needed to be eliminated.

David Arnold Brown, Linda’s husband and Cinnamon’s father, was eventually exposed as the mastermind behind the plot. Prosecutors established that he had manipulated his daughter into carrying out the shooting while his wife’s younger sister, Patti Bailey, helped facilitate the plan. He had also taken out substantial life insurance policies on Linda, creating a financial motive for her death.

For nearly four years, Cinnamon remained imprisoned for the crime while her father collected the insurance money and continued his relationship with Patti. Eventually, she began cooperating with investigators, secretly recorded conversations helped expose David’s involvement, and the case was transformed.

David Brown was convicted of first-degree murder in 1990 and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. Cinnamon was released in 1992 after serving approximately seven years in a California youth correctional facility.

The case remains a disturbing example of how a parent can exploit a child’s trust and loyalty, turning that relationship into a weapon against another member of the family.

A FAMILY THAT APPEARED NORMAL FROM THE OUTSIDE
Before the murder, the Brown household in Garden Grove, Orange County, appeared to be a relatively comfortable family.

David Brown was a successful computer businessman who operated a data-recovery company. He had built a profitable business and maintained a home that gave the impression of financial stability.

His wife, Linda, was 23 years old. The couple had a young daughter together, Krystal, who was still an infant.

Cinnamon, David’s daughter from an earlier relationship, was also living in the household. She was only 14 when the events that would change her life began unfolding.

Another teenager, Patti Bailey, had moved into the Brown home years earlier. Patti was Linda’s younger sister and had experienced a difficult childhood before becoming part of the household.

What initially appeared to be an arrangement in which the family was helping a younger relative gradually became something much more disturbing.

According to evidence presented during the later criminal proceedings, David had been sexually abusing Patti while she was still a child. As she grew older, she developed an emotional attachment to him and eventually became involved in a secret relationship with her sister’s husband.

This relationship created an additional motive for the events that followed.

Patti wanted to be with David, but Linda remained his wife. Prosecutors would later argue that David had convinced both teenagers that removing Linda was necessary to secure their future together.

The household was therefore not simply experiencing ordinary family disagreements. Investigators eventually uncovered a prolonged pattern of manipulation that had been developing for years.

HOW DAVID BROWN TURNED HIS DAUGHTER AGAINST HER STEPMOTHER
One of the most disturbing aspects of the case was the way David allegedly used Cinnamon’s love and loyalty to influence her decisions.

According to testimony and court records, he repeatedly told the teenager that Linda and her brother were plotting to murder him so they could take control of his business and property.

There was no established evidence supporting this alleged conspiracy.

Instead, prosecutors said David created a false picture of Linda as a dangerous threat to the family, gradually convincing Cinnamon that her stepmother had to be eliminated before she could harm him.

He reportedly told the girls that he could not bring himself to carry out the killing himself.

Rather than taking responsibility, he allegedly placed the burden on Cinnamon.

His promises were particularly important because of her age. David told her that she would not face a serious prison sentence if she carried out the plan. He suggested that authorities would recognize she was a juvenile and send her for psychiatric treatment rather than incarcerate her for years.

For a 14-year-old who trusted her father, those assurances carried enormous weight.

Cinnamon later explained that she had acted because she loved him and did not want to lose her father.

Her loyalty became the means through which he allegedly persuaded her to participate in the crime.

Patti Bailey also became involved. Prosecutors said she initially considered carrying out the shooting herself but backed away. David then encouraged the idea that Cinnamon should do it instead, partly because he believed her age would make it easier to avoid a severe punishment.

The girls were being drawn into a plan that would ultimately leave one of them behind bars and the other facing a lifetime of consequences.

THE LIFE INSURANCE POLICIES THAT REVEALED A FINANCIAL MOTIVE
While David was allegedly convincing the teenagers that Linda was a threat, he was also making financial arrangements involving his wife’s life.

Investigators later discovered that he had taken out several life insurance policies on Linda.

Two additional policies were reportedly purchased during the two months before her death.

The combined insurance proceeds were reported in contemporary accounts and court proceedings as approximately $835,000, although some later accounts have cited a slightly different total.

That amount was substantial at the time and gave investigators a clear reason to examine whether Linda’s death had been planned for financial gain.

After the killing, David collected the insurance money.

He used the proceeds to support a more luxurious lifestyle, including purchasing a large home in Anaheim Hills and several vehicles.

The contrast was striking.

Cinnamon was serving time for a crime she had committed under her father’s influence, while David was benefiting financially from the death of his wife.

He also continued his relationship with Patti, the victim’s younger sister.

The insurance policies would eventually become a central part of the prosecution’s case against him, helping establish that the killing was not simply the result of a sudden family dispute.

MARCH 18–19, 1985: THE NIGHT LINDA BROWN WAS KILLED
The plan was put into action during the night of March 18, continuing into the early hours of March 19, 1985.

According to the accounts later presented in court, David woke the teenagers and told them that the time had come to carry out what they had been discussing.

He provided Cinnamon with the firearm and reportedly gave her a mixture of prescription drugs that she was supposed to take afterward.

The drugs were intended to make it appear that Cinnamon had attempted to end her own life after killing Linda.

David then left the house and went to a nearby convenience store.

Prosecutors argued that his departure was deliberate. By making himself visible outside the home, he could create an alibi and later claim that he had not been present when the shooting occurred.

Inside the house, Cinnamon approached Linda while she was sleeping.

Patti was also involved in the events surrounding the shooting and was reportedly holding the infant Krystal nearby.

Cinnamon fired at her stepmother.

The first shot struck Linda in the abdomen but did not immediately end her life. A second shot followed and proved fatal.

The young teenager had now carried out the act her father had allegedly spent months or years persuading her to commit.

But the plan did not end with the shooting.

Cinnamon took the drug mixture and attempted to create the appearance of a suicide. Investigators later found her in the backyard doghouse, sick from the overdose and holding a handwritten note asking God for forgiveness.

The note expressed regret over what had happened, and her condition initially reinforced the impression that she had been overwhelmed by guilt.

She survived the overdose.

When investigators began questioning her, Cinnamon confessed to shooting Linda.

At that stage, the teenager appeared to be the central figure in the case, while David maintained that he had not been involved.

WHY INVESTIGATORS BEGAN QUESTIONING THE OFFICIAL STORY
Cinnamon’s confession did not end the investigation.

Although she admitted firing the shots, detectives and prosecutors remained concerned about the circumstances surrounding the killing.

There were questions about why a teenager would carry out such a calculated act, why the family members had been involved in the way they were, and whether David’s account of leaving the home was entirely truthful.

Investigators also examined the family’s relationships and financial circumstances.

The insurance policies raised questions about David’s potential motive. His relationship with Patti was another important element, particularly because she was Linda’s younger sister and had been living in the same household.

The investigation continued even after Cinnamon was convicted.

In September 1986, she received a sentence of 27 years to life for her role in Linda’s murder. Because she was a juvenile at the time, she was committed to the California Youth Authority rather than an adult prison.

David, meanwhile, remained outside prison.

He continued to benefit from the insurance proceeds and secretly married Patti in 1986.

The marriage further reinforced investigators’ suspicions about the relationship between the two and the possible motive behind Linda’s death.

For Cinnamon, the consequences were becoming increasingly difficult to accept.

Her father had promised that she would not spend years in custody. Instead, she was incarcerated while he appeared to have moved on with his life.

THE TURNING POINT: CINNAMON BEGINS TO QUESTION HER FATHER
During her time in custody, Cinnamon gradually became disillusioned with David.

He did not visit her as frequently as she had expected, and she began to recognize that the future he had promised was not materializing.

Her parole prospects were also affected by her continued insistence that she could not remember important details about the murder.

David had encouraged her to maintain that position, apparently believing that it would protect him from being implicated.

But the teenager eventually learned about the insurance money her father had collected.

She also became aware of his relationship and marriage to Patti.

The realization that David had benefited from Linda’s death while allowing his daughter to take the blame became a turning point.

Cinnamon began cooperating with investigators.

By August 1988, after turning 18, she was prepared to provide a fuller account of what had happened.

Her decision gave investigators an opportunity to revisit the case with a new source of evidence.

The original confession was no longer the complete story.

Instead, Cinnamon described a much larger plan in which David had allegedly manipulated her and Patti, provided the means to carry out the killing and arranged circumstances that would make him appear uninvolved.

Investigators now had a witness who could explain the family dynamics and the conversations that had taken place before Linda’s death.

But they needed evidence capable of supporting her account.

THE SECRET RECORDINGS THAT HELPED EXPOSE DAVID BROWN
One of the most important developments came in August 1988, when Cinnamon agreed to cooperate with investigators during visits from her father.

Authorities arranged for her to secretly record conversations with David.

During one of those meetings, David discussed the night of Linda’s murder.

According to prosecutors, he acknowledged that he had prepared the drug mixture Cinnamon took after the shooting.

He also urged her not to reveal the full truth, warning that the family could face serious consequences if she spoke openly.

In another part of the conversation, he reportedly suggested that Patti might be willing to confess and take Cinnamon’s place.

The recordings provided investigators with evidence that went beyond Cinnamon’s changing account.

David’s own statements appeared to connect him directly to preparations surrounding the murder and the attempted suicide.

On September 22, 1988, David and Patti were arrested at their home in Anaheim Hills.

The case had now shifted dramatically.

The businessman who had initially appeared to be a grieving husband was facing allegations that he had orchestrated the death of his wife and manipulated his teenage daughter into carrying it out.

Patti also became a defendant in the case.

She eventually cooperated with prosecutors and testified against David, providing additional details about the planning and the relationships inside the household.

DAVID BROWN’S ATTEMPT TO SILENCE THE PEOPLE WHO COULD TESTIFY AGAINST HIM
The investigation uncovered another disturbing part of David’s behavior after his arrest.

While being held in jail, he allegedly attempted to arrange the killing of people he believed could damage his defense.

According to prosecutors, David offered a fellow inmate, Richard Steinhart, a substantial payment to murder Patti Bailey and two members of the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.

The proposed targets included investigators and prosecutors involved in building the case against him.

David reportedly believed that eliminating important witnesses and legal figures could delay or disrupt the proceedings.

However, Steinhart cooperated with authorities.

Investigators arranged for him to secretly record conversations with David, allowing prosecutors to gather additional evidence.

During one recorded exchange, Steinhart falsely told David that the planned killings had been carried out.

David reportedly responded with approval, praising the inmate and expressing satisfaction.

The recordings became another damaging part of the prosecution’s case.

The alleged attempt to arrange further violence suggested that David was willing to take extreme measures to protect himself from the consequences of Linda’s murder.

It also reinforced the prosecution’s portrayal of him as someone who used manipulation and intimidation to control the people around him.

THE 1990 TRIAL: CINNAMON AND PATTI TESTIFY AGAINST HIM
David Brown’s trial began in Orange County in 1990.

By then, prosecutors had assembled a substantial body of evidence.

Cinnamon testified about the years of manipulation, her father’s instructions and the events surrounding the night Linda was killed.

Patti also testified, describing her relationship with David and the role he had played in the plan.

The prosecution presented evidence involving the insurance policies, the secret recordings and David’s alleged attempts to arrange the deaths of witnesses.

The case was no longer simply about whether Cinnamon had fired the shots.

That fact was never seriously in dispute.

The central question was whether David had deliberately planned the murder and persuaded the teenagers to carry it out for him.

Prosecutors argued that he had created a false story about Linda plotting against him, manipulated Cinnamon through her devotion to her father and used Patti’s emotional attachment to him to secure her cooperation.

The evidence also established a financial motive.

David had taken out insurance policies on Linda and collected the proceeds after her death.

The jury ultimately found him guilty of first-degree murder for financial gain and conspiracy.

In June 1990, he was convicted.

He was later sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The verdict confirmed that the teenager who had originally been treated as the central offender had been manipulated by her father, who was ultimately held responsible as the mastermind behind the killing.

WHAT HAPPENED TO CINNAMON BROWN?
Cinnamon’s role in the murder was complicated.

She had physically carried out the shooting, and her conviction reflected her participation in Linda’s death. But the later evidence showed that she had been a young teenager under the influence of a father who had manipulated her trust and promised that she would not face serious consequences.

While serving her sentence, Cinnamon continued her education.

She earned a high school diploma and completed an associate degree while at the Ventura School, a California Youth Authority facility.

In February 1992, at the age of 21, she was granted parole after serving approximately seven years.

Her release came after a review board vote and marked the end of her incarceration in the youth correctional system.

The decision attracted attention because of the unusual circumstances of her case.

She had been convicted of a serious crime, but the subsequent prosecution of her father revealed the extent to which she had been influenced and used by an adult who should have protected her.

Her release did not change the fact that Linda had been killed or erase Cinnamon’s role in the shooting. It did, however, reflect the legal system’s recognition of her age, the circumstances surrounding the crime and her progress while in custody.

WHAT HAPPENED TO PATTI BAILEY?
Patti Bailey’s involvement was also significant.

She was only 17 at the time of Linda’s murder and had been living in the Brown household since childhood.

Prosecutors presented evidence that David had sexually abused her when she was young and later developed a relationship with her.

She became involved in the plan to kill her sister and assisted Cinnamon during the events surrounding the shooting.

After David’s arrest, Patti cooperated with prosecutors and testified against him.

Her cooperation helped establish the history of the plan and the role David had played.

Because of her age at the time of the crime, her case was handled through the juvenile justice system. She pleaded guilty to her involvement and was committed to the California Youth Authority.

Her later life has not been documented in reliable public reporting to the same extent as the criminal proceedings.

There is also no verified basis for making claims about her current circumstances.

DAVID BROWN’S FINAL YEARS
David Brown’s conviction ended his freedom.

He was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, meaning he would not be eligible for release through the ordinary parole process.

His conviction rested on the testimony of Cinnamon and Patti, the recordings of his conversations, the financial evidence and the prosecution’s account of the conspiracy.

He continued to maintain his innocence during parts of the legal proceedings and disputed the accusations against him.

However, the jury found him guilty.

David Brown died in prison in 2014.

His death brought an end to the possibility of any further criminal proceedings against him, but it did not change the verdict or the findings established at trial.

WHY THE CINNAMON BROWN CASE STILL MATTERS
More than four decades after Linda Brown was killed, the case continues to attract attention because it involved several disturbing elements rarely found together in one family tragedy.

A young girl was persuaded by her own father to commit a serious crime. Her aunt became involved through an emotionally and sexually abusive relationship with the same man. A substantial insurance payout provided a financial motive, and the person who planned the killing initially avoided responsibility while his daughter served time.

The case also demonstrates why investigators sometimes continue examining a crime even after a suspect has confessed.

Cinnamon’s original admission established her direct role in the shooting, but it did not explain the full circumstances surrounding the murder.

The continued investigation uncovered the manipulation, the financial arrangements and the secret relationship that had shaped the events.

Without that additional work, David Brown might never have been held accountable for his role.

The recordings were particularly important because they captured conversations in which he discussed details that connected him to the preparations for the crime.

His later conviction transformed the understanding of what had happened inside the Brown household.

WHERE IS CINNAMON BROWN TODAY?
One question that continues to interest people who revisit the case is what happened to Cinnamon after her release.

Public reporting confirms that she was paroled in February 1992, at age 21, after serving approximately seven years in a California Youth Authority facility. At the time, she was reported to be living in Orange County and preparing to take a clerical job.

Beyond those details, reliable and independently verified information about her later life is limited.

There have been no widely documented recent court proceedings or confirmed public developments involving her in the reporting reviewed for this article.

It is therefore important not to confuse the lack of recent public information with evidence that something new has happened to her.

Her story is primarily documented through the original investigation, the 1990 trial, contemporary newspaper reporting and the legal records that followed.

A DAUGHTER USED AS A WEAPON AGAINST HER OWN FAMILY
The murder of Linda Brown was not simply a case of a teenager acting out of anger toward a stepmother.

The investigation revealed a much darker arrangement in which David Brown allegedly spent years shaping the beliefs and emotions of two vulnerable teenagers, persuading them that Linda was an obstacle to their future.

Cinnamon carried out the shooting because she believed her father needed her help and trusted his promises that she would not be punished severely.

Patti became involved because of her relationship with David and the future he had promised her.

Meanwhile, David stood to receive a substantial insurance payout and eventually marry the victim’s younger sister.

For years, Cinnamon bore the consequences while the man who had orchestrated the plan lived with the financial benefits of Linda’s death.

It took secret recordings, cooperation from the two young women and years of continued investigation to expose the full story.

The eventual conviction of David Brown brought legal accountability for the person prosecutors identified as the mastermind.

But the case left a lasting reminder of the damage that can occur when a parent exploits a child’s trust — and how a young person’s devotion can be manipulated into something with consequences that last a lifetime.