Lisa Rinna Reveals Mother's Terrifying Encounter with Trailside Killer
Lisa Rinna has shared shocking new revelations about her late mother's terrifying brush with serial killer David Carpenter, known as the Trailside Killer. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, 62, discussed the chilling incident in detail during an interview for IMPACT x Nightline: Terror on the Trails, a special streaming event.
A Fateful Morning in 1960
Rinna explained how her mother, Lois DeAndrade, who passed away in November 2021 at age 93, encountered Carpenter in 1960 when they worked together in San Francisco. This encounter led to Carpenter's arrest and seven-year imprisonment, which preceded his gruesome killing spree that began in 1979.
"One morning she was waiting at the bus stop to go to the dentist," Rinna recalled in the interview. "He came by the bus stop and said, 'Lois, I want you to meet my new baby!' And she was like, 'No I have to go to the dentist.' And he was like, 'Oh I'll drive you.' And she got in the car with him."
Red Flags and Realization
The actress detailed several alarming signs that alerted her mother to danger. Carpenter, who had previously been convicted for molestation, kidnapping, and rape, typically stuttered at work but spoke clearly during this encounter.
"He started talking to her and he wasn't stuttering - that was the first sign," Rinna said. "He was driving in a weird direction. And she said, 'David, what's going on with you? You're not stuttering. You're speaking clearly.' And he said, 'I don't know Lois, something just comes over me.' And that's when she knew she was in serious trouble."
A Brutal Attack and Miraculous Rescue
Carpenter drove Lois to a deserted road in The Presidio, a former U.S. Army post, where he launched a vicious attack. "As David Carpenter parked the car, he literally straddled my mom, grabbed the knife out of the glove box … goes at my mom," Rinna described. "My mom grabs it with her hand, and it severs these two fingers, so her fingers are like dangling."
When Carpenter saw another car approaching, he grabbed a hammer and began smashing Lois over the head. Her life was miraculously saved when a military police officer intervened, shooting Carpenter in the stomach.
Recovery and Aftermath
Lois spent three months in the hospital recovering from her injuries, requiring a metal plate in her head. Rinna praised her mother's resilience, saying, "She could have been the most miserable, traumatized human being, and I never saw that. She was positive, never played a victim, and never felt sorry for herself."
Carpenter was convicted for this attack and served seven years in prison. After another prison stint for kidnapping, he began his killing spree in 1979. He was eventually convicted in 1984 of seven murders and confirmed as the killer in an eighth, while being suspected in two additional killings. Now 95, he remains on death row at San Quentin State Prison.
Family Tragedies and Personal Revelations
Rinna also recently opened up about her father Frank Rinna's 2016 death at age 94 through assisted suicide in Oregon. "In Oregon, you're permitted to check out when you want to check out," explained Rinna's husband Harry Hamlin. "He was 94, and his quality of life had diminished to the point where he wanted to transition."
Rinna described watching her father take the medication himself, as required by Oregon law. "You want to support what they want to do, but you're going to watch your parent kill themselves," she said. "That's what we're doing. But he wanted it so badly." She noted his death was peaceful, occurring about 45 minutes after taking the medication.
The reality star left Real Housewives of Beverly Hills in 2023 while grieving her mother's death, making her return to these painful family memories particularly poignant. IMPACT x Nightline: Terror on the Trails begins streaming on Hulu and Disney+.
