Doug Clark (serial killer)

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Doug Clark (March 10, 1948 – October 11, 2023) was an American serial killer and necrophile. He and his partner, Carol Bundy, were known as the Sunset Strip Killers. In 1980 they targeted young prostitutes and runaway teens in Los Angeles, killing at least seven people. Some victims were decapitated, and Clark kept the severed heads as mementos.

Clark grew up in a military family, living in many places around the world. As a teenager he began having dark sexual fantasies and later served in the U.S. Air Force. After leaving the military, he moved to Los Angeles, worked various jobs, and spent time in bars where he met Bundy in 1979. They developed a sadomasochistic relationship and recruited others to their crimes, with Bundy helping to lure women and assisting in the killings.

The pair was arrested on August 11, 1980. Bundy faced two murder charges, while Clark was charged with six. Clark tried to delay the case by using the court system to his advantage and even represented himself for parts of the trial. A psychologist testified that he had antisocial personality disorder. He was sentenced to death in 1983, and his sentence was upheld on appeal in 1992. Bundy accepted a plea deal and received 52 years to life; she died in prison in 2003.

Clark stayed on California’s death row until his death from natural causes on October 11, 2023, at age 75 in Marin County, California. He has been portrayed in a television movie about the case.