Robert Carson-Murder of Brittany Hart
Sex offender arrested in Santee woman's disappearance By Angelica Martinez UNION-TRIBUNE BREAKING NEWS TEAM 2:52 p.m. June 6, 2007 SANTEE – A registered sex offender was arrested in connection with the disappearance of Brittany Monet Hart, who has been missing since late May, sheriff's homicide officials said Wednesday. Robert Steven Carson was arrested Tuesday night and booked into county jail on one count of murder. Investigators said cellular phone records show that there was at least one call between Hart and Carson, who turns 40 Thursday, made near the time of her disappearance. “I don't believe there were that many, maybe two,” conversations to and from Hart's cell phone, Lt. Dennis Brugos said. The relationship between the two has not been determined but investigators believe that Hart was in Carson's Spring Valley home on Maria Avenue near Chestnut Street before she vanished, Brugos said. Deputies served a search warrant at Carson's home Tuesday night and didn't leave until early Wednesday morning, Brugos said. While investigators were at the home, Carson arrived and was arrested. Brugos declined to give details about the search. Officials said neither Hart nor her metallic gray 1998 Ford Ranger pickup has been found. Hart, 24, was last seen buying gasoline at a Santee gas station on May 24. She worked at the Costco in La Mesa and was known to frequent the beaches and the Gaslamp Quarter. Deputies said she was believed to be “at risk” for harm when she disappeared because it was very unusual for her not to be in touch with family or friends. At this point investigators are certain that she is not alive but they have no idea where she could be, Brugos said. They are asking the public's help in finding her or her pickup. Anyone with information can call (858) 565-5200. Carson's offenses listed on the state's Megan's Law database include assault with intent to commit rape and penetration with a foreign object by force. He has no bail on the murder charge and is scheduled to be arraigned Friday. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20070606-1452-bn06arrest3.html

Man pleads not guilty in Santee woman's presumed slaying By: North County Times wire services - EL CAJON ---- A registered sex offender allegedly linked to the presumed slaying of a 24-year-old Santee woman pleaded not guilty Friday to a murder charge. Robert Steven Carson, 40, was arrested at his Spring Valley home on Tuesday after investigators executing a search warrant found a large quantity of blood in the basement, prosecutor John Rice told Superior Court Judge Patricia Cookson. Carson allegedly tried to call someone to come clean up the blood on May 25, a day after Brittany Hart went missing, Rice said. Hart and her 1998 Ford Ranger pickup have not been found, and authorities don't believe she's still alive. Rice told the judge that Carson had five felony "strikes," including a 1986 conviction for assault with intent to commit rape against three separate victims. http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/06/09/news/sandiego/23_29_026_8_07.txt

Suspect: My Past Doesn't Make Me Guilty Man Speaks Out From Jail POSTED: 10:17 am PDT June 10, 2007 SAN DIEGO -- The man arrested in connection with the disappearance of a 24-year-old Santee woman said his past does not make him a murderer, NBC 7/39 reported. Robert Carson, 40, was arraigned in an El Cajon courtroom Friday. He pleaded not guilty to charges related to the disappearance and presumed murder of Brittany Hart. Carson spoke out about the charges on Saturday during a jail interview with NBC 7/39. Authorities said Carson has a violent criminal history including a conviction for rape with a foreign object. "It doesn't really seem to matter whether or not that I'm guilty or innocent or anything, just a matter of do I have a sex offense from 1986, that's all that that seems to be, that's all that I hear," Carson said. Carson said he does not know Hart, despite the fact that investigators said cell phone records led them to him. Investigators also said they found blood inside Carson's home. When asked about the finding, Carson said "I'm not the only person that lives there you know." Carson said he is innocent, and also said he has not been given a chance to speak with his own private attorney. "I haven't killed anybody. I haven't re-offended," Carson said. "I have a lot to say. I have a whole bunch to say." http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/13475933/detail.html

Body Found In East County Identified As Brittany Hart POSTED: 8:01 pm PDT June 16, 2007 UPDATED: 9:15 am PDT June 17, 2007 ors identified the body found Friday in the Cleveland National Forest as that of 24-year-old Brittany Hart, whose alleged killer was charged in her death about a week before her body was found, 10News reported. Hart, who lived in Santee, disappeared May 24, and her body was found stuffed in a plastic garbage can near Interstate 8 and Buckman Springs Road by a group of forest service workers on Friday, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported. Robert Steven Carson, 40, a registered sex offender, has been charged with murder and is being held without bail. Sheriff's investigators said that they found blood on the basement floor of Carson's home, and that cell phone records show he had an extended conversation with Hart around the time of her disappearance. Carson was convicted of rape in 1986, according to The Union-Tribune. In 2003, he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor sexual battery. The last time, he was charged under the state's "three strikes" law, but only got three years of probation. The law calls for 25 years to life for three-time felons. Carson, arrested June 5, has denied an allegation of murder, but detectives say cellular telephone records show he was in contact with Hart and in the same general area. Detectives say blood evidence was found in the basement of Carson's Spring Valley home. http://www.10news.com/news/13516541/detail.html

Preliminary hearing for convicted sex offender accused of murder rescheduled By: North County Times wire services - EL CAJON - A preliminary hearing for a convicted sex offender accused of killing a 24-year-old Santee woman, whose body has not been found, was rescheduled today to July 31. Robert Steven Carson, 40, of Spring Valley, is charged with the murder of Brittany Hart, who was last seen three weeks ago. Judge Patricia Cookson granted the delay for the preliminary hearing at the request of Deputy Public Defender Stacy Gulley, who said he just received Sheriff's Department reports on the case. Prosecutor John Rice did not object to the postponement. "There will be additional discovery in the form of tapes and CDs that (Gulley) is not yet in receipt of," Rice told the judge. At Carson's was arraignment last week, the prosecutor said investigators found blood in the basement of his Marie Street home, that he and Hart made contact by cellular phone the day before she vanished, and that the defendant had a carpet-cleaning service to his home to remove blood. Carson has five felony convictions, including one from 1986 for assault with intent to commit rape against three separate victims. He also has a case pending in South Bay for allegedly trying to evade officers in Coronado. Carson was also convicted in 2003 of misdemeanor sexual battery. Hart's family and volunteers searched for her body east of Alpine this morning, according to broadcast reports. Anyone with more information about Hart or her dark gray truck, with a license plate number of 6M91555, is urged to call San Diego County Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-TIPS. http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/06/16/news/sandiego/17_19_036_15_07.txt

Suspect Admits To News 8 He Killed Brittany Hart Last Updated: 09-07-07 at 8:55AM A man accused of murdering 24-year-old Brittany Hart admits to killing her, and tells News 8 why. Twenty-four-year-old Brittany Hart was last seen buying gas in Santee on May 24. Three weeks later her body was found in the Cleveland National Forest. During our jailhouse interview with Robert Steven Carson, he said most of the blood police found inside his garage was his own. He claims Brittany Hart stabbed him in the chest, and then he killed her in self-defense. "I didn't know what to do, I'm not in the body removal business. I've never killed anybody before in my life," Carson said. Carson, who is accused of murder, admits panicking moments after he says he killed Hart in his Spring Valley garage on May 24. "With all my heart I never planned this to happen," he said. But the 40-year-old sex registered sex offender says Hart's murder was in self-defense. He says he met the SDSU graduate at the La Mesa Costco where she worked. Carson told News 8 Hart came to his home to model his Just Floss'n clothing line after he offered her $400. Then he says they started to argue. "When I told her there was no film in the camera and she was telling me that's , that I never planned on paying her from the beginning and I was like dude chill out," Carson said. "She wanted to keep the camera and I was like give me the camera back, I have to have it and she's like no. I said give me the camera back and she said no," he said. Suddenly, Carson says there was a struggle which ended in bloody violence. "She was holding the camera. I was trying to pull it out of her hand and then I snatched it out of her hand and she picked up the knife and she stabbed me in the chest. That's what happened and then I got stabbed again and that's all I'm going to say about that," Carson said. Carson showed off what he claims is the scar on his chest from the stab wound. "My contention is if I wouldn't have been stabbed this would have never happened," he said. Carson also admits driving Hart's pickup truck to the East County to dump her body. "I drove all around. I didn't know what to do - I was scared to call the police," he said. Then he says he drove Hart's truck to Mexico and took a taxi back home. "If the police want to know exactly where it is, if they want to escort me down to Tijuana, I'll take them to the place where I got rid of it. It's a business," Carson said. Before heading back to his cell, Carson apologized to Hart's relatives. "You know what, I do pray. I pray for her mom. I've written poetry," he said. "The sorrow that I feel and the pain of having to relive and think about this thing and myself… you know, I don’t want to go on." "It's not just so much I don't want to be in jail. I don't like living with the fact that this all happened," he said. Carson would not talk about the details of exactly how he killed Hart. He would only say she died from blunt force trauma to the head, which the medical examiner confirms. News 8 got reaction to Carson's comments from Brittany Hart's sister Brandy Reynolds. "Brittany was 110 pounds - she was a tiny little girl," Reynolds said. "He's at least double her size. There's no way. Self-defense on someone half your size? I don't buy it." http://www.cbs8.com/stories/story.102055.html

Suspect Robert Carson's preliminary hearing date: September 19, 2007 El Cajon Courthouse Brittany's truck is missing Call police if you see a dark gray 1998 Ford Ranger pickup with the following plate: The truck's VIN number is: 1FTYR10U7WUC98615 The inside of Brittany's truck bed is colored RED (see photo) San Diego Sheriff: (858) 565-5200 http://www.brittanyhart.com/

New Charges Filed Against Accused Hart Killer Last Updated: 09-19-07 at 7:26PM New charges have been filed against the man accused of killing a 24-year-old Santee woman. Robert Carson now faces charges of attempted forcible rape and allegations he used a hammer in the attack on Brittany Hart. He's also charged with drug possession. Brittany Hart's body was found in the Cleveland National Forest on June 15. Carson has already pleaded not guilty to her murder. http://www.cbs8.com/story.php?id=103359

Preliminary Hearing for Carson Scheduled to Begin Last Updated: 11-27-07 at 7:23AM A preliminary hearing is scheduled to begin Tuesday for a convicted sex offender accused of murdering a Santee woman whose body was found in the Cleveland National Forest three weeks after she disappeared. Robert Steven Carson, 40, is charged with murder, attempted forcible rape and possession of methamphetamine in connection with the death of Brittany Hart, who was last seen buying gas on May 24. Carson was arrested on June 5, based in part on blood that investigators found inside his Spring Valley home, according to Deputy District Attorney John Rice. The decomposed body of the 24-year-old woman was discovered stuffed inside a garbage bag 10 days later, near Interstate 8 in the Buckman Springs area. In a search warrant affidavit, Sheriff's Sgt. Roy Frank wrote that at least one witness saw a truck similar to the victim's in Carson's neighborhood and that the defendant was seen with a shovel near the truck. Sheriff's investigators have also said that cell phone records showed the defendant and victim had an extended conversation around the time she disappeared. Carson has denied the murder, but in September television interviews, he admitted killing her when she attacked him with a knife. Carson has five previous felony convictions, including one in 1987 for assault with intent to commit rape against three separate victims. He was convicted a year earlier for attempted residential burglary. In 2003, he was found guilty of misdemeanor sexual battery. The defendant is being held in custody without bail. http://www.cbs8.com/stories/story.110038.html

Sex Offender Accused Of Rape, Killing Might Face Death Penalty Special-Circumstance Allegations Added, Prosecutors Say POSTED: 9:47 pm PST December 12, 2007 UPDATED: 9:50 pm PST December 12, 2007 SANTEE, Calif. -- A convicted sex offender accused of raping and killing a 21-year-old Santee woman could face the death penalty, officials announced Thursday. Forty-year-old Robert Carson is accused of murdering Brittany Hart, and hiding her remains in the Cleveland National Forest last summer, officials said. Prosecutors added special-circumstance allegations to the case Wednesday, opening the door for a possible death sentence, officials said. According to authorities, Carson was arrested June 5, based upon evidence found in his Spring Valley home, which included bloodstains officials said belonged to Hart. He has five previous felony convictions, including one in 1987 for assault with intent to commit rape against three separate victims. He is set to return to court in two weeks, and faces life in prison if convicted. His trial begins in May, officials said. http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/14842965/detail.html?rss=dgo&psp=news

Judge Denies Motion in Brutal Death of Santee Woman Last Update: 4/11 7:28 pm A judge in El Cajon Friday denied a defense motion to dismiss a special circumstance allegation of murder during an attempted rape against a Spring Valley man accused of clubbing a Santee woman to death with a hammer. An attorney for Robert Steven Carson argued there was no evidence that his client tried to rape 24-year-old Brittany Hart, who went missing last May 24. Her body, which had been soaked in acid, was found three weeks later off Interstate 8 near Buckman Springs. The acid caused the removal of layers of skin and prevented DNA testing. A forensic biologist with the San Diego County Sheriff's Department testified at a preliminary hearing last November that DNA from a cigarette butt found where Hart's body was discovered matched Carson's DNA profile. Prosecutors allege the victim went to Carson's home, where she was assaulted by the defendant, who has two previous convictions for sex offenses. Deputy District Attorney John Rice conceded that authorities don't know exactly what took place while the victim was allegedly in Carson's home. But "the evidence we do have is suggestive of sexual assault," the prosecutor said. According to evidence presented at the preliminary hearing, Carson had started a clothing line with a sexually suggestive name, and met Hart at the La Mesa Costco where she worked. The next morning, the woman searched the Internet for the name of the clothing line, then went to the defendant's home. When investigators found Hart's body, she was clad in a top, her shorts were torn and she wasn't wearing any underwear, deputy medical examiner Dr. Jonathan Lucas testified at the preliminary hearing. Lucas said Hart was killed after receiving at least 10 blows to the head area from a hammer. Carson, who was arrested last June 5, claimed in a television interview several months later that he killed Hart when she attacked him with a knife. Defense attorney Stacy Gulley told a judge last year that Carson disposed of Hart's body in an "act of panic by a convicted sex offender." Today, Judge Peter Deddeh ruled that the judge who oversaw the preliminary hearing correctly found that there was probable cause to believe the woman was killed during an attempted sexual assault. Carson, 40, faces charges of murder and murder during an attempted rape, attempted forcible rape and possession of methamphetamine. A hearing is scheduled June 2 for prosecutors to announce whether they will seek the death penalty or life in prison without parole for Carson if he's convicted. http://www.fox6.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=13c31c3d-f2cf-4b55-ba8b-6164393d00da&rss=800