United States of America

CARPENTER
David Joseph

Active from 1978-1981, California

DID YOU KNOW...

Success Fact

Carpenter's first known survivor, Lois DeAndrade, is mother to reality TV star Lisa Rinna

False Arrest Fact

Mark McDermand, the lead guitarist of the band 1960s band The Showmen, was originally arrested as the Trailside Killer

Sad Fact

Golfers heard Mary Frances Bennett scream as she was murdered, and thought a nearby police car would respond

THE DISPATCH

The Beginning

David Joseph Carpenter was a neat, well-dressed man who was charming despite a struggle with a stutter. He was often seen walking his Dachshund, Herman, in the neighbourhood. He shared a home with his father and partially blind mother. She liked to grow flowers in the front yard. He liked to rape and murder women.

Carpenter was first arrested at the age of 17 for sexually assaulting a 3-year-old girl. He was sentenced to 90 days in a hospital. His crimes continued.

Early Crimes

Lois DeAndrade Survives

Lois DeAndrade had known Carpenter for more than 9 months when he asked if she would like to see his newborn child. DeAndrade became alarmed when, on the drive there, he became “lost”. She panicked and jumped out of the car, with Carpenter in pursuit. He grabbed her, forced her back into the car and tied her up. He hit her with a hammer and stabbed her with a steak knife, but her screams drew the attention of a nearby military policeman, Jewell Hicks. He was also attack with a hammer and tear has. Hicks shot Carpenter twice. It took 5 hours of surgery to save Carpenter’s life.

Andrade told police that, mysteriously, Carpenter’s bad stutter had disappeared from the time he had picked her up.

Carpenter Sentenced

Carpenter pled guilty to the attack on DeAndrade – 3 counts of assault with a deadly weapon. He was to be assessed by psychiatrists before sentencing. He was sentenced to a maximum of 14 years in prison.

Attacks on 2 Women

Carpenter was paroled on April 7, 1969. In January, 1970, Carpenter hit another driver with his vehicle. When the 19-year-old got out of her car, he attacked and stabbed her. In a second incident, a woman from Bonny Doon came home to find Carpenter in her husband’s bathrobe, holding a shotgun. Carpenter took her to the woods and raped her.

Carpenter Arrested for Robbery, Kidnapping

Carpenter was arrested in February, 1970. He faced charges of armed robbery, car theft, 2 counts of kidnapping, and assault with intent to commit rape. He was convicted on the robbery and kidnapping charges. Carpenter was sentenced to a 5-years-to-life term. He and 4 others briefly escape jail, and they are quickly rearrested. Carpenter was sent to Folsom Prison.

New Charges Against Carpenter

Carpenter was charged with rape, assault to commit rape, auto theft, kidnapping and first degree armed robbery. He was convicted of rape and robbery and sentenced to an 11-year term.

The Murders

Edda Kane (Suspected)

On August 20, 1979, Edda Kane went for a Sunday morning walk along the Tamalpais trails. She loved the mountain, and would walk its trails with confidence. She did not return from the 3 hour walk. Kane was reported missing by her husband later that day, and a search party was formed. She was found after a team of more than 50 deputies, rangers and volunteers began their search. Kane had been returning to her car, and was just a 45 minute walk from it when she was murdered. She had been shot and killed with a .44-caliber gun.

Her husband, John, later told the press, “The guy took three credit cards and $10. He didn’t take her jewelry. He didn’t take her wedding ring. He didn’t rape her. What the hell did the son of a bitch want?”

Police originally did not link her to the following Trailside murders. The other murders had involved a .38-caliber pistol. After Carpenter’s arrest and an investigation, police tentatively linked him via a Charter Arms .44-caliber pistol that went missing from an acquaintance’s home.

She was 44.

Mary Frances Bennett (Suspected)

Mary Frances Bennett is found dead, stabbed at least 25 times. She had been buried beneath a layer of dirt and branches near the Palace of the Legion of Honor at Lands End. Mary Frances Bennett grew up on a 160 acre Montana farm. She had graduated from Montana State University and had passed her CPA exams in July. She travelled to California, and was there only 3 months before she was murdered. Her body was found October 21. Bennett was stabbed at least 25 times. She had been buried beneath a layer of dirt and branches near the Palace of the Legion of Honor at Lands End.

Golfers heard her “long agonized screams” but they saw a police car nearby and thought they were there to help. She was found, still warm, by a group of hikers following a blood trail.

Carpenter would show up at a hospital later that day with a maimed thumb. He blamed it on a dog bite. In 2010, DNA evidence would link her death to Carpenter. He was not charged.

Bennett was 23.

Barbara Ann Schwartz (Suspected)

Organic baker and dog lover Barbara Ann Schwartz hiked Mount Tamalpais and was accosted by Carpenter on March 8. A witness was drawn to the scene after hearing loud voices. Schwartz’s voice was first angry at the man, but turned to cries for help. The witness fled after seeing the man strike Schwartz with a “flashing instrument”. Police even tried hypnotism. Although police considered her death to be act of the same serial killer, Carpenter would never be charged.

Schwartz was 23.

Cynthia Moreland & Richard Stowers

Cynthia Moreland and Richard Stowers went hiking on October 11, 1980. Some time between 1pm and 2pm, hikers heard gunshots. The sounds were immediately reported to authorities. A brief search of the area was conducted, but nothing was found.

Moreland, 18, and Stowers, 19, had been hiking in Point Reyes National Seashore that day. When they didn’t return home, the Moreland family reported them missing. Police refused to investigate because, they reasoned, the young couple likely were together and safe.

Stowers was a member of the Coast Guard. Rather than search for their missing Coastie, a month later he was listed as a deserter. Only the families seemed worried about the couple. They would remain missing for a month.

Anne Alderson

Anne Evelyn Alderson went for a hike on October 13, but did not come home. Her father reported her missing and a search party was quickly organized. At one point, more than 80 people were involved in her search.

State rangers found her car. A ranger for the Marin Municipal Water District found her body on October 15th about 1/4 miles east of Mountain Theater, high on Tamalpais. Alderson had been shot in the head at close range. She was clothed. A post-mortem examination showed she had been sexually assaulted around the time she died. She was 26.

Police Arrest Suspect

Police and the public are very concerned about the string of attacks. On the 20th, police announced Mark McDermand was a suspect in the slayings. Police believed he murdered his mother and brother, as well as three other women. Once the lead guitarist of the 1960s band The Showmen, McDermand later admits to killing his family members. He was not the serial killer.

Diane O'Connell & Shauna Catharine May

Sierra Club members Diane O’Connell and two female friends are hiking at Point Reyes National Seashore. The friends got slightly separated from O’Connell. The fastest friend saw a strange man on the trail, and continued on in a hurried pace. The slowest friend did not see O’Connell grabbed. She eventually caught up with the first friend, and they realized O’Connell, 22, was missing.

Hikers in the area heard gunfire at around 3:10 that afternoon, followed by more shots. O’Connell never rejoined her friends. And in the second round of shooting just 10 minutes later, Carpenter killed again. Shauna Catharine May was also hiking at Point Reyes National Seashore and never returned home. May was 25.

4 Bodies Found

The bodies of O’Connell, May, Moreland and Stower were all found, thanks to search dogs. Moreland and Stowers were found shot, close together. O’Connell and May were found together, draped over one another, although in life they were strangers. O’Connell was nude and gagged. May was nude and had been sexually assaulted.

The Coast Guard amended their records to show Stowers did not desert his position.

Police realized the killer used ritualistic behaviour, including making his victims plead for their lives. They tell the media more killings are likely, and release a suspect description. The killer, they said, was in his late 20s or early 30s, dressed in hiking clothes and carrying a backpack.

Anne Menjivar (Suspected)

Anne (Ana) Kelly Menjivar is a high school student and a bank teller in Daly City, California. She left her home at about 8am on December 28, and never returned. She probably headed out for a morning jog. She left behind her purse, identification and money, taking only her house keys with her. Menjivar’s mother became concerned when she failed to show up for Morning Mass. Police will later discover that one of her customers was David Carpenter. He is suspected of killing her, but never charged.

Ellen Hansen and Steven Haertle

Ellen Hansen and Steven Haertle were students at the University of California, Davis. They went camping in Henry Cowell State Park in the Santa Cruz Mountains. On March 29, 1981, at about 4pm, they went for a hike, visiting the observation deck and walking toward the Cathedral Redwoods. About a mile from the observation deck, they passed a man later identified as Carpenter. When they went back toward the campsite, they met him again. This time, he pulled out a gun.

Carpenter ordered the couple to walk down the trail, and as Haertle stepped backwards, Hansen told him not to follow the gunman’s orders. More threats were made, and Haertle moved toward the trail’s edge. He lost his footing and Carpenter shot him. Hit in the neck and hand, Haertle went down. When he regained consciousness, he saw Hansen lying in a pool of blood. He raised Hansen’s head to see if she was alive. She was not. Haertle fled the area when the killer’s back was turned.

Two sets of hikers heard the gunshots. Leland Fritz and his son Kenneth headed toward the noise and soon saw the wounded Haertle fleeing toward them. They left Haertle with other hikers and went to summon help. Maureen Morse, on a hike with her husband Fred, was a nursing assistant, and applied first aid to Haertle. Carpenter approached the scene and Haertle told the Morses to “get out of here”. Carpenter walked past them, Haertle fled to his campsite, and Maureen Morse went to find the incoming help.

Police arrived on scene but were unable to locate the shooter. Leland Fritz and a young girl both reported they saw him flee in a red Fiat.

Hansen died of two gunshot wounds to the head and one to the right shoulder, fired from close range. Haertle had been shot in the back of the neck and underwent surgery to have a bullet removed from behind the sternum.

Heather Scaggs

Heather Scaggs would be Carpenter’s last victim. She was a co-worker of Carpenter’s at the Hayward Printing Company. She was going to buy a car from him (or he was going to give her a ride to buy a car). They met on May 2. Carpenter shot her in the head in the mountain area of Santa Cruz County. She was found nude, with a single gunshot to the head.

Scaggs’s family contact police when their daughter failed to return. Carpenter was questioned about the disappearance. Police noted his similarity to the composite sketch of the suspect in the Santa Cruz and Marin murders.

Scaggs was 20 years old. Police do not arrest Carpenter because Scaggs had not yet been found.

The Killer Is Caught

Carpenter Arrested & Charged

Carpenter was arrested in San Francisco for the Mount Tamalpais murders of Schwartz and Alderson. He had been on police radar for just 2 weeks. People had called in their phone tips based on press coverage and sketches of the killer. The FBI arrested Carpenter on May 14, 1981, while he was walking his dog. The warrant is for the murder of Hansen and the attack on Haertle.

Police searches of two residences and two cars turned up important evidence, including a gun. Carpenter’s charges included “special circumstances,” which allow for the possibility of the death penalty. He had murdered Hansen while trying to rape her, and he had been lying in wait for both his victims.

Scaggs's Body Found

A decomposing body was found along a remote trail in Big Basin State Park. It had been dragged to that location and partially buried under rush and a log. Media reported that it was likely the body of Heather Scaggs.

By the 26th, dental records were used to confirm her identity. It was Scaggs. She had been sexually assaulted.

Menjivar's Body Found

Anne Kelly Menjivar was found at Castle Rock State Park, 100 feet inside Santa Clara County. Her body was too decomposed to determine a cause of death. Carpenter was never charged.

The Los Angeles County Trial

Carpenter's Trial Begins

After numerous delays, Carpenter’s trial for the murders of Hansen and Scaggs, the attempted murder of Haertle, begins. Two juries totalling 33 jurors were empaneled for the trial. One jury would decide guilt or innocence. If Carpenter was found guilty, the second jury would decide if he lived or died.

The trial had been moved to Los Angeles because of the extensive pre-trial media coverage. Prosecutors outlined the murder of Hansen and the attack on Haertle, then spoke of the murder of Skaggs. The jury did not hear about the 5 Marin County slayings.

Carpenter Guilty in 2 Murders

On July 2, 1984, Carpenter’s defence attorney stunned trial jurors by admitting Carpenter murdered the two women. He was “a man who was out of control,” attorney Larry Biggam said. The evidence “clearly shows David Carpenter killed Ellen Hansen and Heather Scaggs.” Biggman then tried to convince the jury that Carpenter did not deserve the death penalty.

On July 6, the jury found Carpenter guilty in the murders of Hansen and Scaggs, and for the attack on Haertle.

Carpenter Gets Death

On October 5, the sentencing jury returned a verdict of death for Carpenter. They had deliberated for 7 days before returning the sentence. On November 16, the judge confirmed the sentence. Carpenter was formally slated for the gas chamber, after his next trial.

The Marin County Trial

Pre-Trial Begins

The Marin County preliminary trial for Carpenter began. He was facing murder charges for Stowers, Moreland, Alderson, O’Connell and May. This trial would determine if there was enough evidence to move forward for a murder trial.

2nd Murder Trial Begins

The trial for the murders of Stowers, Moreland, Alderson, O’Connell and May began on January 5, 1988. Steven Haertle would be the first witness for the Prosecution.

Carpenter took the witness stand and said he was not the murderer. He denied asking his then-girlfriend to buy a .357-caliber Magnum revolver (later linked to the murders). He said he had taken his mother shopping at a plant nursery during one of the murders. Defence lawyers “promptly entered into evidence a large, slightly soiled clay pot.” He also claimed to have taken his parents to various appointments and shopping, and that on other days, he was working. Prosecutors refuted his claims.

Carpenter Guilty, Again

Carpenter was convicted of the Marin County murders on May 10, 1988. He was expressionless when the jury announced he was guilty of murder “with special circumstances,” and eligible for another death penalty. They trial covered 500 pieces of evidence, 91 witnesses and a record of 16,000 pages. It cost about $2.5 million. The penalty phase, to determine life or death, would follow.

Carpenter Gets Death, Again

Carpenter was sentenced to death for the Marin County murders of Stowers, Moreland, Alderson, O’Connell and May. On July 19, a judge confirmed the sentence.

Bennett Murder Pinned to Killer

On February 23, 2010, Police announced that DNA linked the Trailside Killer, David Carpenter, to the murder of Mary Frances Bennett. He has not been charged.

Carpenter’s Location

Still in Prison

As of June 30, 2021, David Joseph Carpenter is in San Quentin State prison.

SIMILAR SERIAL KILLERS

Laron Ronald Williams

Williams was also arrested in May, 1981

Leonard Thomas Lake

Lake, half of the Lake & Ng duo, was also born in San Francisco

Paul (Paula) Denyer

Denyer abused animals as a child, like Carpenter

WHERE IT HAPPENED

A non-interactive map of where things happened

BOOKS

Books about or including The Trailside Killer, David Carpenter

The Sleeping Lady by Robert Graysmith
ISBN: 9780451402554
Published by Onyx Books on 1991-03
Pages: 496

The author follows the life of serial killer David J. Carpenter, the Trailside Killer who terrorized northern California with a series of rape-murders beginning in 1979.

Journey Into Darkness by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker
ISBN: 9780684833040
Published by Scribner on 1997
Pages: 383

We first met John Douglas in Mindhunter, telling the story of his brilliant and terrifying career with the FBI, until his retirement in 1995. And now, working again with coauthor Mark Olshaker, acclaimed filmmaker, novelist, and journalist, John takes us even further. We accompany him on the Journey into Darkness, for every instance that he helps police identify the unknown subject of a violent series of rapes, bombings, arsons, or murders is another trip to the dark side.

And here we travel with some of the brilliant and sensitive agents John trained, and who have carried on the work: men like Jud Ray, who by phone gave Alaska police the exact personality of the killer of a mother and her two young daughters; Gregg McCrary, who confronted an unknown killer of teenage girls on national television and assured him he would be caught; and Steve Mardigian, who formulated a complex strategy for solving a years-old string of burglaries, rapes, and murders, and in the process helped free the wrongly convicted man.

Here also we get a startlingly fresh look at the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman, as if John had been called in by the LAPD to profile the killer. And finally, we hear how his experiences have shaped his views on justice and punishment.

The Trailside Killer by Teri Davidson
ISBN:9781088884942
Published Independently on August 7, 2019

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.

Death Row Confidential by Bob Weinstein
ISBN: 9780061009877
Published by HarperPaperbacks on 1996
Pages: 312

What’s it really like at America’s most dangerous address? This book takes readers to the place where more than 3,000 men and women await execution. In this behind-the-scenes expose, readers meet the world’s most notorious criminals, learn about the vicious acts that landed them there, see death row through their eyes, and experience their day-to-day lives. Photos.

VIDEOS & PODCASTS

There are videos and podcasts about David Joseph Carpenter, AKA The Trailside Killer

Serial Killers – David Joseph Carpenter – By Parcast Network

The New Detectives: Case Studies in Forensic Science (1996–2005) Body Count

THE STATS

Bodies found in one day at Point Reyes

Victims killed on a Saturday or Sunday

Years from arrest to final sentence

Carpenter's age in 2021

100

David Joseph Carpenter in a Historical Timeline

Statistical table for David Joseph Carpenter

Killer Name	Carpenter, David Joseph
Gender	M
Arrest Date	May 14, 1981
Conviction Date	July 6, 1984
Sentence	Death sentence in Los Angeles; Death sentence in San Rafael June 27, 1988
Birth Location	San Francisco, California USA
Birth Date	May 6, 1930
Status	Alive or Unknown
Poor	No
Height	178
Speech Issues	Significant stutter
Suffer Physical Abuse	Yes, beaten by mother, went to school with bruises on legs, black eyes, visible welts
Suffer Physical Abuse	Yes, beaten by mother, went to school with bruises on legs, black eyes, visible welts
Psychological Abuse	Parents told him he was worthless.
School Grade	10th, but complete GED at McNeil Island
School Degree	Trade school for printing
Caused Problems in School	Disciplinary problems, truancy
Teased	Yes, because of stutter, fancy clothes, and taking ballet and violin lessons
Military Service	Yes
Military Service	US Coast Guard
Job Types	Key chain distributor, print shop employee
Labour Type	Blue
sk_empl_status	Active
Sexual Preference	Straight
Marital Status	Divorced/Separated
Number of Children	3
Killer Type	Sexual/Sadistic, Territorial
sk_killer_type2	Mixed lust
Drug Abuse	Pot
Psychology	During and before trials, in childhood
Institutionalized	Mental Health Treatment Facility at age 17
Psych Diagnosis	Sociopathic personality disorder
Animal Torture	Yes
Total Dead Victims	11
Victims (Suspected)	3
Victims (Convicted)	7
Victims (Misc)	1 confirmed via DNA in 2010 no charges
Victim Gender	Various
Victim Race	White
Victim Age	18, 19, 20, 22, 23, 23, 25, 26, 44
Victim Type	Hikers, joggers
Method of Killing	Shot, stabbed
Weapon	Gun, knife
Gun Type	.357 Magnum, .44 calibre
Abduction	No
Robbery	Yes
Sex Assault	Yes
Torture	No
Stalking	No
Overkill	Yes
Efficient	Yes
Blindfold	No
Binding	No
Necrophilia	No
Mutilation	No
Cannibalism	No
Vampirism	No
Pose Bodies	Yes
Sex Assault on Minor	Yes
Washing/Water	No
Body - Dismembered	No
Totem-Other	Killed ritualistically, which police knew before he was caught
Body - Left, Not Hidden	Yes
Body - Left, Hidden	No
Body - Left, Buried	Yes
Body - Moved, Not Hidden	Yes
Body - Moved, Hidden	Yes
Body - Moved, Buried	No
Body - Stored Near Killer	No
verified_by_ekelly	Yes
Group Record	No
Previous Crimes	Assault, sexual assault, child molestation, threats, robbery, theft
Previous Prison Time	Yes, in 1961 and in 1970
Recapture Year	1970

Killer Rating

 5/5