Opinion ID: 1436322
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Santa Cruz Trailside Murder Case

Text: In the Santa Cruz Superior Court, the People charged Carpenter with the following offenses committed in that county in the spring of 1981: (1) the murder of Ellen Marie Hansen under special circumstances of rape murder, lying in wait, and multiple murder; (2) the attempted rape of Hansen; (3) the attempted murder of Steven Russell Haertle with personal use of a firearm and infliction of great bodily injury; (4) the murder of Heather Scaggs under special circumstances of rape murder and multiple murder; and (5) the rape of Scaggs. Carpenter pleaded not guilty. Following a change of venue because of pretrial publicity, a jury trial was held in Los Angeles County. The jury found Carpenter guilty on all charges, with the murders in the first degree, and found each of the allegations true. After the penalty phase, it returned a verdict of death, and the superior court imposed that sentence. Carpenter's automatic appeal to this court is pending.