3 charged with killing tourist, yoga teacher to be in court

SAN FRANCISCO — Three transients charged with robbing and killing a Canadian backpacker and a yoga instructor days apart in Northern California are scheduled to make their first court appearances Wednesday.

Morrison Haze Lampley, 23, is accused of pulling the trigger of a stolen Smith & Wesson handgun in both slayings, according to a criminal complaint filed Tuesday in Marin County Superior Court.

Lampley and his two traveling companions, Sean Michael Angold, 24, and Lila Scott Alligood, 18, are charged with killing backpacker Audrey Carey, 23, who was found shot in the head in Golden Gate Park on Oct. 3, and tantric yoga teacher Steve Carter, 67, whose body was found near a popular hiking trail on Oct. 5.

The trio has not been appointed lawyers. They are charged with murder with special circumstances that include lying in wait for the victims, making them eligible for the death penalty.

San Francisco police Cmdr. Toney Chaplin said both victims were shot with the same handgun, which was reported stolen Oct. 1 from an unlocked car in San Francisco Fisherman's Wharf neighborhood.

The three suspects have "no fixed address," Marin County sheriff's Lt. Doug Pittman said. They were arrested outside a Portland, Oregon, soup kitchen last week.

They were found with the stolen gun, Carter's Volkswagen station wagon and Carey's tent, sleeping bag, day pack and other possessions, including her passport and airline tickets, according to investigators and the criminal complaint.

Carey had just embarked on a backpacking trip and had camped in Golden Gate Park during the popular Hardly Strictly Bluegrass music festival.

Two days later, a hiker found Carter's body and his wounded dog in Marin County, about 20 miles north of San Francisco. The pet is expected to survive, and all three are charged with animal cruelty.

Followers credited Carter with improving their romantic relationships by teaching tantra, a philosophy of meditation, yoga and sexuality famously embraced by rock star Sting.

Marin County District Attorney Edward Berberian said a decision on whether to pursue the death penalty will be made later. He said the office conducts a "detailed review process" before deciding whether to ask a jury and judge to sentence a defendant to death. California hasn't executed anyone since 2005.

The criminal complaint also charges Lampley with being a felon in possession of a gun. It says he was convicted in July of receiving a stolen car in San Diego.