Ellen Marie Hansen was a 20-year-old University of California, Davis student who was shot to death on March 29, 1981, while hiking with her boyfriend, Steven Russell Haertle, in Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park near Felton in Santa Cruz County, California. Carpenter allegedly attempted to assault Hansen; when she resisted he shot her. Haertle was also shot but survived and later testified against Carpenter at trial, identifying him as the assailant.

His trial was moved to Los Angeles County; he was convicted of first-degree murder in Hansen’s death along with other victims and of related charges including attempted murder and attempted rape. Carpenter was sentenced to death and is reported to be on death row at San Quentin State Prison.

Are there any details about Ellen’s life or the hike that readers can add to help keep her memory known?