Diana Stone, a 17-year-old African American female, was tragically murdered on September 29, 1985, in Oakland, California. Her body was discovered near an elementary school, bearing stab wounds to the neck. This brutal crime was part of a series of attacks that plagued the East Bay area during the mid-1980s.
The perpetrator, Anthony McKnight, was a former Navy sailor stationed at the Alameda Naval Air Station.
Between September and December 1985, McKnight committed a series of heinous crimes, resulting in the deaths of five women, including Diana Stone. His victims ranged in age from 13 to 24 and were all subjected to sexual assault before being killed. The murders were characterized by extreme violence, with victims being stabbed or bludgeoned to death.
Initially, McKnight was not apprehended for these murders. However, in 1986, he was arrested and later convicted for separate offenses involving the rape and attempted murder of three women, leading to a 63-year prison sentence. It wasn't until the late 1990s that advancements in DNA technology linked McKnight to the 1985 murders, including that of Diana Stone. This breakthrough led to a new trial, and in 2008, McKnight was convicted of five counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances, making him eligible for the death penalty. He was subsequently sentenced to death and incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison.
McKnight remained on death row until his death on October 17, 2019, at the age of 65. He was found unresponsive in his cell, and the cause of death was not immediately determined. His death marked the end of a long and painful chapter for the families of his victims, including the family of 17-year-old African American female Diana Stone.
