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David Carpenter

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For other people named David Carpenter, see David Carpenter (disambiguation).
David Carpenter
May 1981 mugshot of Carpenter
Born
David Joseph Carpenter

(1930-05-06) May 6, 1930 (age 95)
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Other namesThe Trailside Killer
The Trail Killer[1]
The Trailside Slayer[2]
The Mount Tam Killer[3]
Convictions
Criminal penaltyLos Angeles County
Death (November 16, 1984)
San Diego County
Death (July 19, 1988)
Details
Victims8–11+
Span of crimes
1950 – May 2, 1981
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
Date apprehended
May 14, 1981; 44 years ago (1981-05-14)
Imprisoned atCalifornia Health Care Facility

David Joseph Carpenter (born May 6, 1930), also called the Trailside Killer,[4] is an American serial killer and sex offender who raped, tortured, and murdered various people in the San Francisco Bay Area between 1979 and 1981. He was sentenced to death for two murders in Santa Cruz County and later for five additional murders in Marin County.[5] He was also confirmed to be responsible for an eighth death in San Francisco through DNA evidence and remains the prime suspect in at least three other cases.[6]

Carpenter began committing sexual assaults at age 15. He was admitted to a mental hospital at age 17 where a psychologist measured his IQ at 125.[7] After his release his crimes escalated to kidnapping, carjacking, stalking, and attempted murder. From August 1979 through May 1981, Carpenter is believed to have murdered eleven people in various state parks in Northern California. He would hide along tree lines on secluded trails and wait for his target to approach and then would restrain, rape, and sometimes torture them until killing them.[8] He used a .38 caliber handgun in all but one of the killings. According to pathologists, Carpenter would get so much enjoyment from tormenting his victims that he would lose his stutter.[9]

Physical descriptions of the killer initially varied[10][11] until a survivor pinpointed Carpenter. At age 95, Carpenter is the oldest death row inmate in California.

Early life

[edit]

David Joseph Carpenter was born in San Francisco on May 6, 1930. In his youth, Carpenter suffered physical abuse by his alcoholic father Elwood and domineering mother Frances, mostly concerning his persistent bed-wetting and cruelty to animals. Frances barred young Carpenter from playing outside with neighborhood kids and forced him to learn to play the violin and take ballet lessons.[12] He attended Glen Park Elementary School where he was bullied for having a stutter. His teachers recommended him to enroll in speech therapy but Frances resisted all efforts.[13]

After he was accused of biting a childhood friend, Carpenter was absent from school for several days and returned with bruises on his arms and legs.[12][14] Around the time he reached his adolescence, he sparked a fierce temper that psychologists would claim developed into sexual rage. He was thrown out of high school after he dragged a female student down the hall after an argument.[15]

First convictions

[edit]

Carpenter has acknowledged he molested several children in his adolescence, including two of his cousins, beginning when he was 15 years old.[14] At age 17, he was arrested for the first time on allegations he sexually assaulted a 3-year-old girl.[16] He was placed in custody of the California Youth Authority before spending several years at Napa State Hospital. He was eventually released before being arrested in 1950 for the rape of a 17-year-old girl, and after pleading not guilty he was acquitted at trial.[17]

In the mid-1950s, Carpenter was employed as a purser on SS Fleetwood.[18] He later gained employment at a San Francisco post office[17] where he met 32-year-old Lois DeAndrade, the future mother of television personality Lisa Rinna.[19] On July 11, 1960, Carpenter, armed with a knife and hammer, was prowling through San Francisco when he approached DeAndrade and slashed her hands with the knife, then when she fell to the ground violently beat her on the head with the hammer. The attack was interrupted by Jewell Hicks, a military officer, who shot and wounded Carpenter.[19] Once in recovery, DeAndrade claimed that, despite Carpenter's apparent stutter, she didn't recall him stuttering at all during the attack. After his arrest, he was booked for assault with a deadly weapon and pleaded guilty, receiving a 14-year federal prison sentence.[17][20] Carpenter was released after seven years.

Carpenter's mugshot on August 4, 1960

From January to February 1970, Carpenter kidnapped, raped, and carjacked several women in Santa Cruz.[21] The first of these cases occurred after he rear-ended a vehicle being driven by a young woman, and after a heated exchange he shoved her to the ground and raped her before stabbing her with a spatula.[13] He was armed with a 16-gauge shotgun during the next two attacks and was described as "extremely dangerous" by police.[22] Around the time of his arrest, the Zodiac Killer was active in the San Francisco Bay Area, which drew high media attention and search efforts. In an effort to gain some sort of attention to himself, he began to refer to himself as "Zodiac" to other inmates.[23] Authorities were alerted and investigated him, but since he had been imprisoned during the time three of the murders occurred, he was cleared.[24] On April 26, Carpenter and five other inmates being held at the Calaveras County jail cut their way through cell bars and escaped.[23] He was captured two weeks later and sentenced to five-years-to-life imprisonment for auto theft and escape charges, and five-to-twenty-five years on kidnapping charges.[25] He served his sentence at Folsom State Prison until being transferred to San Quentin State Prison in 1972, later returning to Folsom before being transferred to California Medical Facility in Vacaville.[26]

Carpenter was paroled for the California convictions in February 1977 but was immediately turned over to federal custody for other convictions.[27] He was granted release on May 2, 1979, and transferred to a halfway house for 60 days and afterwards moved in with his parents in San Francisco's Glen Park neighborhood.[28] Under his parole conditions, he would remain on supervision until October 28, 1982, and would have to report monthly to his parole officer in San Francisco.[29] In October 1979, under the terms of his parole, he began attending a vocational school in Hayward to learn offset printing, and after several months of training he was hired to lecture the course.[30][31]

Murders

[edit]

Beginning sometime in 1979, Carpenter stalked a handful of individuals in the Bay Area, lying in wait of potential victims in tree lines along hiking trails and then confronting them.[32] He originally used a knife in his attacks until he duped a female friend into buying him a .38 caliber revolver in 1980.[27] His victims, aged 18 to 44, were typically women,[6][16] but he also on multiple occasions attacked couples.[32]

Before Carpenter's identification, the murderer was known as the "Mount Tam Killer" by Marin County investigators as most of the killings there occurred within range of Mount Tamalpais. He was later nicknamed the "Trailside Killer" and "Trail Killer" after his murders stretched into Santa Cruz County.[33]

Murder of Mary Bennett

[edit]

On October 21, 1979, Carpenter murdered 23-year-old Mary Francis Bennett from Deer Lodge, Montana, and a graduate of Montana State University. He attacked Bennett as she was jogging at Lands End and forcibly dragged her in nearby bushes and attempted to rape her. After a struggle during which Bennett managed to dislocate one of Carpenter's thumbs, he stabbed her over twenty-five times around her back, throat, breasts and groin.[34] Her neck wounds were so deep that she was nearly decapitated. Several residents reported to have heard Bennett's "prolonged, agonized screams", but didn't investigate as a police car was seen in the area and assumed it would respond to the noises.[35] Carpenter showed up at an emergency room not long after claiming his thumb had been bitten by a dog.[36] Bennett's body was discovered protruding from underbrush at approximately 4:30 p.m. by a group of hitchhikers, who had followed her blood trail from the access road. Carpenter was named a suspect in her murder in 1981,[37] but was not charged due to lack of evidence. His guilt would be established in 2010 with a DNA match.[36]

Marin County murders

[edit]
Rick Stowers and Cynthia Moreland

In September 1980, Carpenter showed his former prison pen pal Mollie Purnell an advertisement for a .38 caliber revolver on sale for $230 in San Leandro and asked her to purchase it for him as part of a favor.[27][38] He told her he wanted to use it to join the mafia and after initially hesitating, Carpenter persuaded her by saying if there was ever a problem, she could tell authorities it had been stolen from her. She purchased the gun on October 2, gifting it to Carpenter and subsequently broke off contact with him.[27][39]

On October 11, Carpenter confronted 19-year-old Richard Edward "Rick" Stowers and 18-year-old Cynthia "Cindy" Moreland, an engaged couple,[40] as they walked along the Sky Camp Trail at the Point Reyes National Seashore park. Using the gun he had obtained, he forced the couple on their knees and shot them execution-style.[41] After several days of not knowing their whereabouts, Moreland's parents and the U.S. Coast Guard (Stowers was enlisted)[42] notified the Marin County Sheriff's Department and the Cotati Police Department of the couple's disappearance.[43] Law enforcement initially believed that Stowers and Moreland had simply eloped, given that Moreland's 1974 Toyota Corolla could not be located and a guardsman at the Training Center Petaluma claiming to have seen Moreland alive three days after her disappearance.[44][45] As such, Stowers was initially labeled a deserter.[46] Later, Moreland's vehicle would be found abandoned in a parking lot near Point Reyes trailhead.[47]

Four days later, on the afternoon of October 14, Carpenter was prowling through Mount Tamalpais State Park when he accosted, raped, and fatally shot 26-year-old Anne Evelyn Alderson, who was an attendee at the nearby Cushing Memorial Amphitheatre.[48] She was reported missing by her father Robert Alderson, a San Rafael doctor, and the next day a search party discovered her body roughly one-quarter mile east of the Amphitheatre.[49] Alderson was a 1976 graduate of Evergreen Valley College, where she studied environmental issues and animal behavior.[50] She had returned to the Bay Area just several months before her murder after volunteering for the Peace Corps in Colombia.[51] Her death sparked a temporary shut down of hiking on Mount Tamalpais.[52]

On November 28, 22-year-old Diane Marie O'Connell, a Cornell University graduate from Queens, New York, went missing while hiking near Point Reyes National Seashore. She was discovered nude and shot to death the next day.[53] Along with her body, police discovered the body of 23-year-old Shauna May of Pullman, Washington, who was shot to death while hiking near Point Reyes National Seashore likely the same day of O'Connell's murder.[54] Like Alderson, May was a graduate of Evergreen State College where she studied social sciences, mathematics, and computer science.[50] Shortly after her body was found, the decomposed bodies of Stowers and Moreland were found.[55]

Investigation

[edit]

A week after Alderson's killing, authorities announced that a local fugitive named Mark McDermand was a suspect in her death and several others. McDermand, a former rock singer, had fled after an arrest warrant was issued for the shooting deaths of his mother and older brother in their Tamalpais Valley home.[56] In response McDermand wrote a letter to Sheriff Al Howardstein saying that while he did in fact kill his mother and brother, he did not kill anybody else. When The Press Democrat reported on the story on October 22, the term "Mount Tam Killer" was given to the assailant.[57] McDermand's arrest did not bring an end to the murders in Marin County and as such he was cleared of suspicion.[58] The following year he pled guilty to the murders of his mother and brother and was given a life sentence.[59]

By early December, the five murders had been linked to the same killer. The profile upon which homicide investigators relied described the killer as a lustful offender who thrived on inflicting psychological torture on his victims and enjoyed when they pleaded for mercy.[60] The profile also indicated that the offender was a misogynist who committed murder to achieve psychological relief but not enough to fully satisfy him, and that his urges would only continue to build up.[61] Police sought to question locals who may have seen suspicious people in the area to form a composite sketch of the suspected killer. One witness who claimed to have seen a suspicious individual in the area of one of the murders described him as a white male in his late 20s or early 30s with medium-length brown hair.[62] Police linked this individual, dubiously, to the murders and a sketch of this man was distributed throughout northern California.[63]

On December 4, an unknown man claiming to be the killer made three phone calls to the Marin County Sheriff's Office before calling into KPIX-TV and KRON-TV. The caller said he disputed the psychological profile drawn of him and exclaimed he was not the "spoiled child" they made him out to be.[64] The man made 14 more phone calls over the next two days saying each time he needed help and that he was ready to surrender, but the calls suddenly ceased after December 6.[65]

Santa Cruz murders

[edit]

On March 29, 1981, Carpenter voyaged over 90 miles to Santa Cruz County and staked out Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. As he looked for potential victims from an observation deck he noticed a couple, 20-year-olds Ellen Marie Hansen and Steven R. Haertle, walking on a secluded trail leading to Monterey Bay.[66] Both were students at the University of California-Davis.[67] Armed with his gun, he approached the couple and stopped them at gunpoint and ordered them to follow him.[68] He then told Hansen "I want to rape you", and when she told him no, he walked both further down the trail before opening fire. Hansen was shot multiple times in the head and killed while Haertle was knocked unconscious having been shot in the neck.[54] Haertle later awoke and sought help from nearby hikers. He was treated for his neck wound which left him with severe nerve damage to his vocal cords and eye, but he made a full recovery.[68]

Heather Scaggs

On May 2, 1981, Carpenter murdered his final victim, 20-year-old Heather Roxanne Scaggs of San Jose, who worked as an assistant printer at the same trade school where he worked.[69] He invited Scaggs to visit him in Santa Cruz, claiming he wanted to sell her a used car. Before leaving for Santa Cruz, Scaggs told her mother and boyfriend, Dan Pingle, that she was meeting with Carpenter.[70] Aware of the murders in the area, Pingle pleaded with her not to go but she refuted the potential danger she was in.[71] Later in the day, once meeting up with Carpenter, he drove her to Big Basin State Park where he brandished his gun and forced her to strip. He then raped and fatally shot her once in the head.[72]

Her disappearance was not initially linked to the Trailside Killer and her decomposing body would not be found until May 24 by a group of hikers in Big Basin State Park. Her identity was confirmed two days later through dental records.[73][74][75]

Connection to previous murders

[edit]
Composite sketches of the Trailside Killer based on descriptions by Haertle and Fritz

After Hansen's murder, law enforcement quickly established that the murder was noticeably similar to the Marin County killer's modus operandi and sought to interview Haertle, who was believed to be the only known individual to have seen the killer's face.[76] When interviewed, Haertle told police that the killer was much older than Marin County investigators thought, instead claiming he was a thin, balding man in his early 50s who was between 5'10" and 6' tall .[77]

Another witness, Fresno resident Leland Fritz, came forward and said he saw the same man on the trail, further corroborating Haertle's statement.[78] Based off their descriptions, two other composite sketches was drawn and published in local newspapers.[79] To help with the investigation, police formed a tip line for anyone with information that would function 18 hours a day.[80]

After the sketch was publicized, a popular theory began circulating that the Trailside Killer could have been the infamous Zodiac Killer who reemerged after eight years of silence.[81][82][83] A 1969 description of the Zodiac Killer described him as between the ages of 35 and 45, while the 1981 description of the Trailside Killer described as between 45 and 50. Law enforcement investigated the link[84] but besides similarities in witness descriptions, police ruled that differing modus operandis led them to conclude that they were two separate killers. One difference was that the Zodiac Killer taunted police and regularly sought media attention, while the Trailside Killer made no effort to do so.[84] After Carpenter's arrest, he was quickly ruled out as a suspect as he was imprisoned during the time the first three Zodiac victims were killed.[85]

Possible victims

[edit]

On August 20, 1979, 44-year-old Edda Kane was found murdered along a hiking trail near Mount Tamalpais.[86] Kane was a bank employee from Mill Valley and an experienced hiker who had last been seen the day prior by her husband. Kane had been stripped of her clothes and shot once in the head by a .44 caliber gun.[87] Days prior to the murder, one of Carpenter's acquaintances had reported that their handgun, a Charter Arms .44 caliber special, had been stolen.[88] The weapon has never been located, but the circumstances surrounding its possible link to the murder have made Carpenter the case's prime suspect.[89]

In addition, Carpenter is the prime suspect in the March 1980 murder of 23-year-old Barbara Schwartz, who was stabbed to death on a trail leading to Mount Tamalpais.[90] A pair of glasses found near her body may have belonged to Carpenter but a lack of sufficient evidence prevented authorities from indicting him.[91]

Following Carpenter's arrest in 1981, the parents of 17-year-old Anna Menjivar, who had gone missing in Daly City in December 1980, asked investigators to look into Carpenter for her case. Daly City police had initially concluded Menjivar was a runaway but revelations that Carpenter frequented a bank where she worked diverted the case and it was investigated as a potential homicide.[92] Menjivar's skull and other bones were found off of Route 35 in June 1981, but the condition she was found in made it unlikely for her cause of death to be determined.[93]

According to Bruce Simpson of the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office, Carpenter was ruled out as a suspect in the 1979 murders of Diane Steffy and Jennifer McDowell.[94]

Surveillance and arrest

[edit]

Carpenter first came to law enforcement attention following an April 4, 1981 tip by a woman named Roberta Patterson, who claimed to have met Carpenter in 1955 while he was working as a purser on a ship sailing to Japan. She said she remembered him exhibiting bizarre behavior around her then 14-year-old daughter.[95] She learned his name when he signed it in her autograph book and said she was "not surprised" when he was later mentioned in the newspaper for his 1960 and 1970 assault convictions.[96]

Authorities noted that Carpenter bore a resemblance to Haertle's description of the killer and he was placed on a person of interest list. Later, when it was revealed that Carpenter had been the last person to have contact with Heather Scaggs, investigators put him under surveillance and covertly surveyed his home in Glen Park for a week.[97] A team of seven FBI agents began their own surveillance of Carpenter on May 12, albeit it was mostly uneventful.[98] In separate police line-ups, Haertle and six other witnesses who saw the killer identified Carpenter with little hesitation.[99]

July 1981 mugshot of Carpenter

Carpenter was arrested outside his San Francisco home on May 14[100] and brought to Santa Cruz County where he was ordered held without bail as authorities sought to investigate him in the murders.[101][102] Detectives issued a search warrant for his home and seized a Sierra Club book that contained maps of various California hiking trails, with paper clips conveniently marking pages containing areas where the murders occurred.[103] They also collected his .38 caliber revolver which, when tested, was determined to be the firearm used in Hansen's murder.[104] The gun was traced back to Mollie Purnell and, when police went to question her, she initially told them what Carpenter coerced her to say and claimed it had been stolen from her. When police threatened to indict her as an accomplice to murder, she recanted and told them she had indeed gifted it to Carpenter.[27]

Carpenter was indicted with the murder of Hansen and eventually indicted with Scaggs' murder on May 26. Marin County investigators obtained Carpenter's firearm and determined that the bullet shells recovered at the crime scenes there undoubtedly originated from his gun;[105] thus, on July 31, the Marin County District Attorney's Office filed five murder charges, two rape charges, and one attempted rape charge against Carpenter.[106] Santa Cruz District Attorney Arthur Danner requested that the murder trials in relation to the deaths of Hansen and Scaggs be combined.[107]

Trials and conviction

[edit]

Los Angeles County

[edit]

In 1982, the California Superior Court granted the defense's motion to move the Santa Cruz trial somewhere else, citing risks of high publicity if tried locally.[108] In December, the defense and prosecutors settled to move the case to Los Angeles County before Superior Court Judge Dion Morrow.[109] Eighteen months later on May 24, 1984, Carpenter's trial for the murders of Ellen Hansen and Heather Scaggs and the attempted murder of Steven Haertle was opened at the Criminal Courts Building (now known as Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center).[110][111]

Santa Cruz County District Attorney Arthur Danner sought the death penalty for Carpenter if convicted. During opening statements, he outlined the murder of Ellen Hansen and Steven Haertle's wounding and later identification of Carpenter: "You will hear him identify David Carpenter as the person who held the gun, and how he could see the bullets in the chamber. He will have to relive a nightmare in his life, but you will hear him tell you without equivocation that David Carpenter is the man who killed Ellen and then wounded him to within two inches of his life."[112] Danner also told the jury how Heather Scaggs had told her boyfriend that she was meeting with Carpenter shortly before she was murdered. In the defense's opening statements, Santa Cruz County Public Defender Steve Wright warned both juries to beware of "speculation, hunches and suspicion" by the prosecution and that their claims could all be argued away on cross examination.[112]

Danner summoned Haertle to the witness stand and asked him to identify his attacker, to which Haertle pointed at Carpenter with no hesitation. Haertle testified that on the day he and Hansen were attacked, they were first approached by Carpenter at gunpoint, who ordered them down the trail into a secluded area.[68] He said that Carpenter pointed toward Hansen and told her "I want to rape you", and when she told him no, he walked both further down the trail until he began firing. In a husky voice, Haertle said that the neck wound he sustained left him with severe nerve damage to his vocal cords and eye.[68]

The Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in Los Angeles, where the first trial took place

During closing arguments on July 3, the defense stunned the courtroom when one of Carpenter's lawyers, Larry Brigham, admitted that his client had killed both victims but said "that will not be an issue in your deliberations", citing Carpenter's competency instead.[113] The jury was allowed recess for the July 4 holiday and deliberated for just over eight hours on July 5 and found Carpenter guilty on two counts of murder, one count of attempted murder, and guilty on special circumstances which made him eligible for the death penalty.[114]

Penalty phase

[edit]

During the penalty phase, the prosecutors called up 18-year-old Tina Marie Vance, whom Carpenter had been acquainted with. She testified that when she was 14, Carpenter showed her his briefcase containing a gun, wires, ropes and a gag, claiming to use them to "scare people".[115] Prosecutors elaborated on Vance's testimony by showing jurors morgue photos of one of the victims in Marin County, who had something tied tightly around her neck. Although the defense objected, Judge Marrow overruled them.[115]

The defense argued circumstances surrounding Carpenter's childhood and summoned two childhood friends to the witness stand. Both recounted how Carpenter's mother would beat and prohibit him from playing outside, instead forcing him take violin lessons. Another defense witness, child abuse expert Jo Ann Cook, testified that based on interviews with Carpenter, his parents, and state records, the abuse he suffered led him to commit a life of crime.[12]

The five-month long trial ended on October 5, when the jury ordered Carpenter to be sentenced to die in the gas chamber.[116] His sentence was formally imposed by Judge Morrow on November 16, who said to Carpenter, "I must conclude with the prosecution that if ever there was a case for the death penalty, this is that case."[117]

San Diego County

[edit]

Three weeks after his sentencing, Carpenter was arraigned in Marin County for the murders committed there. At the arraignment he waived his right to a preliminary hearing within ten days, agreed not to have the charges read to him, and agreed to the appointment of public defender Frank Cox as his attorney.[118] In September 1986, Carpenter's trial was moved to San Diego County before Superior Court Judge Herbert Hoffman.[119] Before the trial, Carpenter fired Cox, later explaining in a letter to the Point Reyes Light that Cox had advised him to plead guilty.[120] He later rehired Cox.[121] The trial commenced on January 5, 1988, with the Marin County District Attorney also seeking the death penalty.[122]

On May 10, 1988, the jury convicted him on five counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Richard Stowers, Cynthia Moreland, Shauna May, Diane O'Connell and Anne Alderson. He was found guilty of raping two of the women and attempting to rape a third. He was again sentenced to death.[123]

Imprisonment

[edit]

Carpenter first arrived on death row at San Quentin State Prison ten days after his Los Angeles County sentencing.[124] One of his initial pastimes while incarcerated was corresponding with the Point Reyes Light newspaper in a series of letters, where he recounted the events of his life, answered readers' questions, and criticized the CDCR management.[125] In an interview with journalist David V. Mitchell, he continued to divert blame for the Trailside murders and said that during that time he was only guilty of selling drugs.[126]

Shortly after the San Diego County convictions, Carpenter filed an appeal because one juror had been improperly informed of his criminal record.[127] In 1989, the California Superior Court ruled in his favor and overturned the convictions.[128][129] The Marin County District Attorney fought the ruling and the case was heard by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1994,[130][131] who overruled the ruling the following year and reinstated the convictions.[132][133] Another appeal was declined by the California Supreme Court.[134] In 1995, the Santa Cruz convictions were overturned due to juror misconduct, but the California Supreme Court later reinstated the convictions.[135] He again attempted to appeal his death sentence for the Marin County convictions in 1999 but failed.[136] In 2009, the San Francisco Police Department reexamined evidence from the 1979 murder of Mary Bennett and a DNA sample obtained from the evidence was matched to Carpenter through state Department of Justice files. Subsequently, in February 2010, police confirmed the match with a recently obtained sample from Carpenter.[137]

He remained on death row awaiting execution until 2019, when California Governor Gavin Newsom instituted a moratorium on executions in California, and in 2023 announced that San Quentin would be repurposed as a rehabilitation center. While California no longer has a literal "death row" in the traditional sense, Carpenter remains under sentence of death.[138]

Health

[edit]

Carpenter became California's oldest death row inmate in 2006 after Clarence Ray Allen was executed.[139] In September 2024, he contracted COVID-19 and was moved to an isolation unit and recovered within days.[140] The following year he was moved to California Health Care Facility (CHCF) in Stockton, with officials citing his inability to walk and interaction struggles.[140][141][142]

[edit]

The Trailside killings provide the context for Joyce Maynard's 2013 novel After Her.[143] On television, both The New Detectives and Born to Kill? made an episode about the case: "Body Count" and "David Carpenter: The Trailside Killer", respectively.[citation needed] In 2023, he was featured on a two-part episode of “Very Scary People”.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Silence in 'trail killer' case. The Modesto Bee. May 23, 1981. Retrieved May 12, 2025.
  2. ^ 'TRAILSIDE SLAYER' CASE: Suspect's Neighbor Shocked At Arrest. The Olympian. Associated Press. May 16, 1981. Retrieved May 4, 2025
  3. ^ Slaying linked to Tam killings. The Modesto Bee. Associated Press. April 2, 1981. Retrieved May 4, 2025.
  4. ^ Clifford L. Linedecker (1997). Smooth Operator: The True Story of Seductive Serial Killer Glen Rogers. New York: St. Martin's Paperbacks. pp. intr. at xi. ISBN 0-312-96400-5.
  5. ^ Elber, Lynn (October 6, 1984). Jury's recommendation: Send Trailside Killer to gas chamber. Daily Breeze. Retrieved April 29, 2025.
  6. ^ a b DNA LINKS 'TRAILSIDE KILLER' TO '79 CASE. Oakland Tribune. February 24, 2010.
  7. ^ David Carpenter. Santa Cruz Sentinel. March 13, 2005. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
  8. ^ Rapist Held As Coastal Killer. The Sacramento Bee. May 16, 1981. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
  9. ^ Gutierrez, Felix (September 13, 1984). Convicted Trailside Slayer lost stutter when facing victims. Santa Cruz Sentinel. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
  10. ^ Park killer linked to 4 bodies. Fort Lauderdale News. December 1, 1980. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
  11. ^ Mount Tam Killer. Oroville Mercury Register. April 15, 1981. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
  12. ^ a b c Trailside Killer was abused child. The Hanford Sentinel. United Press International. August 28, 1984. Retrieved May 4, 2025.
  13. ^ a b 'Trailside murderer' suspect faces charges in several cases. Honolulu Star-Bulletin. May 17, 1981. Retrieved May 9, 2025.
  14. ^ a b Carpenter molested children as a teen, social worker says. The Californian. August 29, 1984. Retrieved May 4, 2025.
  15. ^ Trial in Marin 'trailside slayings' opens. Chico Enterprise-Record. January 6, 1988. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  16. ^ a b Ramsland, Katherine. "The Trailside Killer of San Francisco: The Man Behind the Predator". TruTV Crime Library. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
  17. ^ a b c Estrada, George (May 17, 1981). Trailside murder suspect profile reveals tormented man. Oakland Tribune. Retrieved April 29, 2025.
  18. ^ Boss: Police Ignored 'Trailside' Tip. Desert Dispatch. United Press International. May 21, 1981. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
  19. ^ a b Assault on Woman With Hammer Told. San Mateo County Times. July 12, 1960. Retrieved April 29, 2025.
  20. ^ Penrose, Nerisha (April 19, 2019). "Lisa Rinna's Mother Lois Was Once Attacked by a Convicted Serial Killer". ELLE.
  21. ^ Parolee Charged In Two Assaults. Vallejo Times Herald. United Press International. July 31, 1970. Retrieved May 4, 2025.
  22. ^ Dragnet Out For Suspect In Abduction. The Times. January 30, 1970. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
  23. ^ a b Police Seek Jail Escapee In Calaveras. The San Francisco Examiner. April 27, 1970. Retrieved May 4, 2025.
  24. ^ Keraghosian, Greg (October 25, 2020). "'Do not hike alone': For 21 months, the Trailside Killer terrorized Bay Area's outdoors". The San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on 2020-10-25.
  25. ^ Two Escapees Are Sent To Penitentiary. The Modesto Bee. May 7, 1970. Retrieved May 14, 2025.
  26. ^ Hiker Slayings Suspect Arrested In California. The News of Cumberland County. United Press International. May 16, 1981. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
  27. ^ a b c d e Witness tells judge she bought gun. Santa Cruz Sentinel. September 5, 1985. Retrieved May 8, 2025.
  28. ^ Police Arrest Rapist For Ritualistic Murder. Concord Monitor. Associated Press. May 16, 1981. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
  29. ^ Finefrock, James A. (May 15, 1981). Suspect: ex-con and escapee. The San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
  30. ^ Mitchell, Dave (May 21, 1981). Trail murder suspect jailed. Point Reyes Light. Retrieved May 8, 2025.
  31. ^ Finefrock, Frank A.; Young, Caroline (May 17, 1981). Carpenter left many warnings on his violent trail. The San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
  32. ^ a b Carpenter linked to local pair. The Press Democrat. May 27, 1981. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
  33. ^ Special Task Force Continues Probe Of Trailside Killer. Santa Cruz Sentinel. April 21, 1981. Retrieved May 9, 2025.
  34. ^ Big city thrill lured victim from her home. Merced Sun-Star. October 26, 1979. Retrieved April 29, 2025.
  35. ^ Navarro, Mireya (October 23, 1979). 'Quiet,' 'ambitious,' 'best' — slain jogger mourned. The San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved April 29, 2025.
  36. ^ a b Montana family of 'Trailside Killer' victim remembers. Billings Gazette. March 15, 2010. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  37. ^ Pogash, Carol (May 31, 1981). Trailside probers study 2 new cases. The San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
  38. ^ Judge opens sealed testimony of hearings in trailside slayings. Oakland Tribune. Associated Press. May 14, 1982. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
  39. ^ Defendant: At work, store during killings. North County Times. Associated Press. April 7, 1988. Retrieved May 29, 2025.
  40. ^ No new calls in Marin case. The Press Democrat. December 11, 1980. Retrieved April 29, 2025.
  41. ^ Smith, Chris (December 2, 1980). Pt. Reyes bodies identified. The Press Democrat. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
  42. ^ INFORMATION WANTED. Point Reyes Light. February 19, 1981. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
  43. ^ Pepper, Ann; Brewster, Rod (December 2, 1980). Parents' search ends in tragedy. Petaluma Argus-Courier. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
  44. ^ Teen couple disappears on coast road. Petaluma Argus-Courier. November 22, 1980. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
  45. ^ CYNTHIA MORELAND. Oakland Tribune. May 17, 1981. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
  46. ^ Leader, Lewis (December 2, 1980). Identification ends dad's long quest. The San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
  47. ^ No leads found in hiking trail murders. Times Record News. December 3, 1980. Retrieved May 4, 2025.
  48. ^ Trailside Suspect Faces Total Of 7 Murder Counts. The Napa Valley Register. August 1, 1980. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  49. ^ Woman's Body Found. Desert Dispatch. October 16, 1980. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  50. ^ a b Two Murder Victims Studied At Evergreen. The Olympian. December 2, 1980. Retrieved May 4, 2025.
  51. ^ Clues sought in slaying on Mt. Tamalpais. Oakland Tribune. October 16, 1980. Retrieved April 29, 2025.
  52. ^ Todd, John (October 16, 2025). Tam closed in hunt for clues. The San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved April 29, 2025.
  53. ^ DIANE O'CONNELL. Oakland Tribune. May 17, 1981. Retrieved April 29, 2025.
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  55. ^ Four Bodies Found. Santa Cruz Sentinel. November 30, 1980. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
  56. ^ Arrest warrant issued. Oakland Tribune. October 21, 1980. Retrieved May 8, 2025.
  57. ^ Suspect denies Mount Tam slayings. The Press Democrat. October 22, 1980. Retrieved May 8, 2025.
  58. ^ Todd, John (December 3, 1980). Suspect in another case cleared in Mt. Tam, Pt. Reyes murders. The San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  59. ^ Convicted killer gets life sentence. The Daily Breeze. September 2, 1981. Retrieved May 8, 2025.
  60. ^ Threat of sadistic killer frightens Coast residents. The Evening News. December 3, 1980. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
  61. ^ Seven Hiker Murders Linked To One Man. Santa Cruz Sentinel. Associated Press. December 2, 1980. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
  62. ^ Hunt for psychopathic killer continues. Orland Unit-Register. December 2, 1980. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  63. ^ Random killings make police job tough. The San Francisco Examiner. January 14, 1981. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  64. ^ Leighty, John M. (December 8, 1980). Sketch 'lookalike' questioned in hiking deaths but released. The Fresno Bee. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
  65. ^ Parkland 'caller' silent. The Press Democrat. December 12, 1980. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
  66. ^ Haines, Max (October 16, 1981). Carpenter walked a trail of death. Times & Transcript. Retrieved May 4, 2025.
  67. ^ Police Hope to Query UCD Student Who Survived Attack. The Sacramento Bee. April 1, 1981. Retrieved May 4, 2025.
  68. ^ a b c d Hiker identifies Trailside defendant as man who murdered his girlfriend. Daily Press. May 25, 1984. Retrieved May 4, 2025.
  69. ^ Abouzeid, Pam; Van der Veer, Rudd (May 16, 1981). Friends fear worst for missing woman. Oakland Tribune. Retrieved May 8, 2025.
  70. ^ Mitchell, Dave (May 21, 1981). Trail murder suspect jailed. Point Reyes Light. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
  71. ^ Young, Caroline (May 16, 1981). Scaggs' friend: 'I just want my old lady back'. The San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved May 8, 2025.
  72. ^ Carpenter faces new charge. The Berkeley Gazette. May 28, 1981. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
  73. ^ Trailside Killer's appeal denied. Santa Cruz Sentinel. April 29, 1997. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
  74. ^ DeMain, Don (May 26, 1981). Woman found near trail shot to death. Oakland Tribune. Retrieved May 8, 2025.
  75. ^ Five more murder charges to be added in trailside case. The Union. May 27, 1981. Retrieved May 8, 2025.
  76. ^ Townsend, Peggy R. (April 1, 1981). Cowell Park, Marin Killings Linked. Santa Cruz Sentinel. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
  77. ^ Have You Seen This Man?. Santa Cruz Sentinel. April 20, 1981. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
  78. ^ Trailside slayings witness firm on his identification. Peninsula Times Tribune. January 10, 1988. Retrieved May 12, 2025.
  79. ^ Mount Tam killer. The Berkeley Gazette. April 15, 1981. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  80. ^ Deputies Establish Mt. Tam Tip Line. Santa Cruz Sentinel. April 13, 1981. Retrieved May 4, 2025.
  81. ^ Zodiac, Hiker Killings Possibly Linked. The Sacramento Bee. April 6, 1981. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
  82. ^ 'Trail,' Zodiac Killers Similar. Abilene Reporter-News. Associated Press. April 6, 1981. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
  83. ^ Has Zodiac resurfaced as 'trailside killer'?. The Fresno Bee. Associated Press. April 6, 1981. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
  84. ^ a b 'Trailside killer' similar to '60s' Zodiac murderer. The Journal Herald. April 6, 1981. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
  85. ^ Police Reject Suspect As 'The Zodiac'. The Sacramento Bee. May 17, 1981. Retrieved May 4, 2025.
  86. ^ Burkhardt, Bill (August 21, 1979). Woman hiker found murdered on Mt. Tam. The San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved May 3, 1979.
  87. ^ Einstein, David (December 1, 1980). Police fear trail killer strike again. The Flint Journal. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  88. ^ Link to eighth trailside murder told. The Berkeley Gazette. May 21, 1981. Retrieved May 12, 2025.
  89. ^ Morris, Jim (February 17, 1987). Reputed 'Trailside Killer' faces trial in more deaths. The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  90. ^ Woman hiker found slain. Free Lance. March 10, 1980. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
  91. ^ Another link in Trailside case. The Press Democrat. May 21, 1981. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
  92. ^ Itow, Laurie; Finefrock, James A. (May 17, 1981). Missing teen-ager knew the suspect. The San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
  93. ^ Condition Of Remains Hinders Slaying Probe. Santa Cruz Sentinel. June 17, 1981. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
  94. ^ Young, Caroline (May 27, 1981). Second murder charge against Carpenter filed. The San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved May 31, 2025.
  95. ^ Suspect May Be Linked To 8th Killing. The Sun. May 21, 1981. Retrieved May 15, 2025.
  96. ^ Beatty, Paul (May 19, 1981). Woman Remembers Carpenter From '55. Santa Cruz Sentinel. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
  97. ^ Trailside suspect identified. Free Lance. May 18, 1981. Retrieved May 4, 2025.
  98. ^ Accused Trailside Killer under FBI surveillance. Auburn Journal. United Press International. June 14, 1984. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
  99. ^ Witnesses pick suspect out of trail killer lineup. The San Francisco Examiner. May 18, 1981. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  100. ^ Murray, William D. (May 17, 1981). Coastal Killer Probe Adds To Victim List. The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  101. ^ Townsend, Peggy G. (May 15, 1981). Trailside Suspect in Custody. Santa Cruz Sentinel. May 4, 2025.
  102. ^ Rapist Held As Coastal Killer. The Sacramento Bee. May 16, 1981. Retrieved May 4, 2025.
  103. ^ Tell-tale maps found. The Union. January 22, 1988. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  104. ^ Carpenter charged in trail killing. Petaluma Argus-Courier. United Press International. May 19, 1981. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  105. ^ Five Murder Charges To Be Added in Trailside Case. The Huntsville Times. Associated Press. May 27, 1981. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  106. ^ Trail murder suspect faces more charges. Argus-Courier. July 31, 1981. Retrieved May 4, 2025.
  107. ^ Carpenter Due In Court On Second Murder Count. Santa Cruz Sentinel. May 28, 1981. Retrieved May 4, 2025.
  108. ^ Beatty, Paul (February 8, 1982). A Change Of Venue For The "Trailside' Trial. Santa Cruz Sentinel. Retrieved May 4, 2025.
  109. ^ Judge assigned, date due in trailside trial. Santa Cruz Sentinel. December 29, 1982. Retrieved May 4, 2025.
  110. ^ McNicholas, John (May 24, 1984). First witness on stand. Santa Cruz Sentinel. Retrieved May 4, 2025.
  111. ^ McNicholas, John (July 5, 1984). Trailside jurors continue deliberations. Santa Cruz Sentinel. Retrieved May 31, 2025.
  112. ^ a b Opening statements heard in 'Trailside Slaying' case. Thousand Oaks Star. May 24, 1984. Retrieved May 4, 2025.
  113. ^ 'Trailside' case attorney admits client killed two. The Press Democrat. July 3, 1984. Retrieved May 4, 2025.
  114. ^ Carpenter guilty of killings. Peninsula Times Tribune. July 7, 1984. Retrieved May 4, 2025.
  115. ^ a b Carpenter kept 'tools' in a bag witness testifies. The Californian. August 22, 1984. Retrieved May 4, 2025.
  116. ^ Jury Calls For Death Sentence. The Daily Times. October 6, 1984. Retrieved May 4, 2025.
  117. ^ Trailside killer sentenced to death. The Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. November 17, 1984. Retrieved May 12, 2025.
  118. ^ Todd, John (December 7, 1984). 'Trailside Killer' appears in Marin courtroom. The San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved May 12, 2025.
  119. ^ Trial Ordered. Desert Dispatch. September 20, 1986. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
  120. ^ Mitchell, Dave (February 27, 1986). Trailside killer suspect fires defense attorney. Point Reyes Light. Retrieved May 8, 2025.
  121. ^ Suspect rehires defense lawyer. Point Reyes Light. March 20, 1986. Retrieved May 26, 2025.
  122. ^ 'Trailside Slayer' trial begins. Santa Maria Times. January 5, 1988. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
  123. ^ "People v. Carpenter (1999)". justia.com.
  124. ^ "Trailside Killer" In San Quentin Awaiting Trial For 5 Marin County Murders According To Authorities. Half Moon Bay Review & Pescadero Pebble. December 13, 1984. Retrieved May 12, 2025.
  125. ^ Trailside killer suspect answers reader questions. Point Reyes Light. July 24, 1986. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
  126. ^ Carpenter may testify in court. Argus-Courier. United Press International. August 31, 1985. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
  127. ^ New trial asked for trailside killer. Daily Times-Advocate. Associated Press. September 29, 1988. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
  128. ^ Conviction in Trail Deaths Set Aside. The Los Angeles Times. June 14, 1989. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
  129. ^ Marin's $3 million trailside case out. Point Reyes Light. June 15, 1989. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
  130. ^ Court to consider new trial for 'trailside killer'. Ukiah Daily Journal. Associated Press. December 7, 1994. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
  131. ^ 'Trailside' killer case back in court. Santa Cruz Sentinel. December 8, 1994. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
  132. ^ 'Trailside slayings' appeal rejected. The Press Democrat. Associated Press. November 14, 1995. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
  133. ^ Rolland, David (November 22, 1995). Supreme Court rejects Trailside Killer's appeal. Point Reyes Light. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
  134. ^ Egelko, Bob (March 7, 1995). Trailside killer's conviction stands, state court says. The Modesto Bee. Retrieved May 6, 2025.
  135. ^ "In re Carpenter - 9 Cal.4th 634 S011273 - Mon, 03/06/1995 | California Supreme Court Resources". scocal.stanford.edu.
  136. ^ Justices Uphold Second Death Penalty for 'Trailside Killer'. The Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. November 30, 1999. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  137. ^ Van Derbeken, Jaxon (February 24, 2010). "DNA ties Trailside Killer to '79 S.F. slaying". The San Francisco Chronicle.
  138. ^ Wiley, Hannah (May 1, 2025). "Life after California's death row: What happens when condemned inmates get a second chance". Los Angeles Times.
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  140. ^ a b Wiley, Hannah (May 1, 2025). Life after California’s death row: What happens when condemned inmates get a second chance. The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
  141. ^ "David Carpenter Profile". Killer Updates. March 30, 2025.
  142. ^ "As end to death row nears in California, we meet condemned inmates held in extreme conditions". Yahoo News. 2024-04-04. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  143. ^ Maynard, Joyce (August 14, 2013). "Echoes of the Savage and Sublime on Mount Tamalpais". The New York Times.

Sources

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Further reading

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