On April 8, 2023, in McKinleyville, California, 30-year-old Mia Simone Felder was fatally shot at the residence of her former partner, 41-year-old Daniel Forrest Rena-Dozier. Rena-Dozier contacted emergency services, reporting that Felder was at his home on Windy Road and refusing to leave. During the response, he informed dispatchers that an altercation had occurred, resulting in Felder being shot.
Upon arrival, Humboldt County Sheriff's deputies found Felder with a gunshot wound; she was transported to a local hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries.
The subsequent investigation led to Rena-Dozier's arrest on charges including murder, possession of a firearm silencer, and tampering with firearm identification marks. A search of his residence uncovered multiple firearms, one equipped with a homemade silencer and another with its serial number removed.
In the legal proceedings that followed, the Humboldt County District Attorney's Office initially charged Rena-Dozier with murder. However, the charge was later reduced to voluntary manslaughter, indicating the killing occurred without premeditation, possibly in the heat of passion.
On June 6, 2024, after a three-week trial, a Humboldt County jury found Rena-Dozier guilty of voluntary manslaughter, felony assault with a semiautomatic firearm, possession of a silencer, and possession of a firearm with the serial number removed. The jury also determined that he personally used a firearm, causing Felder’s death.
Subsequently, on July 8, 2024, Judge Steven Steward sentenced Rena-Dozier to 10 years and 8 months in prison for the killing of Felder. During the sentencing, family members expressed the profound and lasting impact of Felder's death on their lives.
Felder was remembered as a photographer, artist, and writer from Suisun City, California. Her mother, Gloria Felder, expressed that the family was devastated by the loss.
