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Convicted serial killer David Carpenter has been sitting on death row at the San Quentin Prison in California for nearly four decades now. Dubbed the Trailside Killer for committing multiple murders near hiking trails in San Francisco in the late '70s and early '80s, Carpenter was convicted on five counts of first-degree murder and other related charges including r*pe and was sentenced to death in 1984.
Although the start of Carpenter's crimes dates back to the '60s, he only began committing murders once he was released from prison after his second conviction. He was arrested in May 1981 after one of his final victims escaped and was able to provide the police with his description. He was tried in two different counties in two highly-publicized trials.
Very Scary People on ID returns with its fifth installment about David Carpenter's case on April 16, in an episode titled The Trailside Killer.
Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of s*xual assault, violence, and murder. Reader discretion is advised.
What led to the arrest of the notorious David Carpenter aka The Trailside Killer?
Prior to David Carpenter's arrest in May 1981, the woodlands, mountains, and hiking trails near San Francisco were plagued by a mysterious killer who primarily targeted women, sometimes viciously r*ping them before shooting them execution style. The trails became devoid of tourists after The Trailside Killer, dubbed by the press, drove a wave of panic amongst people, especially hikers.
Carpenter's killings peaked during the late '80s when at least five people - Anne Alderson (26) in Mount Tamalpais State Park and Diane O’Connell (22), Shauna May (25), Cindy Moreland (18), and Moreland’s fiance Rick Stowers (19) were all found in shallow graves at the Point Reyes National Seashore on the same day.
Prior to that, there had been a couple of other killings with the first one, that of Edda Kane, dating back to August 1979. All the murders were connected because the killer was likely using the same .38-caliber pistol, which led authorities to believe that a serial killer was on the loose. Moreover, the majority of the victims were found murdered and r*ped in identical manners.
Authorities weren't able to chase any suspects until they got their first breakthrough on March 27, 1981, when the serial killer reportedly attacked Ellen Hansen and her boyfriend Steven Haertle, two university students camping and hiking at Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. Hansen was shot and killed, but Haertle escaped. He later gave investigators a description of the assailant.
In May of that year, Heather Scaggs disappeared after informing her mother and boyfriend that she was visiting her coworker David Carpenter to discuss purchasing a used vehicle from him.
Given his extensive history of r*pe and assault, Carpenter quickly came to be considered a suspect. He also matched the description Haertle had given the investigators. Additionally, his car resembled one that witnesses spotted at a few of the crime scenes. He was arrested not long after.
David Carpenter is one of the oldest convicts on death row at San Quentin
John Posey, who at the time served as Marin County's senior deputy district attorney and prosecuted five of David Carpenter's killings, gives a number of people credit for his capture, including the San Jose police officers who initially spoke with the serial killer and Haertle, who was considered "the best eyewitness."
On July 31, 1981, Carpenter was charged with five counts of murder, rape, and attempted rape. His trial was moved to Los Angeles County due to the widespread media attention the killings in Santa Cruz County received. The serial killer was found guilty on five counts of first-degree murder in the slayings of Richard Stowers, Cynthia Moreland, Shauna May, Diane O'Connell, and Anne Alderson.
Carpenter was later found guilty of attempted r*pe and r*pe of other victims. In November 1984, he received a gas chamber death sentence. He is still awaiting execution at San Quentin. He was also convicted by the same jury of the attempted murder of Hansen's hiking buddy Steven Haertle, the attempted r*pe of Hansen, and the r*pe of Scaggs.
David Carpenter remains a suspect in multiple other killings and was linked to a few others using DNA.
