David Morrison, 65, pleaded guilty to kidnapping teenager Laura Sheridan in Massachusetts in 1981 and murdering pro golfer Sarah Hunter with a pair of scissors in Vermont five years later, according to the Berkshire County District Attorney’s Office.
A Vermont judge sentenced Morrison to life without parole. Massachusetts also handed him a two- to four-year sentence. He is already serving a life term in Vacaville, California, after authorities convicted him of kidnapping, rape, and robbery.
His new sentences will run concurrently with his current life sentence, and he will serve the time in Vermont.
Berkshire District Attorney Timothy Shugrue described Morrison’s arrest as a model for solving difficult cases and praised multiple police agencies for working together across state lines.
“This unprecedented collaboration demonstrates the immense potential for success in solving cases when we work together,” he said.
Laura Sheridan still remembers the moment Morrison offered her a ride as she walked home in New Ashford, Massachusetts. The then-15-year-old told investigators she felt safe when she got into his car, but when he stopped to grab a paper bag from his trunk and sped past her home, she realized she was in danger.
She told police a pistol was inside the bag. She begged Morrison to release her, but he ignored her. While he struggled to load the gun, she saw an opening and grabbed the weapon, prosecutors said. He beat her, but when he pulled over to take the gun back, she jumped out and flagged down a passing driver on Route 7.
Morrison took off, but the Good Samaritan wrote down his license plate and passed the information to Williamstown police, Berkshire authorities said.
Pro golfer Sarah Hunter didn’t survive her encounter with Morrison.
Morrison worked at a gas station in Manchester, Vermont, when the 36-year-old stopped to buy cigarettes. He grabbed her and tied her with ropes inside the store, prosecutors said.
He forced her into his trunk and drove to Danby, where he used a pair of scissors to stab her in the ear. The blades pierced her brain and killed her, authorities said.
Morrison quickly became a suspect in her killing, but a court tossed the case in 2015 because of an evidence error, according to NBC Vermont.
Vermont State Police Det. Sgt. Samuel Truex, who led the investigation, always believed he would find Sarah Hunter’s killer.
Even after retiring, he returned when prosecutors asked for another push to arrest Morrison. He immediately put the badge back on and joined his son, a current Vermont trooper, to secure the conviction.
“Their commitment not just to justice, but to Sarah Hunter and her family, is one of the major reasons we are in front of you today,” Bennington County State’s Attorney Erica Marthage said.
Marthage added that Sarah’s family never stopped hoping to find her killer.
“Sarah’s sister always answered every phone call we placed to her. She and Sarah’s entire family continue to live with heartbreak and lasting trauma each day of their lives. I am forever grateful to their strength and fortitude to bring Sarah’s case to finality.”
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