Michael Bear Carson and Suzan Carson
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| James Clifford Carson | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Michael Bear Carson |
| Conviction | Murder |
| Sentence | 75 years to life |
| Killings | |
| Number of victims | 3 |
| Country | United States |
| State(s) | California |
| Date apprehended | 1983 |
| Suzan Barnes Carson | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Suzan Barnes |
| Conviction | Murder |
| Sentence | 75 years to life |
| Killings | |
| Number of victims | 3 |
| Country | United States |
| State(s) | California |
| Date apprehended | 1983 |
James Clifford Carson (aka Michael Bear Carson) ((born 1950) and Suzan Barnes Carson (born 1942) were serial killers reported to have been active at several countries and regions in the late 1970s and early 1980s - particularly, in the San Francisco Bay Area.
James Clifford Carson (aka Michael Bear Carson) and Suzan Barnes Carson were serial killers active in the San Francisco area in the early 1980s.
Involved in the counter culture movement, their crimes emerged from a shared missionary philosophy to exterminate individuals they believed to be "witches". The pair reportedly kept a list of targeted individuals including celebrities and political figures such as Johnny Carson and then-president Ronald Reagan.
After their arrest in 1983, they held a news conference confessing to murders including those of Karen Barnes, stabbed and bludgeoned to death in her home in Haight-Ashbury in 1981, Clark Stephens, murdered and mutilated (dismembered and set on fire) in Humboldt County and John Hillyar, who was stabbed and shot on the side of the road in Napa Valley. They were also suspects in 9 other murders in Europe and the U.S.
On 12 June 1984 the Carsons were convicted of one murder and sentenced to serve twenty five years to life in prison. Later they were convicted of two other murders and given 50 years to life. Their final sentence was 75 years to life
[edit] Sources
- Lane, Brian; Encyclopedia of Serial Killers (Paperback), Berkley (July 1, 1995)
- Lawson, Kristan and Rufus, Anneli; California Babylon, St. Martin's Griffin; Revised Edition (October 2000)
- The Cry for War: The Story of Suzan and Michael Carson, Squibob Pr; 1st ed edition (January 1988)
