She was just pulling into the lot at Fullerton Community College—ordinary day, ordinary routine. But he was watching. And in his own words later, “I knew that was the one.”
Carmen Banderas became his next target.
What followed was an ordeal no one should have to endure. But Carmen survived it—and more than that, she remembered. She remembered everything.
When we found her, shaken and brutalized, she still had the presence of mind to give us a handwritten account of the attack. That statement would prove crucial. It matched nearly word-for-word with what the suspect confessed to later—details no one else could’ve known.
One detail stood out: a tattoo on his left wrist. A Nazi swastika. That mark would turn out to be more than just a chilling clue—it would later help confirm the sketch she gave us, right down to the placement.
Detective Schauperl met with Carmen in the ICU. She was badly injured but clear-headed. The doctors allowed us to speak with her briefly, and even then, we could tell—this young woman was sharp, strong, and determined.
When she was physically able, Carmen worked with a police sketch artist from the L.A. Sheriff’s Department. She described her attacker with striking precision. The resulting drawing was so accurate that, when the suspect was finally arrested, the newspapers ran the sketch right alongside his booking photo—and the resemblance was uncanny.
Carmen wasn’t just a survivor—she became one of the strongest links in our case. Her detailed memory, her courage in the aftermath, and her willingness to talk helped us close in on a man who had brought fear to an entire community.
There’s more to her story—and more to how it helped us bring him down. I cover that in detail in the book!
Lee DeVore True Crime 