David Allen Rundle (born January 4, 1965) is an American serial killer who raped and murdered two women and a teenage girl in

Northern California Northern California (colloquially known as NorCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. Spanning the state's northernmost 48 counties, its main population centers incl ...

between May and October 1986. After being identified as a suspect in the killings, Rundle fled to Nevada, where he would be arrested. He was convicted and sentenced to death for two of the murders and received an additional life sentence for the other.

Early life

David Allen Rundle was born in Nevada County on January 4, 1965, the son of chief warrant officer for the United States Navy David William Rundle. His family moved to live in Idaho shortly after he was born, and until he fell into a drug addiction at age 14, Rundle was described as a normal child who enjoyed hunting and fishing. His mother also sexually abused him during his latter teen years. His parents later moved to Georgia, where he attended high school, but dropped out not long after. The family then moved to

Colfax, California Colfax (formerly Alden Grove, Alder Grove, Illinoistown, and Upper Corral) is a city in Placer County, California, at the crossroads of Interstate 80 and State Route 174. The population was 1,963 at the 2010 census. The town is named in hono ...

, where Rundle would leave his family. In 1984, Rundle got married, but once his wife fell pregnant he abandoned her. Shortly after, he obtained work as a floor installer.Payton, Ken (November 22, 1986)
Suspect's tip leads to dead teen
''The Sacramento Bee''.

Murders

In May 1986 Rundle, high on

marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...

, was prowling around the Sacramento River near an area that had a high population of vagrants. There, he convinced 21-year-old Elizabeth Latorre Lactawen to have sex, and when the two entered a secluded area behind nearby bushes, Rundle strangled Lactawen to death and disposed her body beneath the Pioneer Bridge in Sacramento, where it was found on May 10 by an unidentified person who called into the Secret Witness Program. In the investigation following her death, a witness to the murder gave a description of the killer and described him as a male, around 17 years old, was about 5ft 10inch. A reward of $2,500 was announced to anyone who could identify the killer. On September 7, having voyaged to Colfax, Rundle abducted 18-year-old Carolyn Marie Garcia from a bus stop as she waited for a bus to drive her to the city of

Roseville Roseville may refer to: Australia *Roseville, New South Wales Canada * Roseville, Ontario Malta * RoseVille (aka Villa Roseville), a house in Attard, Malta South Africa *Roseville, Pretoria, a suburb United Kingdom *Roseville, Dudley United S ...

. He drove her to a remote area near Rollins Lake Road where he partially stripped her of her clothes, raped, beat and strangled her to death. Rundle killed his youngest and final victim on October 7, when he abducted 15-year-old LanciAnne Sorensen. He forced her to take her pants off, which he then used to bind her hands behind her back, and then raped and strangled her to death. He left her body along an Interstate 80 off ramp in Loomis.

Arrest

Garcia's bloody clothing was discovered just off of

Interstate 80 Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from downtown San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one o ...

in Weimer in early September, but her body remained missing. On September 11, as police were scouring Rollins Lake Road searching for clues in Garcia's disappearance, Rundle accidentally rammed his vehicle into the back of a police car, damaging his car but successfully driving away. Police were subsequently able to identify him as the driver and Rundle fled to

Carson City, Nevada Carson City is an independent city and the capital of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,639, making it the sixth largest city in Nevada. The majority of the city's population lives in Eagle Valley, on the ...

. There, on November 20, he was arrested and returned to California. A few days after his arrest, Rundle confessed Garcia's murder and informed detectives that her body was located near Rollings Lake, where police were able to recover it. In addition, he confessed to killing Lactowen and Sorensen. In an interview with detectives, Rundle claimed he was a sick individual and blamed his actions on mental illness and abuse he received as a child, which only got worse with drug and alcohol addiction.

Trial and imprisonment

On April 16, 1987, Rundle was attacked in his sleep by his cellmate Melton Eugene Voight, who was awaiting trial for armed robbery. Rundle was hospitalized for ten days for a skull fracture, while Voight was moved to

Folsom State Prison Folsom State Prison (FSP) is a California State Prison in Folsom, California, U.S., approximately northeast of the state capital of Sacramento. It is one of 34 adult institutions operated by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabi ...

for his violent outburst.Rundle hit while asleep at jail
''Colfax Record''. April 21, 1987. Rundle was sentenced to death in 1989 for the murders of Garcia and Sorensen. As the sentence was being handed down multiple jurors were reported crying. He was also given a life sentence for the murder of Lactawen. He is currently incarcerated at

San Quentin State Prison San Quentin State Prison (SQ) is a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison for men, located north of San Francisco in the unincorporated place of San Quentin in Marin County. Opened in July 1852, San Quentin is the ...

External links

CDCR Inmate Information

References