David Carpenter

Case information

David Carpenter (born May 6, 1930), also known as the Trailside Killer, was an American serial killer.

Background

Carpenter was born and raised in San Francisco. He physically abused animals and experienced severe stuttering and bed-wetting. His father was described as alcoholic and he physically abused Carpenter as a child; his mother was described as domineering. As a teenager, Carpenter tortured animals and was incarcerated at 17 for molesting two of his cousins. He married in 1955 and the marriage produced three children.

Carpenter had a history of mental illness described as schizophrenia in relation to another person’s case details within the material, and the material also described Carpenter as having a propensity for violence and explosive rages. He was described as having stuttered so badly by age seven that it was difficult for him to socialize, and as being ridiculed and painfully reclusive. He received no therapy and was forced to participate in extracurricular activities including ballet and piano. The material described him as taking courses in computer printing at the California Trade School, graduating with a degree, and working as a typesetter instructor at an agency affiliated with the school.

The material also described that, between extended prison stays, Carpenter was a suspect in the Zodiac murders but was eventually cleared. It also included discussion that he may have claimed to be the Zodiac.

The offences

The material described a series of murders and rapes committed by Carpenter, including killings near hiking trails around San Francisco, California.

1960 assault and attempted murder

In 1960, Carpenter was arrested and sentenced to 14 years in prison for attacking a woman with a hammer and knife. The incident involved a woman who called for help and was saved by a suspicious military patrol officer, who heard her call for help. Carpenter shot at the military patrol officer, missed, and the officer returned fire and wounded Carpenter. The woman survived, and Carpenter ended up with a 14-year sentence. During the sentencing discussion, the material quoted Douglas stating that “he lost his crippling stutter” prior to and during the incident; it also described that the victim described his speech as slow and deliberate, unlike the way he usually talked, and described him as unduly angry.

Kidnapping and robbery offences (1970) and imprisonment

In 1970, Carpenter was arrested for kidnapping and the material described that he received seven years for kidnap and robbery, and also received two more years for parole violations. It described an escape attempt from the Calaveras County jail with four other inmates, but it said they did not get very far. The material described him as being recaptured by the FBI, doing his time, and being paroled in 1977.

1979–1981 murders and sexual assaults

From 1979 to 1980, Carpenter raped and murdered five women and was suspected of killing at least two others. The material also described him as a late bloomer and described multiple victims killed by firearms, and in some cases by stabbing, and execution-style shootings. It included details of victims’ ages and circumstances, and it described how witnesses provided descriptions and how ballistics linked some killings.

The material described the following killings and associated details:

• Edda Kane (age 44) was murdered in Mt. Tamalpais State Park. The material described her as found dead on a hiking trail on August 20, 1979, with forensics indicating she was murdered execution-style, shot through the head while kneeling. It also described that she had removed $10 from her wallet, taken credit cards, and took her glasses but left her jewelry. It described that the police believed her position showed possible forced subservience and possibly pleading for her life. It also described witnesses describing two lone men, one blond acting strangely and the other wearing a dark blue jacket which made him sweat. It described an autopsy indicating she was shot once with a .44-caliber gun.
• Barbara Schwartz (age 23) was found murdered in the same park in early March, and the material described that she was repeatedly stabbed about the chest while kneeling. It described a witness who watched the event and later admitted her description had been erroneous. It described an account that a pathologist counted twelve separate wounds and estimated a ten-inch knife was used, and that a boning knife was found a few days later but that its location could not be pinned down and that a TV reporter handled it, obliterating fingerprints. It described that bifocal glasses found near the scene proved to be prison issue, and that investigators checked lists of recently released convicts with record of sex crimes.
• Anne Alderson (age 26) disappeared October 15, 1980 while jogging and was found the next afternoon; the material described she was shot with three bullets in the head and that she was kneeling. The material described that Anne had been raped and then allowed to get dressed again; it described a missing right earring and that she was propped face up against a rock.
• Shauna May (age 25) disappeared on November 27 in Point Reyes Park while supposed to keep a lover’s rendezvous; the material described that searchers found her body two days later in a shallow grave. It described she was shot three times in the head and that she had been raped, with clothing information and that she was trussed with picture frame wire. It also described that nearby was Diane O’Connell (age 22), who had disappeared while hiking in the park a month earlier; the material described both women as killed by gunshots to the head, lying together face down, with panties stuffed in Diana’s mouth, and that Diana had been strangled with wire and raped.
• Richard Stowers (age 19) and Cynthia Moreland (age 18) were found at Point Reyes on November 29, and the material described them as having been missing since September; it described their deaths as shot in the head and it described that an autopsy placed their time of death just a few days before Anne Alderson.
• Ellen Hansen (a victim referenced in the Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park incident) and Stephen Haertle were attacked on March 29, 1981 in Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. The material described that a man approached them with a pistol, insisted Hansen allow him to rape her, and when she refused shot her point-blank twice in the head and once in the shoulder; it described Haertle being shot as well but surviving. The material described Haertle providing a description including crooked yellow teeth and a gold jacket with lettering on the back and a baseball cap, and that other witnesses described a red car of foreign make, including a Fiat. It described the attack as including the gunman warning that he meant to rape her.
• Heather Scaggs (age 20) disappeared on May 1, 1981 after being told by Carpenter about a used car; the material described that she was taken to meet Carpenter about purchasing a car, pressured by him, and that her boyfriend Dan Pingle was given Carpenter’s number and address and a time for her return. The material described that police surveillance took place at 36 Sussex Street and that the remains were found in Big Basin Redwood State Park ten days after Carpenter was taken into custody. It described Heather’s death as being executed with a .38 pistol and that she had been raped and shot once through the eye with a .38.
• Anna K. Menjivar (the material identifies her as 17-year-old high school student, missing since December 28 of the previous year) was described as partially identified from a jaw bone found on June 16, 1981 in Castle Rock State Park; the material described evidence that her disappearance was suspected to be related to Carpenter. The material described that Carpenter was a client of Anna’s bank and that he often engaged in conversation with her. The material described that the cause of death could not be established from initial evidence at that stage.

Attempted rape

The material described Carpenter as having been pronounced guilty of raping two women and attempting to rape a third. It also described that in the Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park incident the attacker insisted Hansen allow him to rape her, and that the material described her refusal leading to shooting.

Investigation and evidence

The material described ballistics comparisons and linking of firearms. It described a .45 pistol being used in several killings, and a .38 revolver being used in later killings. It described that a person sold Carpenter a .45 and that Carpenter had gotten rid of it by the time of his arrest; it also described that a .38 bought from Carpenter was used in the last two killings, and that its barrel markings matched bullets fired at Ellen Hansen, Heather Scaggs, and Stephen Haertle. It described police finding that Carpenter had books and many maps about local hiking trails. It described that during surveillance police found in Carpenter’s car books about local hiking trails.

2009–2010 DNA re-examination for Mary Frances Bennett

The material described that in December 2009, San Francisco police reexamined evidence from the October 21, 1979 murder of Mary Frances Bennett. It said Bennett was 23 years old at the time of her murder and she had been jogging at Lands End, San Francisco when she was attacked and stabbed to death. It described that a DNA sample obtained from the evidence matched Carpenter through state Department of Justice files. In February 2010, San Francisco police confirmed the match with a recently obtained sample from Carpenter.

Arrest and pre-trial events

The material described that Carpenter was taken into custody on May 14, 1981. It described that ten days later the remains of Heather Scaggs were found in Big Basin Redwood State Park north of San Francisco. It also described that at the time police noticed Carpenter’s resemblance to composite sketches and a shiny red Fiat similar to the car described near the Hanson murder scene.

The material described a search and arrest at Carpenter’s home at 36 Sussex Street in San Francisco, and it included an exchange in which Carpenter begged, “Please don't hurt me,” when agents told him he was under arrest.

It also described that Carpenter insisted on getting a lawyer and initially seemed confused. The material described that police found over sixty maps about hiking trails.

Trial

First trial (Santa Cruz murders)

The material described Carpenter’s first trial as being for the murders of Heather Scaggs and Ellen Hansen, and the attempted murder of Steve Haertle. It stated that it started on October 11, 1983 and that the judge seated one jury to decide guilt and a second jury to decide the penalty if convicted. It described that DA Art Danner presented an opening argument in May focused on eyewitnesses and ballistics evidence, and that Steve Haertle’s testimony identifying Carpenter as the attacker was persuasive. It said the jury deliberated for eight hours over two and a half days to reach a verdict.

On July 6, 1984, Carpenter was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder. The material included a quote: “The balding, bespectacled defendant had no visible reaction,” reported the Syracuse Post-Standard. It also included a quote attributed to Carpenter’s attorney: “mental mess,” admitting that he was a killer but resisting the idea that he should face the death penalty for it.

The second jury found three special circumstances warranted the death penalty: committing multiple murders, committing during a rape, and lying in wait. The material described that Carpenter was to be given the death sentence via execution in San Quentin’s gas chamber.

The material included Judge Dion Morrow’s sentencing statement, quoted verbatim:

“The defendant's entire life has been a continuous expression of violence and force almost beyond exception. I must conclude with the prosecution that if ever there was a case appropriate for the death penalty, this is it.”

Second trial (Marin County killings)

The material described a second trial opened in San Diego on January 5, 1988, with Deputy DA John Posey and defense counsel Frank Cox and Steve Berlin. The material stated that it took until May 10 for the trial to conclude, and that Carpenter was convicted of all five murders: Richard Stowers, Cynthia Moreland, Shauna May, Diana O’Connell, and Anne Alderson. It stated that he was found guilty of raping two women and attempting to rape a third.

It described that Carpenter testified for seven days and that after seven hours another jury recommended the death sentence, which the judge accepted. The material said that jury forewoman Barbara Durham revealed she had known about Carpenter’s prior convictions in Los Angeles in 1984 for the Santa Cruz murders and concealed this fact during voir dire or during the trial. It described that Judge Herbert Hoffman ruled on February 21, 1989 that a new trial was required because a jury member unlawfully referred to his prior conviction during discussions.

Appeal proceedings and outcome

The material described that in 1994 state prosecutors asked the California Supreme Court in San Francisco to overturn Judge Hoffman’s decision, arguing the evidence for Carpenter’s guilt was overwhelming. It said the Deputy State Public Defender insisted that the jury had been contaminated and the trial was essentially biased and unfair. On March 6, 1995, the court refused to give Carpenter a new trial and stated that it was virtually impossible to keep secrets in such cases and that the forewoman’s knowledge had not unduly biased the jury. It described that the Supreme Court overturned Judge Hoffman’s decision in 1995.

The material then described that in 1997, the state Supreme Court upheld the death penalty for the Scaggs and Hansen murders, and on November 29, 1999 it upheld Carpenter’s death penalty from his second trial. It described that six of the seven judges agreed that he had a fair trial for the five Marin County murders and had been sentenced properly.

Outcome and current status

The material described that Carpenter remained on San Quentin’s death row awaiting appeals through the federal courts. It also described that at age 76 he was the oldest inmate there.

Other details

The material included descriptions of Carpenter’s alleged and documented roles and other incidental details:

• The material described a witness named Dan Pingle in connection with Heather Scaggs’s disappearance.
• The material described Richard Wood as Carpenter’s parole officer and described that Wood facilitated police access to Carpenter.
• The material described that FBI agent Hazelwood and John Douglas worked together on profiling and discussed distinctions between organized and disorganized killers; it also included a quote attributed to Douglas: “He has some kind of defect that really bothers him,” and it included a quote describing the killer: “like a spider waiting for a bug to fly into his web.”
• The material included a discussion of a note in another case: it was addressed to “Shitheels” and stated that by the time the note was discovered, the reader would be “way too late;” the author would be found on the news or on a “slab.” It was signed “Mr. Hate.”
• The material included discussion that Carpenter’s handwriting and fingerprints cleared him as a suspect in the Zodiac murders, and it also noted that some people recalled him at one point claiming to be the Zodiac.
• The material described that Carpenter was formally charged in the murder and attempted murder in Santa Cruz.
• The material included newspaper coverage language including a date: on May 15, 1981, newspapers published stories about Carpenter, the supposed Trailside Killer.
• The material described the date November 29, 1980 as when two other victims were discovered in Point Reyes: Richard Stowers and Cynthia Moreland.