10/12/2025
VERMONT COLD CASE SOLVED!
The 1986 murder of Manchester, Vermont golf pro Sarah Hunter ended Tuesday 12/9/25 when David A. Morrison, now 65, pleaded guilty to her murder. Morrison was 26 when he abducted and killed 32-year-old Sarah after she stopped at a Manchester convenience store in September 1986.
Morrison confessed from a California prison and again before a Bennington judge, admitting to killing Sarah with kitchen scissors after abducting her. His plea came hours after he also pleaded guilty in Massachusetts to a 1981 attempted kidnapping.
The case involved coordination among law enforcement agencies and an interstate agreement signed by the governors of California, Massachusetts, and Vermont. A Massachusetts victim allowed Morrison’s extradition to Vermont so he could face charges for Sarah’s murder. Prosecutors said Morrison confessed partly because he would not get parole in California and preferred to serve the rest of his life in Vermont, where he is from.
State’s Attorney Erica Marthage, lead prosecutor Jared Bianchi, Berkshire County District Attorney Timothy Shugrue, and retired Vermont detective Thomas Truex worked together on the case.
Morrison first pleaded guilty in Pittsfield to the 1981 kidnapping of Laura Sheridan, responding “Yes, ma’am” when she said she found satisfaction in his taking responsibility. He received a concurrent sentence.
At 1:30 p.m. in Bennington, Morrison appeared in shackles for Sarah’s murder. After a statement from Sarah’s sister Lori Wyman, Judge John Valente sentenced him to life without parole. Morrison was transported to Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield, Vermont.
On Sept. 18, 1986, Sarah stopped at Leo’s Motors for beer. She had lessons and a tournament scheduled the next day. The next morning, golf pro Todd McIntosh reported her missing. Citgo station employees found her car wedged in a narrow alley with unopened beer inside.
On Oct. 4, two boys in Danby found Sarah’s purse. A witness saw a dark blue car and a man in his late thirties near where the purse was found. On Nov. 27, 1986, a man in Pawlet discovered Sarah’s partially dressed, decomposed body in a cornfield, seven miles from where her purse was found.
Morrison, who worked at the Lehigh Gulf Station nearby, became a suspect. A customer said Morrison was seen fumbling in a dark blue vehicle the night Sarah disappeared. He denied meeting her, and a polygraph was inconclusive. He left Vermont in January 1987, and no charges were filed.
In 1988, Morrison kidnapped and sexually assaulted a woman in California, for which he was sentenced to 20 years.
The case went cold until 2009, when a California detective noted similarities to another case and contacted Vermont State Police. Evidence retesting in the late 1990s suggested a hair from Morrison’s car matched Sarah’s maternal DNA. Charges in 2012 were dismissed in 2015 when the hair was found to come from Sarah’s own vehicle. Morrison remained in California until 2023.
In 2023, Massachusetts State Trooper Kyle Jolin reopened a 1982 case. An anonymous tip linked Morrison to the crimes. Investigators, including Truex and Bianchi, interviewed Morrison in 2024. He agreed to speak and requested limited media coverage and to serve time in Vermont.
Morrison said Sarah came into the Lehigh Gulf station to buy ci******es. He tied her with rope, kept her in the store, then put her in his car trunk. He stabbed her in the ear with scissors and left her behind a stone wall. He disposed of the scissors and cleaned his car.
Extradition required approval from the governors of Vermont, Massachusetts, and California. Morrison pleaded guilty in both states, waived appeals, and will serve life without parole in Vermont.
Sarah’s legacy continues through the Sarah Hunter junior golf program and the annual Sarah Hunter Invitational at the Manchester Country Club. Thinking of her friends and family this week 🧡
Info and photo from the Bennington Banner
