About David Carpenter
David Joseph Carpenter, born on May 6, 1930, is an American serial killer infamously known as the ‘Trailside Killer’.
He was convicted of murdering multiple victims along hiking trails in California during the late 1970s and early 1980s. His crimes, involving sexual assault, torture, and execution-style shootings, terrorizing the Bay Area, leading to one of California’s most extensive manhunts.
Carpenter stalked and ambushed victims—primarily women—on remote trails in parks such as Mount Tamalpais and the Marin Headlands. He often used a .38 caliber handgun, sometimes forcing victims into secluded areas before killing them. His crimes were marked by extreme brutality and psychological manipulation. With a troubled past, a violent criminal history, and a highly publicized capture, Carpenter remains one of California’s most notorious serial killers.
NAME: David Carpenter
ALIAS: Trailside Killer
DOB: May 6, 1930
COUNTRY: USA
VICTIMS: 8
ARRESTED: May 14, 1981
SENTENCE: Sentenced to death in November 1984. Commuted to life without parole.
PRISON: California Health Care Facility (CHCF), Stockton, California – Previously (Death Row) San Quentin Prison, California
WHERE IS David Carpenter NOW?
- Sentenced to death in November 1984. Commuted to life without parole.
David Carpenter is currently incarcerated in the California Health Care Facility (CHCF), Stockton, California, he was moved there after spending over 40 years on death row in San Quentin Prison, California.
March 2019: His sentence has been commuted to life without parole due to a moratorium on executions in California. California had not conducted an execution since 2006 when Governor Gavin Newsom imposed a moratorium on executions in March 2019. David Carpenter, was one of the 638 prisoners removed from death row [3] since the moratorium was imposed.
Through all these years he had multiple appeals, all rejected. He has maintained his innocence ever since his arrest. The last reported appeal was on December 15, 2023.
In February 2010, San Francisco police finally solved a three-decade-old cold case, officially connecting serial killer David Joseph Carpenter to the 1979 murder of Mary Bennett. This marked Bennett’s killing as Carpenter’s first documented homicide—though investigators suspect earlier victims may exist.
Despite overwhelming evidence, Carpenter—already serving life sentences for the “Trailside Killer” murders—denied any involvement. “He denied knowing her, and he denied killing her,” homicide inspector stated. Yet forensic advancements and re-examined case files left little doubt of his guilt. [1]
In June 2013 Carpenter had an interview with Boston Woodard, revealing information about his life while in prison. [2]
Whilst in San Quentin, David Carpenter occupied a single cell where he spent much of his time reviewing legal documents related to his case and corresponding through letters. His limited privileges included access to a personal television, three weekly outdoor recreation periods, and monthly escorted movements—whether for religious services, medical appointments, or visits from approved friends or family. [2]
Despite his convictions, Carpenter maintains his innocence, claiming, “I was the logical suspect. Everyone was convinced I was the trailside killer long before I was charged with any of those murders. Even the investigators knew I was innocent. I was convicted by the media long before I was even found guilty of a crime.” [2]
Now a self-described devout Catholic, he attended weekly Mass in San Quentin’s East Block, forming what he calls a meaningful bond with the prison chaplain, Father George Williams.
Father Williams stated that Carpenter “is a very devout, well-informed Catholic who attends all services provided to the men on his yard on Death Row. He is well liked by many of the guys and those who are in contact with him.” [2]
- Feb 24, 2010: Investigators linked Carpenter to the 1979 murder of Mary Bennett. [1]
- Jun 18, 2013: Had an interview in prison [2]
- Mar 2019: Sentence has been commuted to life without parole.
- Dec 15, 2023: Another appeal rejected. [4]
- May 2024: Relocated to the California Health Care Facility, Stockton, California.
[1] ABC News: DNA links ‘Trailside Killer’ to 1979 SF murder – February 24, 2010
[2] Community Alliance: The Prison Press: Conversation with David Carpenter, aka “The Trailside Killer” – August 1, 2013
[3] Deathpenalty.org: San Quentin Prison’s death row — the largest in the country — is closed – June 27, 2024
[4] Case-law.vlex.com: Carpenter v. Broomfield
CRIMES COMMITTED
Active in Northern California from 1979 to 1981, David Joseph Carpenter—infamously dubbed the “Trailside Killer” —terrorized hikers in some of the state’s most picturesque wilderness areas. Preying on victims along remote trails, he was ultimately convicted of numerous murders, leaving behind a chilling legacy of violence in California’s outdoor spaces. His crimes not only shocked the public but also forever changed the way people viewed safety in nature.
Before becoming the infamous “Trailside Killer”, David Joseph Carpenter committed his first documented violent crime in July 1960 against Lois DeAndrade (later known as Lois Rinna)—whose daughter, Lisa Rinna, would later gain fame as a reality TV star.
Carpenter, who knew Lois through work, exploited their acquaintance to lure her into a trap. Having recently welcomed a newborn, he invited her to visit his family, playing on her familiarity with his wife. Lois agreed, and Carpenter picked her up at a bus stop under the guise of taking her to his home.
Instead, he drove down a secluded road, where he violently assaulted her—stabbing her in the hand and bludgeoning her multiple times with a hammer in an attempted rape and murder.
The attack was interrupted by military policeman Wayne Hicks, who grew suspicious upon seeing them enter the deserted area. When Hicks intervened, Carpenter opened fire, prompting a shootout. Hicks returned fire, striking Carpenter in the stomach and leg—an injury that ultimately led to his capture.
Carpenter was convicted of kidnapping, rape, and attempted murder, receiving a 14-year federal prison sentence. However, he served only half that time before release. His violent tendencies persisted. In 1970 he was rearrested for another kidnapping, serving 7 more years. In 1977 he was released again—only to escalate into his infamous Trailside Killer murders two years later:
October 21, 1979 – Mary Frances Bennett
The savage killing of 23-year-old Mary Frances Bennett sent shockwaves through San Francisco in 1979. While jogging near Lands End, the young woman was ambushed, stabbed 25 times in a frenzied attack, and subjected to horrific mutilation. Her assailant then attempted to conceal the crime, burying her body in a shallow grave hastily covered with dirt and foliage.
The gruesome discovery came when alert hikers near the Palace of the Legion of Honor noticed a trail of blood. Following it to its source, they made the chilling find of Bennett’s still-warm body – a grim testament to how recently the violence had occurred. The location, just yards from a popular cultural landmark, made the brutality of the crime all the more shocking to the community.
October 15, 1980 – Anne Alderson
Anne Alderson, 26 encountered pure evil during her hike through Mount Tamalpais State Park. David Joseph Carpenter ambushed the young woman, executing her with three close-range gunshots from a handgun. In a final act of brutality, he sexually assaulted her lifeless body before leaving her posed in a haunting kneeling position – her face turned toward the ground.
The grim discovery came nearly a year later when a hiker stumbled upon Alderson’s remains. The crime scene bore disturbing similarities to Edda Kane’s murder – both women shot execution-style in the back of the head. But Alderson’s case revealed Carpenter’s escalating violence, with the added horror of postmortem sexual assault.
The subsequent police investigation hit immediate obstacles. Eyewitness accounts varied wildly, with descriptions of the suspect ranging from a middle-aged man in his 50s to conflicting reports about his appearance and behavior in the park. These inconsistencies would tragically allow Carpenter to continue his killing spree for months before his eventual capture.
October , 1980 – Richard Stowers and Cynthia Moreland
In mid-October 1980, young couple Richard Stowers, 19 and Cynthia Moreland, 18 vanished during what should have been a routine hiking trip through the scenic Point Reyes National Seashore. Their disappearance became part of a growing nightmare when their bodies were discovered the following month during the intensive search for two other missing hikers – Diane O’Connell and Shauna May.
The crime scene evidence told a chilling story: ballistic analysis revealed the same .38-caliber pistol had been used to murder Stowers, Moreland, and Anne Alderson. The matching shell casings connected these killings to a single, calculating predator – a breakthrough that would eventually help investigators identify David Carpenter as the notorious “Trailside Killer.”
November 28, 1980 – Shauna May and Diana O’Connell
On a quiet afternoon at Point Reyes National Seashore Park, between 3:10 and 3:20 PM, hikers reported hearing gunshots echo through the Sky Trail area. What followed was one of the most harrowing crime scene discoveries in the park’s history.
Search teams—comprising rangers, volunteers, and police—scoured the area. One searcher spotted a shoe protruding from the ferns, leading to the grim find of Richard Stowers, 19 and Cynthia Moreland, 18, lying face down in the underbrush. Hours later, just yards away, they uncovered the bodies of Diane O’Connell, 22 and Shauna May, 25 positioned side by side in the same macabre fashion.
The crime scenes revealed Carpenter’s escalating sadism: Diane O’Connell had been strangled with a wire while alive, then shot in the head. A pair of underpants were stuffed into her mouth and nose, while another bloodstained pair lay draped over her arm. Shauna May bore ligature marks on her wrists and had been raped before she was killed. Semen was found in her vagina and anus. Though no semen was detected on O’Connell, forensic evidence confirmed she, too, had been sexually assaulted before her death.
The most disturbing detail is that two women were strangers. Detectives theorized that one had stumbled upon Carpenter mid-attack—sealing her fate alongside the original victim.
March 29, 1981 – Ellen Hansen and Steven Haertle
On March 29, 1981, the serene trails of Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park became the setting for one of David Carpenter’s most brazen assaults. Twenty-year-old UC Davis students Ellen Hansen and Steven Haertle, enjoying their Spring Break hike through the Santa Cruz Mountains, had just passed the park’s observation tower when their peaceful afternoon turned into a nightmare.
Carpenter confronted the pair with chilling directness, announcing his intention to rape Hansen. After sexually assaulting the young woman, he opened fire on both victims. In a desperate act of resistance, Haertle – despite being shot in the neck himself – attempted to intervene during the attack. Tragically, Hansen died at the scene, while Haertle miraculously survived his grievous wound.
The surviving victim provided investigators with a crucial breakthrough: a detailed description of the assailant that would later prove instrumental in identifying Carpenter. Haertle’s positive identification of Carpenter in a police lineup marked a pivotal moment in the investigation, finally giving authorities the evidence they needed to connect the violent crimes terrorizing California’s parks.
May 1, 1981 – Heather Skaggs
Heather Scaggs, a 20-year-old college student working part-time at Econo Quick Print, vanished on May 1, 1981, after accepting a ride from her co-worker, David Carpenter. The young woman had been excited about Carpenter’s offer to help her purchase a car in Santa Cruz—he had promised to inspect the vehicle and even loan her money. As a precaution, Heather had shared Carpenter’s details with her concerned boyfriend, Dan Piggle, before leaving.
Tragically, this act of ordinary trust would cost Heather her life.
On May 24, 1981, hikers in Big Basin State Park made a grim discovery: Heather’s nude, decomposing body. Forensic evidence revealed she had been raped and executed with a point-blank gunshot to the face. The same .38-caliber handgun used to kill Ellen Hansen weeks earlier—a weapon definitively linked to Carpenter—had ended Heather’s life.
Suspected victims:
August 19, 1979 – Edda Kane, 44
September 1979 – Carol Laughlin, 19
December 28, 1980 – Anne Menjivar, 17
March 1980 – Barbara Schwartz, 23
CAPTURE & INVESTIGATION
When Heather Scaggs failed to return home, her boyfriend Dan Pingle’s immediate confrontation with David Carpenter revealed alarming inconsistencies—Carpenter denied their planned meeting, triggering Pingle’s police report. This disappearance resurrected investigators’ suspicions about Carpenter, whose resemblance to the Trailside Killer composite sketch now seemed more than coincidental.
Parole officer Richard Wood, reviewing Carpenter’s file with detectives, experienced a chilling realization—the pieces fit too well. Surveillance teams descended on Carpenter’s residence, documenting his movements via FBI surveillance vans. Tactical officers approached him cautiously during his arrest, aware he might be armed. The evidence quickly mounted: his red Fiat matched witness descriptions, complete with distinctive bent tailpipe, 60+ hiking trail maps and guidebooks found in his home, a former fiancée confirmed he owned (and suspiciously “lost”) the gold jacket described by witnesses, Recent appearance changes, explosive temper, and history of violent sexual offenses.
Survivor Steven Haertle, facing his attacker again in the police lineup, immediately identified Carpenter despite his new beard. Multiple witnesses corroborated the identification, as did those who recognized his distinctive vehicle.
The recovery of Heather Scaggs’ remains in Big Basin Redwoods Park on May 24 confirmed investigators’ worst fears. The crime scene mirrored Carpenter’s MO: concealed nude body, sexual assault, and execution-style .38-caliber gunshot wound.
The case solidified when police recovered the murder weapon—a .38 Carpenter had tried to dispose of through an unwitting accomplice. Despite his persistent claims of innocence and dramatic courtroom stuttering episodes, the mountain of evidence ensured justice would be served.
Authorities charged Carpenter with: 5 murders (Alderson, O’Connell, May, Moreland, Stowers), 2 sexual assaults, 1 attempted rape, the attack on Hansen and Haertle.
TRIAL & CONVICTIONS
First Trial 1983-1984 – Santa Cruz County Cases
Carpenter’s first trial commenced on October 11, 1983, for the murders of Ellen Hansen and Heather Scaggs, plus the attempted murder of Steven Haertle. The unprecedented dual-jury system – one for guilt, one for sentencing – created logistical challenges with nearly 40 jurors and alternates involved.
After extensive voir dire lasting months, prosecutor Art Danner delivered his opening statement in May 1984, presenting: ballistic evidence linking Carpenter’s .38 to all crime scenes, Haertle’s eyewitness identification, physical evidence connecting Carpenter to the murders.
The jury deliberated eight hours over 2.5 days before convicting Carpenter on July 6, 1984. The penalty jury identified three aggravating factors: multiple murders, murder during sexual assault, lying in wait.
Resulting in a death sentence at San Quentin.
Second Trial 1988 – Marin County Cases
Prosecutor John Posey faced daunting challenges: 60+ witnesses, Carpenter’s 30+ defense witnesses (unlike his silent first trial) and the defendant’s 7-day testimony where he: presented fabricated alibis, displayed explosive temper, and struggled with stuttering.
Despite Carpenter’s performance, the jury convicted him of all five murders on May 10, 1988, recommending death after just seven hours of deliberation.
The conviction faced turmoil when jury forewoman Barbara Durham admitted knowing about Carpenter’s prior death sentence – information that should have disqualified her. Though Judge Herbert Hoffman reluctantly ordered a new trial in 1989, the California Supreme Court ultimately: upheld the conviction (1995), affirmed both death sentences (1997 and 1999) and ruled 6-1 that the trial was fundamentally fair.
The twin trials represented one of California’s most complex serial murder prosecutions, spanning 16 years from first arrest to final appeal.
Carpenter remained on death row at San Quentin for approximately 40 years, his sentences upheld but never carried out. In March 2019, his sentence was commuted to life without parole, due to a state wide Moratorium on Executions in California (introduced by Governor Gavin Newsom). He was subsequently relocated to the California Health Care Facility, in Stockton, California.
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REFERENCES / CITATIONS:
1. ABC News: DNA links ‘Trailside Killer’ to 1979 SF murder – February 24, 2010
2. Community Alliance: The Prison Press: Conversation with David Carpenter, aka “The Trailside Killer” – August 1, 2013
3. Strange Outdoors: The frightening case of the Trailside Killer David Carpenter
4. Crime library: The Trailside Killer of San Francisco
5. CDCR: California incarcerated records and information search (CIRIS)
6. Deathpenalty.org: San Quentin Prison’s death row — the largest in the country — is closed – June 27, 2024
7. Case-law.vlex.com: Carpenter v. Broomfield
8. Casetext.com: Carpenter v. Davis – April 27, 2018
BOOKS ABOUT David Carpenter
The Sleeping Lady: The Trailside Murders Above the Golden Gate
From the New York Times bestselling author of Zodiac, Auto Focus, and Black Fire. – Not since the infamous Zodiac Killer had the Bay Area lived under such a shadow…
The Trailside Killer An Anthology of True Crime
David Carpenter, also known as the Trailside Killer, stalked, sexually assaulted, and murdered mostly women on hiking trails near San Francisco, California, with a few victims in Santa Cruz, California…
TV SHOWS & DOCS FEATURING David Carpenter
Born to kill? S6.E11 – David Carpenter: The Trailside Killer
Unimposing stutterer David Joseph Carpenter brutally raped and murdered in and around the 1980 San Francisco, California, area.
TV Series / Documentary | 2011
Very Scary People S6.E11 – David Carpenter: The Trailside Killer
Unimposing stutterer David Joseph Carpenter brutally raped and murdered in and around the 1980 San Francisco, California, area.
TV Series / Documentary | 2019
YOUTUBE
Note: Symbol denotes the show/episode is currently available to watch on youtube: We will list the main youtube channel where available, but wont link to channels directly on the page. Please see the comments section for links to specific shows/episodes.
MORE ARTICLES ABOUT David Carpenter
A selection of interesting articles about David Carpenter, sourced and curated from around the web:
The frightening case of the Trailside Killer David Carpenter
Strange Outdoors | Author: Strange Outdoors | November 2024
The Chilling Crimes Of David Carpenter, The Trailside Killer
ATI | Author: Genevieve Carlton | May 6, 2023
The Prison Press: Conversation with David Carpenter, aka “The Trailside Killer”
Community Alliance | Author: Boston Woodard | August 1, 2013
DNA links ‘Trailside Killer’ to 1979 SF murder
ABC News | Author: ABC7 | February 24, 2010
TV Shows & Documentaries Youtube Links:
Born to kill? S6.E11: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvCvNv72eB4