Dean Phillip Carter was born on August 30, 1955, in Nome, Alaska. 

Dean Phillip Carter committed a series of violent crimes in April 1984. His first known attack occurred when he broke into the home of 22-year-old Rose Steward. He raped and choked her for five hours, causing her to lose consciousness twice. Afterward, Steward managed to escape and seek help.

On April 12, Carter murdered Susan Knoll and Jillette Mills in a Culver City apartment. Their bodies were discovered stacked in a closed bedroom closet. Both victims had been sexually assaulted and died from strangulation. Knoll's car was found nearby, but Mills's car and personal belongings were missing.

Later that same day, Bonnie Guthrie was found dead in her apartment in Culver City. Like the previous victims, she had been sexually assaulted and died from asphyxia due to strangulation. Personal items were also missing from her home.

Two days later, on April 14, Janette Cullins was found dead in her apartment in San Diego. Her death was similar to that of the other victims, with signs of a break-in at her residence.

On April 17, a highway patrol officer in Arizona noticed Jillette Mills’s vehicle driving erratically. The officer conducted a traffic stop that led to Carter's arrest. Inside his vehicle, investigators found many personal items belonging to the deceased women, linking him to the murders.