Police Search for Final Suspect in German Tourist Slaying

By Teresa Rochester

Pleased with the recent convictions of three defendants in connection with the October 1998 slaying and attempted robbery of a German tourist, Santa Monica police are still searching for a fourth suspect who fled the area following the shooting.

Wanted for Murder: Paul Edmond Carpenter Aka: Jason Anderson, John Talar/John Anderson Male/Black/ 5'9" tall/ 160 pounds Date of birth: 04-14-77

"He is considered armed and extremely dangerous," said Police Chief James T. Butts, of Carpenter who also is wanted in Spartanburg County, South Carolina for car jacking, rape, assault with a firearm and arson.

Paul Edmond Carpenter - who uses the aliases Jason Anderson, John Talar and John Anderson - remains at large more than two years after Horst Fietze was gunned down on Appian Way near the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel while on vacation, police officials said at a press conference Wednesday afternoon.

The FBI is assisting the police department in its search for Carpenter, who has been featured several times on the television show "America's Most Wanted." The FBI also has issued a warrant for Carpenter's arrest.

On Feb. 14, following a five-day non-jury trial, Judge Lance Ito found three defendants in the case guilty of killing Fietze, 50, during an attempted robbery. The defendants opted to forgo a jury trial in exchange for lighter sentences.

Los Angeles resident Lamont Dion Santos, 23, was convicted of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted robbery. He confessed to shooting Fietze and is facing 35 years to life with the possibility of parole.

Ito convicted both Tyrina Griffin, 20, and Roshana Latiesha Roberts, 21, of second-degree murder and three counts of attempted robbery. They face 16 years to life.

Police called the murder of Feitze a classic "who-dun-it." The case took investigators across the country to Oklahoma and South Carolina.

On Oct. 12, 1998 Feitze his wife Astrid and another couple, Gisela and Jurgen Ulber, strolled along Appian Way behind Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel on the last night of what had been a long-anticipated vacation.

As they walked back to their hotel, Gisela commented on how pleasant and safe Santa Monica was, Butts said Wednesday. Moments later they were confronted with Santos, Carpenter, and Griffin.

Butts told reporters that the group was driving northbound on Appian Way in a stolen car looking for people to rob when they spotted the Feitzes and Ulbers walking southbound. Roberts, the alleged driver, made a U-turn and followed the couples.

Santos, Griffin and Carpenter got out of the car and approached the couples. "Now there's going to be trouble," said Gisela Ulber who first spotted the robbers, according to Butts. "German. German. No dollars! No dollars!"

Carpenter attacked Jurgen Ulber, separating him from the group as Santos confronted Fietze. After a brief struggle Santos shot Fietze. As Fietze turned away Santos shot him two more times. Santos confessed after he was arrested in South Carolina.

Roberts, who had been waiting in the car, slowly moved it forward as the crime took place, Butts said. Afterwards the group sped south on Appian Way, then east on Pico Boulevard.

Police launched what they described as an intense investigation. With the help of a security video from Shutters on the Beach Hotel and Toyota engineers, police were able to identify the car as one stolen from a Santa Monica parking lot the day before and trace it back to Roberts who had fled the state.

On Nov. 24, 1998 police spoke with Roberts' father in Enid, Oklahoma, who said his daughter had told him she had been involved in an attempted robbery. Roberts agreed to talk with police and initially denied knowledge of the murder.

Shortly thereafter Griffen was arrested in Los Angeles. In December of 1998 police learned that Santos had fled to Greenville, North Carolina. Police called him on the phone, and he denied knowledge of the murder but said he would talk.

On Jan. 2, 1999, during a heavy storm, Santa Monica police arrested Santos at his cousin's apartment in North Carolina. Within minutes of being interviewed by police, Santos confessed to shooting Fietze, Butts said.

On Wednesday Butts and Deputy Dist. Atty. Anthony Manzella thanked each other for a job well done. The two agencies started working together on the case less than a day after the shooting.

"I wanted to express my personal gratitude…to all of them for brining justice to the victim and the families," Butts said.

Anyone with information on Carpenter is urged to call Lt. Ray Cooper at (310) 458-8495 or Det. John Henry at (310) 458-8978.