181:(CHP) vehicle, directed Knott to pull off the freeway on an isolated, unfinished offramp. It was later discovered that Peyer also had been harassing several other female drivers in the same area by pulling them over on the same offramp, supposedly trying to pick them up as dates. In the Knott case, it was believed that the situation escalated to physicality when Knott threatened to report Peyer for his inappropriate actions. When he attempted to grab her, she slashed and scratched at his face. Peyer then bludgeoned her with his flashlight and
363:, which is considered a "country club" and "garden spot" among California prisons. At the time of his second parole hearing in 2008, he had "a nearly unblemished prison record" and "worked as an electrician at the facility" for years, making $ 52 per month in salary from the job in 2003. He had worked briefly as an apprentice electrician after getting fired from CHP while on bail before the trial. His third wife, Karen, whom he married 18 months before the murder and who visited him regularly divorced him around 2007.
154:
219:
320:, after a 7-5 split in favor of conviction. Upon retrial, testimony regarding a potential second suspect and a hearsay explanation for the defendant's scratches was ruled inadmissible, and Peyer was found guilty of murder, the first conviction of murder by an on-duty CHP officer. On August 4, 1988, Peyer was sentenced to 25 years to
33:
275:
that while Peyer may have been friendly with them, he also made them uncomfortable. In some cases, he gently stroked their hair and shoulders, which caused them some distress. In addition, several women had made complaints about Peyer before the murder, but these were dismissed because of his positive reputation within the CHP.
201:
caused when he fell against a fence in the CHP parking lot, but the fence was found to be too high to have caused them. Moreover, within about the hour of when the murder was thought to have occurred, witnesses at a gas station saw a disheveled Peyer drive in at high speed. One of them, an off-duty
307:
Peyer's fellow officers testified to the defendant's strange actions following the murder, with his continuous requests for updates on the investigation's status and his attempts to justify the perpetrator's crime as a mistake. An internal investigation showed that while Peyer stopped many drivers
295:
fiber—found to have been made using a yellow pigment instead of a dye—found on Knott's dress matched a shoulder patch Peyer wore on his CHP uniform. Tire tracks on the bridge showed a car had pulled out hastily, leaving black marks on the pavement. A drop of blood also was found on one of Knott's
274:
Just after the KCST broadcast, nearly two dozen telephone calls, mostly from women, were received by authorities, with the callers reporting that Peyer was the officer who had pulled them over on the same offramp, even though in these cases Peyer was not hostile or violent towards them. They said
200:
interviewed Peyer during a ride-along segment about self-protection for female drivers. At the time of the interview, Peyer had scratches on his face which, as details of the case unfolded, were thought to have been inflicted by Knott during the struggle with him. Peyer claimed the scratches were
282:
gas station just two miles away from the murder scene. The attendant remembered seeing a marked CHP patrol car making a U-turn on the road just after Knott had driven away. Furthermore, Peyer's own logbook revealed a hasty falsification about the time of the murder, as well as changes he made to
354:
Peyer has been denied parole two additional times: in 2008 (after serving 21 years), and 2012 (after serving 25 years). His next eligibility for a parole hearing was set for 15 years later, in
January 2027, when he will be almost 77 years old. Peyer is serving his sentence at
335:
Peyer refused to provide DNA for the test. At an initial parole hearing in 2004 after having served 17 years, when asked why he wouldn't provide a DNA sample, Peyer refused to answer. For this reason and his lack of remorse, the board denied his parole request.
145:(CHP). At his trial, it was revealed that Peyer had been targeting women along the interstate and had made predatory sexual advances on multiple female drivers during traffic stops. He was convicted of Knott's murder in 1988.
1113:
331:
to a San Diego County program, which had been designed and initiated to use DNA samples to possibly exonerate wrongfully imprisoned persons as such testing was not yet available at the time of his trial and conviction.
287:
Norman
Sperber examined the rope found in Peyer's patrol car and determined they seemed to match the rope marks around Knott's neck, although Sperber was later barred from testifying about his findings in court.
1153:
922:
713:
1075:
830:
750:
1133:
308:
for various legitimate violations, most of them were females who were driving alone. Additionally, they were of the same age group and physical description as Knott.
1050:
512:
1041:
1163:
448:
1023:
1148:
892:
862:
1108:
932:
481:
1033:
649:
1028:
993:
962:
691:
1123:
1158:
608:
344:
Shortly after the trial, a wave of incidents was reported when female drivers traveling alone refused to stop when ordered to by the police.
243:
186:
95:
1098:
1118:
834:
1128:
807:
261:
1143:
740:
1138:
351:
only a few yards from the site where Cara's body was discovered, where the family had constructed a memorial garden for her.
304:
testing was not available at the time of the investigation. Microscopic purple fibers also linked Peyer to Knott's murder.
283:
several traffic tickets that had been written sometime later, according to the motorists to whom the tickets were written.
504:
327:
After conviction, Peyer continued to claim his innocence. In 2004, Peyer was asked if he would contribute a sample of his
1038:
417:
131:
72:
234:
1103:
1093:
745:
360:
202:
162:
127:
99:
776:
1070:
443:
356:
111:
1055:
896:
178:
142:
870:
1066:
Video showing the SD Crime
Victims' Oak Garden built at the scene of Cara Knott's murder. Directions included
422:
473:
799:
297:
126:. The following day, December 28, Knott's car was found on a dead-end road at the Mercy Road offramp from
675:
985:
954:
631:
600:
348:
166:
115:
174:
123:
229:
1018:
714:"Former CHP officer who killed San Diego State student in 1986 could see early release from prison"
279:
53:
927:
535:
1019:
1988: A California
Highway Patrolman Is Tried Once Again for a Shocking Murder Under the Freeway
192:
Coincidentally, two days later, while covering the investigation of the murder, a reporter with
683:
641:
636:
559:
453:
409:
1059:
284:
1045:
397:
429:
138:
1087:
321:
182:
84:
161:
On the night of
December 27, 1986, twenty-year-old Cara Knott was driving south on
153:
114:
who disappeared on
December 27, 1986, while driving from her boyfriend's home in
404:
The case was also the subject of a few episodes of different television shows:
1064:
296:
boots, which was found to be consistent with Peyer's blood type (AB negative,
205:, reported seeing the scratch marks an hour before Peyer claimed he got them.
170:
119:
32:
687:
645:
388:
Badge of
Betrayal: The Devastating True Story of a Rogue Cop Turned Murderer
317:
193:
772:
384:
by Judge
Norbert Enrenfreund and Lawrence Treat (Holt Paperbacks 1992)
1078:
185:
her to death with a rope. He then threw her body over the edge of an
394:
One Day: The
Extraordinary Story of an Ordinary 24 Hours in America
134:. Her body was recovered at the bottom of a 65-foot ravine nearby.
110:(February 11, 1966 – December 27, 1986) was an American student at
292:
152:
601:"An Emotional Judge Gives Peyer 25 Years for Killing Cara Knott"
347:
On
November 30, 2000, Sam Knott, Cara Knott's father, died of a
197:
1114:
Asphyxia-related deaths by law enforcement in the United States
328:
301:
212:
137:
Knott's killer, Craig Alan Peyer (born March 16, 1950), was a
632:"Top Forensic Dentist Sinks His Teeth Into Tough Crime Cases"
863:"Parole board declares Peyer a risk, keeps him imprisoned"
1029:
2004: Killer Peyer refused prosecutors' offer to test DNA
390:
by Joe Cantlupe and Lisa Petrillo (Avon Books (Mm) 1991.)
1154:
Murders by law enforcement officers in the United States
371:
The Craig Peyer case has been covered in several books:
1076:
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
378:
by Kevin Dwyer and Juré Fiorillo (Berkley/Penguin 2007)
536:"Craig Alan Peyer: Where is Cara Knott's Killer Now?"
986:"Firm's Owners to Keep Peyer on Job Despite Threats"
893:"Board Denies Parole for Ex-CHP Officer Craig Peyer"
421:: "Betrayal of Trust" (2011, Season 1, Episode 2) -
433:: "Badge of Betrayal" (2004, Season 9, Episode 08).
90:
80:
61:
39:
23:
856:
854:
852:
300:) and other genetic markers, although conclusive
916:
914:
562:, caselaw.findlaw.com. Accessed 18 October 2022.
895:. ABC 10 News. January 11, 2012. Archived from
177:when Craig Peyer, who was on duty in a marked
8:
581:"Badge of Betrayal (Season 9, Episode 18)".
1034:2004: Parole board to revisit Knott murder
831:"Former CHP Denied Parole Four More Years"
20:
1134:December 1986 events in the United States
741:"Killer in 1986 Knott case denied parole"
262:Learn how and when to remove this message
1056:Memorial page for the victim, Cara Knott
694:from the original on September 20, 2015
465:
189:, where she fell into the brush below.
753:from the original on December 10, 2020
739:Littlefield, Dana (January 11, 2012).
676:"Jurors Told Fibers Link Peyer, Knott"
454:Police misconduct in the United States
779:from the original on November 7, 2009
534:Sinha, Shivangi (November 13, 2023).
7:
1164:Violence against women in California
921:Petrillo, Lisa (February 20, 2007).
800:"Sam Knott; Father of Murder Victim"
669:
667:
652:from the original on October 5, 2018
594:
592:
576:
574:
572:
570:
568:
376:True Stories of Law & Order: SVU
1051:2012: Parole denied for CHP officer
996:from the original on March 16, 2021
965:from the original on March 16, 2021
630:Menn, Joseph (September 16, 1988).
503:Bledsoe, Greg (December 27, 2011).
484:from the original on March 16, 2021
449:List of solved missing person cases
1149:Missing person cases in California
810:from the original on March 7, 2016
611:from the original on March 7, 2016
515:from the original on March 4, 2016
14:
1109:1986 murders in the United States
505:"Mom to Face Cara Knott's Killer"
141:and thirteen-year veteran of the
861:Moran, Greg (February 1, 2008).
798:Perry, Tony (December 2, 2002).
674:Reza, H. G. (February 2, 1988).
217:
31:
474:"Cara E Knott, Born 02/11/1966"
291:A distinctive and unusual gold
278:Knott last was seen alive at a
1124:Deaths by person in California
599:Reza, H. G. (August 4, 1988).
316:The first trial resulted in a
1:
1159:People murdered in California
165:from her boyfriend's home in
984:Reza, H. G. (June 5, 1987).
413:: "Badge of Dishonor" (2003)
73:San Diego County, California
1039:2008: No Clemency for Peyer
867:The San Diego Union-Tribune
746:The San Diego Union-Tribune
361:San Luis Obispo, California
239:needs additional citations.
237:. The specific problem is:
122:, to her parents' house in
1180:
1099:1980s missing person cases
444:Cara Knott Memorial Bridge
233:to meet Knowledge (XXG)'s
173:, to her parents' home in
112:San Diego State University
1119:California Highway Patrol
179:California Highway Patrol
143:California Highway Patrol
30:
1129:Deaths from asphyxiation
203:San Diego police officer
94:December 28, 1986, near
1144:Formerly missing people
423:Investigation Discovery
400:(Blue Rider Press 2019)
357:California Men's Colony
560:Profile of Craig Peyer
478:California Birth Index
158:
1139:Female murder victims
1044:June 6, 2014, at the
873:on September 15, 2018
156:
1024:2004: The Killer Cop
244:improve this section
935:on November 4, 2018
837:on October 21, 2013
157:Scene of the crime.
81:Cause of death
54:Ventura, California
1104:1986 in California
1094:1980s in San Diego
928:San Diego Magazine
159:
990:Los Angeles Times
959:Los Angeles Times
804:Los Angeles Times
720:. August 25, 2020
680:Los Angeles Times
637:Los Angeles Times
605:Los Angeles Times
410:City Confidential
272:
271:
264:
235:quality standards
226:This section may
108:Cara Evelyn Knott
105:
104:
96:Mercy Road bridge
65:December 27, 1986
50:February 11, 1966
25:Cara Evelyn Knott
1171:
1067:
1060:Internet Archive
1006:
1005:
1003:
1001:
981:
975:
974:
972:
970:
961:. June 4, 1987.
951:
945:
944:
942:
940:
931:. Archived from
923:"The Killer Cop"
918:
909:
908:
906:
904:
899:on July 19, 2013
889:
883:
882:
880:
878:
869:. Archived from
858:
847:
846:
844:
842:
833:. Archived from
826:
820:
819:
817:
815:
795:
789:
788:
786:
784:
769:
763:
762:
760:
758:
736:
730:
729:
727:
725:
710:
704:
703:
701:
699:
671:
662:
661:
659:
657:
627:
621:
620:
618:
616:
596:
587:
586:
578:
563:
557:
551:
550:
548:
546:
531:
525:
524:
522:
520:
500:
494:
493:
491:
489:
470:
418:Unusual Suspects
285:Forensic dentist
267:
260:
256:
253:
247:
221:
220:
213:
187:abandoned bridge
132:San Diego County
68:
49:
47:
35:
21:
1179:
1178:
1174:
1173:
1172:
1170:
1169:
1168:
1084:
1083:
1065:
1046:Wayback Machine
1015:
1010:
1009:
999:
997:
983:
982:
978:
968:
966:
953:
952:
948:
938:
936:
920:
919:
912:
902:
900:
891:
890:
886:
876:
874:
860:
859:
850:
840:
838:
828:
827:
823:
813:
811:
797:
796:
792:
782:
780:
773:"Timeline 1986"
771:
770:
766:
756:
754:
738:
737:
733:
723:
721:
712:
711:
707:
697:
695:
673:
672:
665:
655:
653:
629:
628:
624:
614:
612:
598:
597:
590:
580:
579:
566:
558:
554:
544:
542:
540:The Cinemaholic
533:
532:
528:
518:
516:
502:
501:
497:
487:
485:
472:
471:
467:
462:
440:
398:Gene Weingarten
382:You're the Jury
369:
342:
314:
298:the rarest type
268:
257:
251:
248:
241:
222:
218:
211:
151:
91:Body discovered
76:
70:
66:
57:
51:
45:
43:
26:
17:
12:
11:
5:
1177:
1175:
1167:
1166:
1161:
1156:
1151:
1146:
1141:
1136:
1131:
1126:
1121:
1116:
1111:
1106:
1101:
1096:
1086:
1085:
1082:
1081:
1079:Inmate Locator
1073:
1062:
1053:
1048:
1036:
1031:
1026:
1021:
1014:
1013:External links
1011:
1008:
1007:
976:
946:
910:
884:
848:
821:
790:
764:
731:
705:
663:
622:
588:
583:Forensic Files
564:
552:
526:
495:
464:
463:
461:
458:
457:
456:
451:
446:
439:
436:
435:
434:
430:Forensic Files
426:
414:
402:
401:
391:
385:
379:
368:
365:
341:
338:
313:
310:
270:
269:
225:
223:
216:
210:
207:
150:
147:
139:police officer
103:
102:
92:
88:
87:
82:
78:
77:
71:
69:(aged 20)
63:
59:
58:
52:
41:
37:
36:
28:
27:
24:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
1176:
1165:
1162:
1160:
1157:
1155:
1152:
1150:
1147:
1145:
1142:
1140:
1137:
1135:
1132:
1130:
1127:
1125:
1122:
1120:
1117:
1115:
1112:
1110:
1107:
1105:
1102:
1100:
1097:
1095:
1092:
1091:
1089:
1080:
1077:
1074:
1072:
1068:
1063:
1061:
1057:
1054:
1052:
1049:
1047:
1043:
1040:
1037:
1035:
1032:
1030:
1027:
1025:
1022:
1020:
1017:
1016:
1012:
1000:September 15,
995:
991:
987:
980:
977:
969:September 15,
964:
960:
956:
950:
947:
934:
930:
929:
924:
917:
915:
911:
898:
894:
888:
885:
877:September 15,
872:
868:
864:
857:
855:
853:
849:
836:
832:
829:Moran, Greg.
825:
822:
809:
805:
801:
794:
791:
778:
774:
768:
765:
752:
748:
747:
742:
735:
732:
719:
715:
709:
706:
698:September 21,
693:
689:
685:
681:
677:
670:
668:
664:
656:September 21,
651:
647:
643:
639:
638:
633:
626:
623:
610:
606:
602:
595:
593:
589:
584:
577:
575:
573:
571:
569:
565:
561:
556:
553:
541:
537:
530:
527:
514:
510:
509:NBC San Diego
506:
499:
496:
483:
479:
475:
469:
466:
459:
455:
452:
450:
447:
445:
442:
441:
437:
432:
431:
427:
424:
420:
419:
415:
412:
411:
407:
406:
405:
399:
395:
392:
389:
386:
383:
380:
377:
374:
373:
372:
366:
364:
362:
358:
352:
350:
345:
339:
337:
333:
330:
325:
323:
319:
311:
309:
305:
303:
299:
294:
289:
286:
281:
276:
266:
263:
255:
245:
240:
236:
232:
231:
224:
215:
214:
209:Investigation
208:
206:
204:
199:
195:
190:
188:
184:
180:
176:
172:
168:
164:
163:Interstate 15
155:
148:
146:
144:
140:
135:
133:
129:
128:Interstate 15
125:
121:
117:
113:
109:
101:
100:Interstate 15
97:
93:
89:
86:
85:Strangulation
83:
79:
74:
64:
60:
55:
42:
38:
34:
29:
22:
19:
998:. Retrieved
989:
979:
967:. Retrieved
958:
955:"The Region"
949:
937:. Retrieved
933:the original
926:
901:. Retrieved
897:the original
887:
875:. Retrieved
871:the original
866:
839:. Retrieved
835:the original
824:
812:. Retrieved
803:
793:
783:November 14,
781:. Retrieved
767:
757:December 26,
755:. Retrieved
744:
734:
724:November 10,
722:. Retrieved
717:
708:
696:. Retrieved
679:
654:. Retrieved
635:
625:
615:December 29,
613:. Retrieved
604:
582:
555:
543:. Retrieved
539:
529:
517:. Retrieved
508:
498:
486:. Retrieved
477:
468:
428:
416:
408:
403:
393:
387:
381:
375:
370:
353:
349:heart attack
346:
343:
334:
326:
315:
306:
290:
277:
273:
258:
249:
242:Please help
238:
227:
191:
160:
136:
107:
106:
67:(1986-12-27)
18:
939:November 3,
246:if you can.
16:1986 murder
1088:Categories
903:August 18,
841:August 18,
814:January 1,
519:January 1,
488:January 2,
460:References
171:California
120:California
46:1966-02-11
688:0458-3035
646:0458-3035
425:TV series
340:Aftermath
318:hung jury
194:San Diego
183:strangled
167:Escondido
116:Escondido
1042:Archived
994:Archived
963:Archived
808:Archived
777:Archived
751:Archived
718:cbs8.com
692:Archived
650:Archived
609:Archived
585:. truTV.
513:Archived
482:Archived
438:See also
252:May 2018
228:require
196:station
175:El Cajon
124:El Cajon
1071:YouTube
545:May 29,
280:Chevron
230:cleanup
198:KCST-TV
56:, U.S.
686:
644:
312:Trials
149:Murder
75:, U.S.
367:Media
293:rayon
1058:via
1002:2018
971:2018
941:2018
905:2014
879:2018
843:2014
816:2016
785:2009
759:2020
726:2021
700:2018
684:ISSN
658:2018
642:ISSN
617:2015
547:2024
521:2016
490:2016
322:life
62:Died
40:Born
1069:on
396:by
359:in
329:DNA
302:DNA
130:in
98:on
1090::
992:.
988:.
957:.
925:.
913:^
865:.
851:^
806:.
802:.
775:.
749:.
743:.
716:.
690:.
682:.
678:.
666:^
648:.
640:.
634:.
607:.
603:.
591:^
567:^
538:.
511:.
507:.
480:.
476:.
324:.
169:,
118:,
1004:.
973:.
943:.
907:.
881:.
845:.
818:.
787:.
761:.
728:.
702:.
660:.
619:.
549:.
523:.
492:.
265:)
259:(
254:)
250:(
48:)
44:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
