Almost Trailside: A True Story (2 page)

“Art Danner, I know that name. He’s the one who called me from the Santa Cruz District Attorney’s Office. He’s the one who told me that the Trailside Killer was stalking
me
that weekend.” My stomach churned. I almost felt sick talking about it again after so many years. I had put Art Danner’s haunting words behind me long ago.

“Yes, Art Danner was the District Attorney in Santa Cruz in charge of the investigation. He’s a very nice man. We’ve kept in touch all of these years.” Amy’s voice broke. “Please, tell me. I really need to know about her. Anything will help.”

“I can tell you what I saw Amy, but I don’t know if it’s going to give you what you’re looking for. It’s been a very long time since I’ve even thought about it.” I took a deep breath and began. I told Amy everything with every detail I could remember about that dreadful day that changed the lives forever of so many innocent people. I felt like rambling on, to get it all out, to somehow purge the awful memory of it from my mind and from my life but I didn’t. Amy listened intently sitting on the edge of her seat.

“I was hoping maybe she said something, you know…her last words. She wrote poetry. I’ll share her poems with you sometime, if you like. She was a good
writer. I
really
miss her. I’ve stayed close with her family. Her mother recently passed away. I was telling Becky about it and that’s when she told me your story. That’s why I came to see you today.” Amy’s pretty blue eyes pooled.

“I understand. It’s difficult to lose someone you care about, especially under those circumstances. I’m sorry I can’t help you further. I truly wish I could, but that’s all I know about her.” I could see Amy was disappointed. She came to me full of hope looking for answers, looking for information, but I couldn’t tell her any more than she already knew. It was obvious that Amy was still saddened by the loss of her good friend even though it was so long ago.

“It’s okay, really. I just had to ask.” Amy pushed the chair back from my desk. “I better get going,” she said, with a sigh. “I have students to see this morning.” She picked up her files and purse to leave.

I moved out from behind my desk and gave Amy a hug. I opened my office door for her and she quickly departed. I stood there in the doorway for a moment letting a cool refreshing breeze from the hallway wash over me. My mind was whirling with the disturbing memories of that tragic weekend so many years ago.

I wondered what might have happened if Ellen would have tried to speak to us or signal us in some way. I think we
all
would have been victims of the Trailside Killer that day.

I needed to clear it from my thoughts so I could focus on my work…but that was easier said than done.

E
llen Marie Hansen and Stephen Haertle, were undergraduates at the University of California at Davis. On March 29, 1981 they were hiking together on one of the trails not far from their campground in the Santa Cruz Mountains at Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. On that day, Stephen and Ellen both became victims of David Carpenter, better known as the Trailside Killer and rapist. Stephen was shot several times and left for dead but was able to recover from his wounds. Ellen was shot point blank in the head and shoulder and was killed instantly when she refused to let David Carpenter rape her. It was a gruesome and calculated crime that changed their lives forever and the lives of everyone that knew them and loved them
.

Ellen Hansen Memorial Prize

T
he Ellen Hansen Memorial Prize is awarded annually to a UCD (University of California at Davis) woman student whose original creative project best demonstrates the bravery and independence of women.

The $1,000 Prize is named for the student who was killed in 1981 while hiking in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Ellen Hansen’s courageous resistance allowed her hiking companion to escape and survive the attack. Her attacker was later identified as the “Trailside Killer”.

Ellen’s father, Robert J. Hansen, a UC Davis professor of Veterinary Medicine, now retired, established the annual award in 1986 as a tribute to his daughter, and to encourage the creative pursuits of other women students.

Ellen was a UC Davis student and a talented artist, musician, and poet.

Chapter I

I
n 1980, I was a youthful active woman in my early thirties…trim, petite, and healthy, with long-lashed chestnut brown eyes and dark brown shoulder length hair. I was immersed in my marriage of over ten years, the raising of our two young sons, and working part-time at the neighborhood elementary school in a growing city in the South Bay Area of
Silicon Valley
in sunny California.

We were a normal busy family, as all families are who have young energetic school-age children. My life was definitely full but in a very good way.

My husband, Tommy, worked hard as a tradesman, employed by the Federal Government for the Department of Defense. His assignments took him to various military and government installations in and around the San Francisco Bay Area and surrounding counties.

S
ilicon Valley is located in the southern region of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California, encompassing the southern Peninsula including Stanford University in Palo Alto, all of Santa Clara Valley, San Jose, and the southern East Bay. The population of Silicon Valley is about 4 million people. Silicon Valley is home to many of the world’s largest technology corporations as well as thousands of small startups. The area continues to be the biggest high-tech manufacturing, innovation, and development center in the United States, and boasts the most millionaires and billionaires in the United States per capita. The term “silicon” refers to the high concentration of companies involved in the making of semiconductors (silicon is used to create most semiconductors commercially). Although semiconductors are still a major component of the area’s economy, Silicon Valley has been most famous in recent years for the development of the integrated circuit, microprocessor, microcomputer, and other key technologies; as well as, innovations in software and Internet services significantly influencing computer operating systems and user interfaces. Silicon Valley continues to maintain its status as one of the top research and development centers in the world. Thousands of high technology companies are headquartered in Silicon Valley. Among those listed in the fortune 1000 are: Adobe Systems,
Amazon.com
, Apple Inc., Applied Materials, Atari, Cisco Systems, eBay, Facebook, Google, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Intel, Intuit, Logitech, National Semiconductor, Netflix, Netscape, Oracle Corporation, SanDisk, Silicon Graphics, Symantec, Twitter, Yahoo!, and YouTube
.

Our young sons, Andy age eight and Larry age six, were less than two years apart and very close as brothers should be. They were each others best friend.

Andy was a light haired blue eyed good-natured boy; wiry, inquisitive, and agile. He loved animals, especially birds, and liked catching all kinds of lizards. Andy easily learned to swim, skate, and ride his bike. He liked to go fishing. He enjoyed watching cartoons and playing the limited video games of the day. Andy played soccer and baseball on league teams. He was well-liked by his teachers in school.

Larry was a dark haired brown eyed sensitive and inquisitive little boy, who loved to build with Lego’s, play with army men, draw, and create things. He liked catching bugs, bees, and lizards with his brother. He especially enjoyed fishing. Larry played soccer and baseball on league teams. He liked to skateboard and ride his bike. When he was five years old, we discovered that he was severely allergic to bee stings.

Our little dog, Buffy, was a delight. She was a pretty brown, black, and white cocker-dachshund mix and a real sweetheart. We purchased her from our neighborhood pet shop when she was only eight weeks old. She was an important member of our family and we all loved her.

We also had a white short-haired cat named Beamer, who followed the boys’ home from school one day and two turtles that roamed the backyard in the spring and summer months. In the winter, we put the turtles in a cardboard box in a dark corner of the garage for hibernation. In the spring, when we saw movement in the box, we released them out into the backyard again.