Mary Frances Bennett, a 23-year-old woman, was tragically murdered on October 21, 1979, in San Francisco, California. Bennett, who had recently moved to San Francisco from Montana after graduating from an accounting school, was found dead near the Palace of the Legion of Honor at Lands End. Her body was discovered buried beneath a thin layer of dirt and branches, and she had been stabbed at least 25 times in the neck, chest, and back.
Bennett was wearing a T-shirt, shorts, and running shoes, indicating that she was likely jogging at the time of her death.
The investigation into Bennett's murder remained unsolved for nearly 30 years. Initially, authorities suspected David Joseph Carpenter, also known as the "Trailside Killer," who was responsible for a series of murders in the Bay Area's parklands and open spaces during the early 1980s. Carpenter was known for stalking and murdering individuals on hiking trails in Marin and Santa Cruz counties. Despite being a suspect, there was insufficient evidence to charge him with Bennett's murder at the time.
In December 2009, the San Francisco police cold case team decided to re-examine the evidence from Bennett's case. Crime-lab technicians recovered unspecified DNA evidence, which was later matched to a sample of Carpenter's DNA in a state database. A confirmation sample obtained from Carpenter at San Quentin State Prison in February 2010 further corroborated the match. Carpenter, who was already on death row for other murders, denied knowing Bennett or being involved in her death.
Bennett's family, who had long suspected Carpenter's involvement based on police information, expressed relief and satisfaction upon learning of the DNA match. However, prosecutors have not yet decided whether to file charges against Carpenter for Bennett's murder, given that he is already serving a death sentence for other crimes.
