SAN RAFAEL, Calif. -- Three transients appeared briefly in court Wednesday for the first time since they were charged with killing and robbing a Quebec backpacker and a yoga instructor days apart in California.
Morrison Haze Lampley, 23, Sean Michael Angold, 24, and Lila Scott Alligood, 18, did not enter pleas Wednesday in Marin County Superior Court but appeared with new buzz cuts after having their hair cut in jail. Alligood and Angold had both sported long hair when they were arrested last week.
Lampley, accused of pulling the trigger of a stolen gun in both killings, yawned frequently as the trio was assigned court-appointed attorneys.
They were ordered to return to court Oct. 26. All three could be sentenced to death if convicted, but Marin District Attorney Edward Berberian said he will decide later whether to pursue the death penalty.
Public defender David Brown, who represents Lampley, declined to comment about the case Wednesday morning to The Associated Press, saying he needs time to review the evidence. Angold and Alligood are still waiting to be assigned lawyers qualified to handle possible death penalty cases.
The three are charged with shooting backpacker Audrey Carey in the head and stealing her camping gear, passport and airline tickets. The body of the 23-year-old from Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., was found Oct. 3 in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, where officials believed she had camped during a three-day music festival.
Carey lived in Quebec and had just started a backpacking trek in the United States and Europe. She has been described by her family as someone who was full of life and loved by all.
The three also are accused of killing Steve Carter, 67, while he walked his dog along a popular hiking trail in Marin County, 32 kilometres north of the city. Carter was shot multiple times, and his body was discovered on Oct. 5, investigators say.
Followers credited Carter with improving their romantic relationships by teaching tantra, a philosophy of meditation, yoga and sexuality famously embraced by rock star Sting.
His Doberman Pinscher also was shot but is expected to survive. The three are charged with animal cruelty.
The suspects have "no fixed address," Marin County sheriff's Lt. Doug Pittman said. They were arrested outside a Portland, Oregon, soup kitchen last week.
They were found with the stolen gun, Carter's Volkswagen station wagon and items belonging to Carey, according to investigators and a criminal complaint.
The complaint also charges Lampley with being a felon in possession of a gun. It says he was convicted in July of receiving a stolen car in San Diego.
