The man who has been at the top of the Santa Monica Police Department’s “Most Wanted” list for 10 years was arrested last week on Thursday, February 12, in Kingston, Jamaica, and is in custody in the Santa Monica jail as of Tuesday, February 17.
Paul Edmond Carpenter, now 31 years old, and three others were charged with murder and attempted armed robbery after their October 12, 1998 attempt to rob a group of German tourists near the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel. One of the tourists, Horst Fietze, was shot and killed in the attempt.
By January 1999, Santa Monica Police detectives were able to identify all four suspects involved in the murder, and three of them were arrested in three different states, said SMPD Lt. Ray Cooper. Carpenter’s name and photograph have been at the top of the wanted list on the SMPD web page for years now.
Once it was determined that Carpenter had fled the Los Angeles area, SMPD detectives sought the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Fugitive Unit.
A Special Agent was assigned to the fugitive case and a Federal Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution Warrant was obtained. For 10 years the FBI has worked in close cooperation with Santa Monica Police homicide detectives in an attempt to locate and apprehend Carpenter.
An anonymous tip of Carpenter’s whereabouts informed investigators that Carpenter was living in Jamaica. With cooperation from the Jamaican Constabulary Force and assistance from federal and local authorities, Carpenter was arrested last week, deported by Jamaican authorities, and was brought back to the United States by the FBI.Carpenter now faces charges for both murder and attempted robbery in the 1998 Santa Monica incident. He is also a fugitive from South Carolina where he is wanted for rape, carjacking, arson, and assault, said Cooper. At press time, he was scheduled to be arranged on Wednesday, February 18, after which he was to be transferred to Los Angeles County jail.
