San Francisco

Marin County District Attorney Files Murder, Animal Cruelty Charges Against Drifters

Sean Michael Angold, 24; Morrison Haze Lampley, 23; and Lila Scott Alligood, 18, could face the death penalty.

Three drifters arrested after the California shooting deaths of a Canadian tourist and tantra instructor have been formally charged on a string of felony counts, from first-degree murder to animal cruelty, which could carry the death penalty.

Sean Michael Angold, 24; Morrison "Haze" Lampley, 23; and Lila Scott Alligood, 18, will be arraigned Wednesday in Marin County in connection with the killing of Steve Carter, 67, who was shot to death while hiking with his dog in Fairfax on Oct. 5.

They will also be arraigned in connection with the Oct. 3 death of Audrey Carey, 23, a tourist from Quebec who was shot in the head and found dead in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park.

Marin County District Attorney Ed Berberian has identified Lampley as the shooter, but will not say how he came to that conclusion. Berberian notes both Angold and Alligood also could be convicted of murder.

"In the course of a crime that all join as participants, they can be liable for the conduct of one, even if they didn't pull the trigger," Berberian said.

On Tuesday afternoon, Marin County Chief Deputy Dori Ahana filed formal charges against the three, charging all three with both homicides, even though Carter and Carey were killed in different counties. The three have also been charged with stolen property, stealing a car and robbery.

Lampley was the only one charged as a felon or addict in possession of a firearm and with cruelty to animals, the latter of which stems from the shooting of Carter's Doberman pinscher, Coco. 

Because all three were charged with two counts of murder with special circumstances, including lying in wait, Berberian said his office could choose to seek the death penalty.

Berberian also said the affidavit for the suspects' arrest warrant is under seal.

The arrest and extradition of the three accused of murdering Carter provided some comfort to more than a dozen of his friends who gathered Tuesday at a small shrine where he had been shot.

The three suspects have declined jail-house interviews. It's unclear if attorneys are representing them.

audrey-carey-steve-carter
San Francisco Police via Carey Family/Ecstatic Living Institute
Police say the gun used in the California homicides of Audrey Carey, 23, a tourist from Canada (left), and Steve Carter, 67, a renowned tantra yoga teacher (right), was stolen from a car parked near Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco.

The formal charges don't reveal new details about the crimes.

But the earlier booking charges from jail do highlight a little more information about the suspects, whom Marin County Sheriff's Lt. Doug Pittman had described as "lost souls." They had no formal identification when they were arrested.

Although detectives said the trio has no permanent address, jail records indicate Angold and Lampley are San Francisco residents and Alligood lives in San Rafael, where the Marin County jail is located.

Jail records also reveal the suspects' occupations for the first time. Angold is listed as a landscaper, while Alligood is listed as a "cultivator."

A note – "see below" – is written in the field for Lampley's occupation, but records don't provide additional information. Pittman declined to elaborate on where the suspects live or the job titles listed in the jail log.

In addition, jail records indicate Lampley was allegedly the one with a gun, which was stolen from an unlocked car parked near Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, police revealed last week.

Detectives said the suspects stole Carter’s Jetta, which was parked at the trail head in Fairfax. GPS tracking inside the car led authorities to track the trio in Portland, Oregon, where they were arrested Oct. 12.

Carter's wife, Lokita, wrote about the shooting on a blog that she initially took down but has since revived.

In the blog post, Lokita Carter said Coco will be in the animal hospital for "some time," and described the pain she feels in the wake of her husband's death. She described the moment police knocked on her door to break the news of her husband's death, and how she meditated at the site where he was killed.

Lokita Carter also said she can't bear to move her husband's flip flops from the porch.

NBC Bay Area's Chuck Coppola contributed to this report.

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