Authorities arrested three suspects, all under 25, Wednesday afternoon in connection with the slaying of a 67-year-old Tantra teacher, Steve Carter, which occurred on a trail in the Loma Alta Open Space Preserve between Woodacre and Fairfax on Monday, the Marin County Sheriff’s Office announced.
A key piece of evidence used to locate the suspects was a surveillance photo of the trio taken at Greenbridge Gas and Auto in downtown Point Reyes Station, which was captured just 30 minutes after a hiker discovered the body and alerted police around 6 p.m. on Monday.
Mr. Carter was shot to death while walking his dog along the trail. Law enforcement has yet to identify a motive or why the suspects were in the area.
The suspects were apprehended by the Portland Police Bureau outside a community dining hall near Portland, Ore. Marin sheriffs located the vehicle using GPS technology, and alerted Portland’s police.
The sheriff’s office yesterday released a series of photos submitted by many locals that showed the suspects at a Fairfax convenience store and a nearby school. Unlike the other photos released, the gas station image showed all three suspects standing together behind the victim’s stolen car, pumping gas.
“These arrests could not have been made without the assistants and cooperation of people here in Marin County,” said Lt. Doug Pittman, of the county sheriff’s office. “Here’s a situation where everyday surveillance has aided us in [investigating] a homicide.”
Mr. Carter returned from Costa Rica about a month ago to care for his wife, Lokita, who has been receiving treatment for breast cancer at the Marin Cancer Institute. The couple has taught SkyDancing Tantra through the Ecstatic Living Institute since 1999.
“I am beyond devastated to face this situation while already going through intensive breast cancer treatment,” Ms. Carter posted onto the couple’s GoFundMe page. “His senseless and shocking death is incomprehensible to all of us, and this time is the most difficult.”