Penn Case District Attorney ‘Prosecutor of Year’
Michael G. Carpenter was chosen prosecutor of the year Saturday night by the Deputy District Attorney Assn. of San Diego County. The award came at the group’s annual dinner at the Omni Hotel.
Carpenter, 44, has been a deputy district attorney for 14 years, serving in virtually every assignment available to prosecutors. He is best known for his role in the two widely publicized trials of Sagon Penn, a young black man who shot and killed a police officer and wounded another officer and a civilian in March, 1985. Penn was acquitted of murder and other major charges in the racially sensitive case; jurors deadlocked on the lesser charges.
Carlos Armour, association president, called Carpenter’s performance during the Penn trials “an eloquent testimony to his professionalism.”
Armour added that comments from victims about Carpenter’s “compassion and understanding” played a role in the selection.
Carpenter, a former Marine, received his law degree from Georgetown University. He lives with his wife, Carol, and their children in Pacific Beach.
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