Suspects in tantra teacher’s death to face murder charges

Beloved tantra yoga teacher Steve Carter’s killing was on its way to becoming another unsolved mystery in rural Marin County before the power of social and mainstream media was tapped, authorities say.

Sean Michael Angold, 24, Morrison Haze Lampley, 23, and Lila Scott Allgood, 18, were arrested around 2:15 p.m. Wednesday in Portland, Oregon, on suspicion of the fatal shooting of 67-year-old Steve Carter in the Loma Alta Open Space Preserve, sheriff’s officials said.

The three suspects accused of killing a hiker in Marin County will now be charged in the death and robbery of Canadian tourist Audrey Carey at Golden Gate Park, according to San Francisco police.

Marin County investigators meanwhile used a Global Positioning System device in Carter’s auto and tracked it to Portland, Ore., where three suspects were arrested and questioned.

Pittman declined to comment on which suspect police believe fired the gun, and he said the motive remains under investigation.

But after announcing the crime on Twitter and pleading for leads from the public through local media, the tips poured in – hundreds of them in just 36 hours, estimated Sheriff’s Lt. Doug Pittman.

He was found with his wounded dog still attached to his hand by a leash.

“We get a lot of people that come through here who are people we don’t know”, said Chapman. The suspects went to the gas station about 30 minutes after Carter’s body was found. Carter was shot to death while walking his dog on a hiking trail near his home.

“I’ve been in law enforcement over 31 years and this is really the first time I’ve seen that new technology and working with the media, especially social media, was instrumental in the apprehension”, Pittman said Thursday.

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

He and wife Lokita published books like The Breath of Tantric Love, released videos like Tantric Massage for Lovers, and founded the Ecstatic Living Institute in Middletown, California. They held workshops nearby at the clothing-optional Harbin Hot Springs, which was destroyed last month in a wildfire. “It was intoxicating. People wanted to be around him”. However, the couple recently returned to California so that Lokita Carter could be treated after she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

At gofundme.com/lokitacarter, the website the couple established to raise money for her cancer treatments, contributions doubled in the days after the homicide to more than $53,000. She was depressed at the time and Carter led her to adopt the new first name of Joya, Gallasch said. “He exuded a form of brilliance”.

A hiker on the trail called 911 at 6:06 p.m. Monday after finding Carter suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.

Carter’s brother, Michael Carter, said he knew of no one who disliked his brother. “Nothing makes any sense”. If you would like to discuss another topic, look for a relevant article.

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