David Carpenter
The Trailside Killer
Active for 3 years
(1979-1981) in United States
7
CONFIRMED
VICTIMS
11
POSSIBLE
VICTIMS
Jump to:
- Summary
- Serial Killer Profile
- Serial Killer Type
- General Information
- Characteristics
- Childhood
- Cognitive Ability
- Incarceration
- Death
- 13 Timeline Events
- Serial Killers Active During Spree
- Boolean Statistical Questions
- 2 Books Written About David Carpenter
- 6 External References
- Internal References
David Carpenter (David Joseph Carpenter) an American serial killer known as The Trailside Killer. Carpenter murdered women hikers on San Francisco-area hiking trails between 1979 and 1981. He would stalk, rape and kill hikers by shooting the victims in state parks near San Francisco, California. He was convicted of an attempted murder in 1960. In 1970, Carpenter was convicted for kidnapping. After his release, he was a suspect in the Zodiac murders, although he was eventually cleared. In 1984, Carpenter was sentenced to death, he received a second death sentence in 1988. David Carpenter remains on death row at the San Quentin State Prison in San Quentin, California.
David Carpenter Serial Killer Profile
Serial Killer David Carpenter (aka) The Trailside Killer, was active for 3 years between 1979-1981, known to have ( 7 confirmed / 11 possible ) victims. This Serial Killer was active in the following countries: United States
David Carpenter was born on May 6th 1930 in San Francisco, California, US. He was raised by both parents. His father abused alcohol and/or drugs. He had a speach defect. During his education he had academic, social or discipline problems, including being teased or picked on. David Carpenter was physically abused at some point of his life.
Carpenter a heterosexual male citizen of the United States of America. He took an intelligence quotient test before or after his crimes, David Carpenter had an IQ of 125. Carpenter married. He had 3 children.
Prior to his spree he had commited crimes, served time in jail, and served time in prison. He saw a psychologist.
In 1979 (Age 48/49) David Carpenter started his killing spree, during his crimes as a serial killer he was known to stalk, rape, and murder his victims. David Carpenter used a weapon and was in possession of a firearm during his crimes. He was known to kill at the home of the victim. At the time of his crimes he was living with his wife in San Francisco, California, US, where Carpenter was known to work as a serial killer.
He was arrested on May 14th 1981 (Age 51), convicted on May 10th 1988 (Age 58), sentenced to death by gas chamber at San Quentin State Prison, San Francisco, California, US. Carpenter was convicted on charges of murder, robbery and other possible charges during his lifetime.
Profile Completeness: 85%
serial killers by profile completenessDavid Carpenter has been listed on Killer.Cloud since November of 2016 and was last updated 5 years ago.
David Carpenter a known:
( 651 killers ) SERIAL KILLER
The unlawful killing of two or more victims by the same offender(s), in separate events. Serial Killer as defined by the FBI at the 2005 symposium.
( 308 killers ) RAPIST
Rape is usually defined as having sexual intercourse with a person who does not want to, or cannot consent.
( 53 killers ) STALKER
Stalking means following someone secretly to watch them. Serial Killer Stalkers stalk victims prior to killing them.
David Carpenter
Serial Killer Profile:
Updated: 2019-05-13 Collected by Killer.Cloud
| General Information | |
|---|---|
| Name: | David Carpenter |
| Nickname: | The Trailside Killer |
| Victims: | 7 - 11 |
| Years Active: | 1979 - 1981 |
| Ages Active: | 48/49 - 50/51 |
| Active Countries: | United States |
| Convicted Of: | murder, robbery |
| Life Span: | 1930 - |
| Characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Gender: | Male |
| Citizenship: | United States of America |
| Sexual Preference: | Heterosexual |
| Astrological Sign: | ♉ Taurus Apr 20 - May 21 |
| Birth Month: | May |
| Marital Status: | married |
| Children: | 3 children |
| Living With: | his wife in San Francisco, California, US |
| Occupation: | serial killer |
| Childhood Information | |
|---|---|
| D.O.B.: | May 6, 1930 |
| Family Name: | Carpenter |
| Given Name: | David |
| Birth Location: | San Francisco, California, US |
| Birth Order: | N/A |
| Siblings: | N/A |
| Raised By: | both parents |
| Birth Category: | N/A |
| Mother: | N/A |
| Father: | N/A |
| Cognitive Ability | |
|---|---|
| IQ: | 125 |
| Highest School: | N/A |
| Highest Degree: | |
| Incarceration | |
|---|---|
| Arrested: | May 14, 1981 (Age 51) |
| Convicted: | May 10, 1988 (Age 58) |
| Sentence: | death by gas chamber |
| Prison Location: | San Quentin State Prison, San Francisco, California, US |
| Executed: | N/A |
| Previous Crimes: | TRUE |
| Previous Jail: | TRUE |
| Previous Prison: | TRUE |
| Death Information | |
|---|---|
| Death Date: | N/A |
| Cause of Death: | N/A |
| Death Location: | N/A |
| Killed In Prison: | N/A |
| Suicide: | N/A |
13 Timeline Events of Serial Killer
David Carpenter
The 13 dates listed below represent a timeline of the life and crimes of serial killer David Carpenter. A complete collection of serial killer events can be found on our Serial Killer Timeline.
| Date | Event Description |
|---|---|
| May 06 1930 | David Carpenter was born in San Francisco, California, US. #19300506 |
| May 06 1950 (Age 20) | 20th Birthday |
| May 06 1960 (Age 30) | 30th Birthday |
| May 06 1970 (Age 40) | 40th Birthday |
| 1979 (Age 48/49) | David Carpenter started his serial killing spree. #1979 |
| May 06 1980 (Age 50) | 50th Birthday |
| 1981 (Age 50/51) | David Carpenter ended his serial killing spree. #1981 |
| May 14 1981 (Age 51) | David Carpenter arrested. #19810514 |
| May 10 1988 (Age 58) | David Carpenter was convictedand sentenced to death by gas chamber at San Quentin State Prison, San Francisco, California, US. #19880510 |
| May 06 1990 (Age 60) | 60th Birthday |
| May 06 2000 (Age 70) | 70th Birthday |
| May 06 2010 (Age 80) | 80th Birthday |
| May 06 2020 (Age 90) | 90th Birthday |
Back to top Serial Killers Active During
The following serial killers were active during the same time span as David Carpenter (1979-1981).
Serial Killers By Active Year
| 36 / 40 ANSWEREDSerial Killer Boolean Questions: | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Killer Question | Killer Answer | Total Answered | ||
| father drug abuse | TRUE | 192 | ||
| problems in school | TRUE | 221 | ||
| teased in school | TRUE | 218 | ||
| speach defect | TRUE | 300 | ||
| physically abused | TRUE | 231 | ||
| psychologist | TRUE | 258 | ||
| previous crimes | TRUE | 367 | ||
| previous jail | TRUE | 352 | ||
| previous prision | TRUE | 336 | ||
| kill at victims home | TRUE | 323 | ||
| used weapon | TRUE | 453 | ||
| used gun | TRUE | 451 | ||
| rape | TRUE | 453 | ||
| stalk | TRUE | 418 | ||
| mother drug abuse | FALSE | 195 | ||
| physically defect | FALSE | 300 | ||
| head injury | FALSE | 299 | ||
| psychologically abused | FALSE | 224 | ||
| sexually abused | FALSE | 226 | ||
| drug abuse | FALSE | 226 | ||
| alcohol abuse | FALSE | 226 | ||
| forensic hospital | FALSE | 257 | ||
| previous killed | FALSE | 208 | ||
| kill at killers home | FALSE | 320 | ||
| torture | FALSE | 426 | ||
| blindfold | FALSE | 363 | ||
| bound | FALSE | 406 | ||
| strangle | FALSE | 443 | ||
| sex with body | FALSE | 430 | ||
| mutilated | FALSE | 447 | ||
| ate part of body | FALSE | 451 | ||
| drank blood | FALSE | 442 | ||
| posed body | FALSE | 365 | ||
| totem body part | FALSE | 365 | ||
| totem personal item | FALSE | 354 | ||
| robbed | FALSE | 418 | ||
Books that Mention David Carpenter
Kevin Smith
Serial Killer Rapists
Jack Rosewood
The Big Book of Serial Killers
2 Books that mention Serial Killer
David Carpenter
| ISBN10 | Book Title | Author | Killers Mentioned | Killers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1733630619 | Serial Killer Rapists | Kevin Smith | 266 Total Including Ramadan Abdel Rehim Mansour | 266 |
| 1548119644 | The Big Book of Serial Ki... | Jack Rosewood | 60 Total Including Duke Pierson | 60 |
David Joseph Carpenter (born May 6, 1930), a.k.a. the Trailside Killer, is an American serial killer known for stalking and murdering several people on hiking trails in state parks near San Francisco, California. Carpenter killed at least ten people, with one attempted victim, Steven Haertle, surviving.
External References
- David Carpenter on en.wikipedia.org, Retrieved on Sep 14, 2018.
- Juan Ignacio Blanco, David Joseph CARPENTER on murderpedia.org, Retrieved on Sep 14, 2018.
- Kristin Elink-Schuurman-Laura, Carpenter, David Joseph on skdb.fgcu.edu, Retrieved on Sep 14, 2018.
- George Bartenstein, Lauren Bergsten, David Carpenter on maamodt.asp.radford.edu, Retrieved on Sep 14, 2018.
- Q1173934 on www.wikidata.org, Retrieved on Oct 9, 2018.
- David Carpenter on www.serienkillers.de, Retrieved on Feb 17, 2019.
Internal References
David Carpenter is included in the following pages on Killer.Cloud the Serial Killer Database
- #14 of 30[ Page 1 ] of Serial Killers with birthdays in May
- #22 of 72[ Page 2 ] of serial killers sorted by IQ Level
- #24 of 53[ Page 2 ] of Serial Killer Stalkers sorted by Confirmed Victims
- #74 of 651[ Page 5 ] of the A-Z List of Serial Killers
- #82 of 185[ Page 6 ] of Taurus Serial Killers sorted by Confirmed Victims
- #121 of 327[ Page 9 ] of Serial Killers active in the United States
- #152 of 307[ Page 11 ] of Serial Killer Rapist sorted by Confirmed Victims
- #180 of 651[ Page 12 ] of serial killers sorted by Profile Completeness
- #279 of 651[ Page 19 ] of serial killers sorted by Confirmed Victims
- #390 of 651[ Page 26 ] of serial killers sorted by Years Active
- Statistics:
- Serial Killers Statistics, charts David Carpenter is included in: Active Serial Killers by Country, Serial Killers By Gender, Age of Serial Killer by Date, Killers By Astrological Sign, Killers By Birth Month, Years of School Completed, Sexual Preference, Active Serial Killers by Year and Statistical Boolean Questions.
- Years Active: