Sheriff: Gun recovered from Marin County trail slaying

Investigators recovered a gun they suspect was used to kill Middletown resident Steven Carter when they arrested three suspects with a stolen car owned by the popular tantra yoga teacher, Marin County sheriff’s officials said Thursday.

The suspects were arrested Wednesday afternoon at a Portland, Ore., community dining hall, 600 miles north of the hiking trail near Fairfax where Carter and his dog were shot Monday evening.

Marin County Sheriff’s Lt. Doug Pittman declined to discuss the type of gun recovered and any more details, including a possible motive for Carter’s killing.

“It’s still very early in our investigation,” Pittman said.

Authorities identified the suspects as Sean Michael Angold, 24, Morrison Haze Lampley, 23, and Lila Scott Alligood, 18. The sheriff’s office said none of the suspects has a known permanent address.

No charges have been filed. The trio will be extradited to California and may be transferred to a Marin County jail sometime next week, Pittman said.

A hiker found Carter’s body at about 6 p.m. Monday. Carter was still holding the leash of his Doberman pinscher, which was also shot. The dog was turned over to the Marin County Humane Society and is expected to recover.

Carter drove to the trail, and his 2003 Volkswagen Jetta station wagon was gone when police showed up. Using GPS technology, Marin County sheriff’s investigators tracked the car to Portland, where the three were arrested without incident.

Pittman said investigators also were aided by surveillance footage from a gas station in Point Reyes Station that showed the suspects with the stolen car about a half-hour after the slaying.

“So many people are in possession of cameras in cars, homes, businesses,” he said. “Those types of systems became crucial to the pursuit and apprehension.”

Authorities have not provided a motive for the attack and said it did not appear the suspects knew the victim. Pittman said it was unclear if Carter might have been targeted for his car or other belongings.

Carter and his wife, Lokita, had been staying with a friend in Marin County while she underwent treatment for breast cancer, according to news reports.

The couple founded the Ecstatic Living Institute in Middletown about 16 years ago to teach tantra yoga to couples around the world. They held workshops nearby at the clothing-optional Harbin Hot Springs, which was destroyed last month in the Valley fire.

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

The Associated Press and Staff Writer Randi Rossmann contributed to this story.