Detectives say murder defendant changed her story about Marin, SF slayings
Morrison Lampley (left), is the man who shot and killed hiker Steve Carter in Marin County, prosecutors say. He and two other drifters have been charged with murdering Carter and Canadian hiker Audrey Carey in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.
SAN RAFAEL, Calif. - A preliminary hearing began today in Marin County Superior Court for two defendants charged with the murder of a therapist on a trail near Fairfax and a Canadian tourist in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park nearly a year ago.
Marin County sheriff's detective Scott Buer testified that defendant Lila Alligood, 19, of San Rafael, initially said Sean Michael Angold killed the 67-year-old therapist Steve Carter, but in a third and final interview with San Francisco police she said that was not true.
Angold, 25, was charged with the murders but pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and is scheduled to testify against Alligood and her co-defendant 24-year-old Morrison Lampley. Prosecutors say that Lampley shot both victims days apart in October last year.
Buer testified Alligood said Lampley was her boyfriend and she was protecting him by not identifying him as the killer.
Alligood said after Carter was shot on Oct. 5, they took his silver Volkswagen Jetta and his wallet. All three defendants were arrested in Portland, Oregon, on Oct. 7 and Buer interviewed Alligood the next day.
Buer testified that a Marin County jail inmate, Pamela Bullock, became friends with Alligood in February. Bullock said Alligood told her about the murder of Audrey Carey in Golden Gate Park on Oct. 2, the detective
said.
Bullock said Alligood also said she shot Carter's dog, Buer said, adding there is no evidence that was the case.
On cross-examination by Lampley's attorney David Brown, Buer said Bullock was in jail for vehicle theft and she approached police to give a statement about the killings. Bullock said she wanted to get out of jail as soon as possible because she was trying to adopt a daughter, Buer testified.
Bullock has a lengthy criminal record with 35 cases and had been in prison five times, Buer said.
The hearing to determine if there is enough evidence to try the defendants is expected to continue into next week when Angold will testify.
Alligood and Lampley face life in prison without parole if they are convicted of the charges. Angold faces a 15-year prison term.