Windsor woman accused of murder pleads 'not guilty'

A Windsor woman entered a not guilty plea Tuesday to one count of murder in the Dec. 14 stabbing death of her boyfriend inside his Healdsburg apartment.

Sheyna Douprea, 23, answered the charges in Sonoma County court with her long brown hair in a ponytail and her wrists handcuffed to a chain around her waist.

Douprea has been in Sonoma County Jail, held without bail, since shortly after her mother called 911 to report an altercation between Douprea and her boyfriend, Daniel Mooney, 46, in his apartment.

Her attorney, Jamie Thistlethwaite, asked Judge René Chouteau on Tuesday to set a bail amount for her client. She said Douprea is a lifetime resident of Sonoma County and should be allowed an opportunity for release.

“It’s a 187,” Chouteau replied, citing the California Penal Code section for murder. Bail is frequently not an option for murder defendants, although occasionally judges set large amounts for defendants who aren’t a flight risk.

“I’m going to decline to do that,” Chouteau said. “We can reconsider bail at the time of the preliminary hearing.”

Investigators believe Douprea, who has two domestic violence convictions in Sonoma County since 2006, stabbed Mooney twice in the neck with a pocket knife.

The pair had an off-and-on romantic relationship for about a year but, according to his family, were trying to make it work. Douprea was on probation for both of the previous cases and in 2007 was ordered to restart a 52-week domestic violence class, which she hadn’t completed after the first conviction, court records show.

Douprea, the mother of a two-year-old, had held several jobs recently, including a temporary one in The Press Democrat pre-press department.

Douprea’s mother called 911 to report that her daughter had just phoned her and said Mooney was dead. When police arrived at his apartment, Douprea answered the door with blood on her. According to investigators, she initially said she’d arrived at Mooney’s place to find him wounded and reached a busy signal while trying to call 911 several times.

But during an interview later with police, Douprea admitted she’d stabbed him, police said in court documents. He died later at Healdsburg District Hospital. In addition to wounds to his neck, Mooney also had bite marks on his upper body, according to court documents.

Medical records from both Mooney and Douprea have been subpoenaed and an autopsy report on Mooney should be done soon, prosecutor Bob Waner said. Thistlethwaite said she has received very little information from police reports but expects more to be furnished before the preliminary hearing.

Police have searched Douprea’s residence at least twice, Thistlethwaite said. Waner said Douprea underwent a medical exam after her arrest.

According to a search warrant affidavit filed with the court, police said they found several prescriptions for Douprea in Mooney’s apartment, including medications to treat bipolar disorder, manic depression and migraines. They said they found her passport in her car, which was parked outside the apartment.

Waner said the preliminary hearing, after which the judge will determine if there is enough evidence to move toward a trial, shouldn’t take long – perhaps only an hour for his part of the evidence.

Douprea’s 2-year-old daughter is living with a relative.