The Trailside Killer
He used the California parks as his hunting ground to kill people.
David Joseph Carpenter is the “Trailside Killer”, a serial killer who killed women and couples in parks in California. Most of his victims were women who were going out for nature walks, hiking, and jogging.
He would hide in the woods and, then, attack these victims in the Santa Cruz Mountains and Point Reyes National Seashore in Marin County near the Golden Gate Bridge. These were Carpenter’s favorite hunting grounds to find, rape, and kill his victims.
Carpenter’s murder spree ran from 1970 to 1983. He would stab his victims in the chest or shoot them in the head. He was convicted for five murders, but the police believe he killed at least 11.
The Early Years
On May 6th, 1930, Carpenter was born. Throughout his life, he was raised in San Francisco. He was reportedly abused as a child by his alcoholic father and his overbearing mother. He stuttered and wet the bed. Additionally, like a lot of serial killers, he liked to torture animals.
At fourteen, he was sent to Napa State Hospital for an undisclosed sex offense. Three years later, he was at the California Youth Authority for molesting his three and 6-year-old cousins.
