Dean Carter

Dean Phillip Carter (born August 30, 1955) is a convicted serial killer currently housed on San Quentin, California's Death row. He has been convicted (in two separate trials) of the murder of four women: Susan Knoll, Jillette Mills, Bonnie Guthrie, and Janette Cullins.

Carter was born the illegitimate son of a half-Eskimo woman in Nome, Alaska. He was adopted by a former police and fire chief in Nome. When he was 12, Carter was declared a delinquent child and committed to a youth camp, from which he attempted to run away at least three times. He later was placed in a foster home. Carter's crimes continued and "by the time he was 14 or 15, he was a fairly confirmed burglar." He later served adult prison terms in Oregon for auto theft and in Alaska for burglary.

In 1980, Carter was employed by the Tanana Chiefs Conference in Fairbanks, Alaska. TCC was a federally funded non-profit organization which operated the Video Center. The Video Center was a project to provide employment related training to the members of the Doyon region of interior Alaska. Carter worked as a production assistant and cameraman. During his tenure at the Video Center, Carter was on probation for cocaine possession, for which he served 4 years in prison in Oregon. Carter married the receptionist at the Video Center and fathered twin sons in 1981.

He worked for KTUU-TV in Anchorage, Alaska, and later as a free-lance cameraman in Seattle in the early 1980s.

In one of his letters, Carter claims he's innocent. The California Supreme Court record of his appeal, however, shows that his latent palm print was found in one of the victim's homes, and there is an ATM video of him emptying out another victim's bank account. Also, a car that he stole from his first murder victim was found a block from another murder victim's home and then the car of that murder victim was stolen. He was arrested a few days later in Arizona, driving the stolen car, along with personal items from the homes of each of the victims. He was also convicted of raping two women prior to the murder convictions.

Dean Carter spends his days on Death Row trying to inform the world about the American justice system and life on Death Row. He reaches a lot of people (including many students) through letter writing and columns on his Deadman Talkin' website. The Website is hosted by one of Dean Carter's friends.