David Carpenter: The Trailside Killer (Part 1)

Morbid

Ash Kelley & Alaina Urquhart

True Crime, Dark History, Comedy, Paranormal

4.5 • 95.3K Ratings

🗓️ 14 April 2025

⏱️ 72 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Throughout the 1960s and 70s, from Los Angeles to San Francisco, Californians were terrorized by multiple killers including notorious serial killers like the Zodiac Killer, the Hillside Stranglers, Herbert Mullin, and Ed Kemper. While the decade may have ended with these killers disappearing or apprehended, the threat of violence and murder simply moved north. Though less known than his contemporaries, David Carpenter was no less prolific and frightening a killer than those men mentioned above. Nicknamed “The Trailside Killer” by the press, Carpenter terrorized Point Reyes and Santa Cruz County for a decade, assaulting, kidnapping, and killing at least eight people, but he was suspected of more. Like those other killers, Carpenter had a long history of violent and antisocial behavior going back to his childhood, including multiple arrests and incarcerations. How was it that a man with such an alarming history of violence could go uncaught for a decade? Thank you to the Incredible Dave White of Bring Me the Axe Podcast for research and Writing support! References Associated Press. 1980. "Trail Killer will strike again." Santa Cruz Sentinel, December 1: 1. Burkhardt, Bill. 1979. "Woman found murdered on Mt. Tam." San Francisco Examiner, August 21: 1. Graysmith, Robert. 1990. The Sleeping Lady: The Trailside Murders Above the Golden Gate. New York, NY: Onyx. Keraghosian, Greg. 2020. "'Do not hike alone': For 21 months, the Trailside Killer terrorized Bay Area's outdoors." San Francisco Chronicle, October 25. Leader, Lewis. 1980. "Identification ends dad's long quest." San Francisco Examiner, December 2: 2. San Francisco Examiner. 1960. "MP's shots foil attack on woman." San Francisco Examiner, July 13: 1. —. 1961. "Presidio attacker gets 14 yrs." San Francisco Examiner, March 10: 11. —. 1960. "Sex case insanity plea." San Francisco Examiner, October 8: 5. Santa Cruz Sentinel. 1970. "Boulder Creek girl attacked." Santa Cruz Sentinel, January 29: 22. —. 1970. "Grand jury indicts con." Santa Cruz Sentinel, July 17: 7. —. 1970. "SLV kidnap suspect flees Calaveras jail." Santa Cruz Sentinel, April 27: 1. The People v. Carpenter. 1997. S004654 (Superior Court of Los Angeles County, April 28). The People vs. David Carpenter. 1999. S006547 (Superior Court of San Diego County, November 29). Todd, John. 1980. "Tam closed in hunt for clues." San Francisco Examiner, October 16: 1.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Hey, weirdos, before we dive into today's twisted tale, let me tell you about a place where the darkness never ends. Wondery Plus. It's like stepping into a haunted mansion where the floorboards creek with ad-free episodes and early access to new episodes lurks around every corner. So come join us, if you dare. Morbid is available one week early and ad free only on Wondery Plus. You can
0:23.3	join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or an Apple Podcasts or Spotify. You're listening to a Morbid Network
0:30.7	podcast.
0:35.3	Audible brings your wildest adventures to life, delivering heart-pounding thrills at the touch of a button.
0:41.7	Take Richard Osmond's The Thursday Murder Club, where four retirees turned amateur sleuths
0:46.6	solve crimes in the most unexpected ways, brilliantly performed by Leslie Manville.
0:51.8	Ready to unleash your adventurous side, from pulse racing suspense to epic quests, from supernatural
0:57.5	chills to far-off romances, every story comes alive through world-class narration.
1:03.4	Explore exclusive audible originals, chart-topping new releases, and unforgettable bestsellers
1:09.3	that transport you from the very first word,
1:12.1	because the next great adventure is just a listener way.
1:15.7	Start your free 30-day trial at audible.com slash Wondery UK.
1:20.5	That's audible.com slash Wondery UK.
1:24.6	When a young woman named Desire vanishes without a trace, the trail leads to Kat Torres, a charismatic
1:30.6	influencer with millions of followers.
1:33.5	But behind the glamorous posts and inspirational quotes, a sinister through unravels.
1:39.9	Binge all episodes of Don't Cross Cat early and ad-free on Wondery Plus.
1:44.7	Hey, weirdos. I'm Elena.
1:46.8	I'm Ash. And this is morbid.
1:49.4	Hi.
2:02.9	We were just talking about Durenda Medley from New York Housewives.
2:07.3	Always in forever.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Ash Kelley & Alaina Urquhart, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Ash Kelley & Alaina Urquhart and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.