Offender Record · OFF-2026-076
David Allen Gerard
Sex
Male
Race
White
Height
5'11"
Weight
220 lbs
Hair
blonde
Eyes
green
Born
1962
Custody
Incarcerated
States
WA
Custody
Incarcerated at Monroe Correctional Complex
Custody record at the facility
Serving 37-year sentence for attempted murder (1999) plus concurrent 17-year sentence for second-degree murder (2005)
This record documents arrests, charges and convictions reported by courts, law enforcement agencies and news organizations. Every statement is tied to a cited source with an archived copy. A charge is an accusation, not proof of guilt; a person charged is presumed innocent unless convicted. Solve the Case does not allege that this person committed any offense beyond what the cited records state, and this record is not a suggestion that the person is connected to any unsolved case. How records are built, corrected and removed.
Summary of the record
David Allen Gerard was convicted of attempted murder in 1999 after attacking a woman with a hammer and knife at a dairy farm in Oakville, Grays Harbor County, Washington, and was sentenced to 37 years. In 2005, he entered an Alford plea to second-degree murder in the 1996 death of Carol Leighton in Grays Harbor County and received a concurrent 17-year sentence. Gerard is suspected in several other homicides but has only been convicted of these two offenses. He remains incarcerated at Monroe Correctional Complex in Washington.
Documented Arrests, Charges and Convictions
Dispositions are shown exactly as the cited records report them. Pending charges are updated when a court acts; a record with no remaining conviction or pending charge is removed from the site.
Offense date Aug 02, 1996, Grays Harbor County, Washington
Second-Degree Murder
Grays Harbor County Sheriff's Office · Grays Harbor County Superior Court · Arrested Aug 19, 2004 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: 17 years concurrent
Carol Leighton, age 41, was found stabbed approximately 45 times on August 4, 1996, along a logging road in Grays Harbor County. Gerard's DNA was found as seminal fluid on the victim's body. He was charged with second-degree murder in 2004 and entered an Alford plea on February 9, 2005, without admitting guilt but conceding sufficient evidence for conviction.
SourcesRadford University serial killer biography: Gerard, David Allen; DNA evidence links suspect to two killings; One-man task force keeps cold cases on front burner
Offense date Mar 17, 1999, Oakville, Washington
Attempted Murder
Hoquiam Police Department / Grays Harbor County · Grays Harbor County Superior Court · Arrested Mar 17, 1999 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: 37 years
Gerard attacked his estranged girlfriend, an adult woman, with a claw hammer as she worked at a dairy farm milking parlor near Oakville. He struck her head at least five times, stabbed her in the neck, and strangled her before leaving her for dead. The victim survived and identified Gerard at the scene. Gerard signed a written confession.
SourcesRadford University serial killer biography: Gerard, David Allen; Woman in a Coma After 1999 Beating; The Woman Who Was Bludgeoned By a Claw Hammer—And Survived; DNA evidence links suspect to two killings
Pattern and Background
Victim counts and the pattern of the offenses as stated by courts, agencies and the cited reporting. Suspected counts are what officials have said publicly, not a finding of this site.
1
Victims convicted
0
Victims confessed
6
Victims suspected
Active years
1991–1999
Stated motive
Anger or revenge, Power or control
Range from home
local
Education
some high school
Marital history
Never married
Children
0
Places Lived, Worked and Frequented
Each place and date range comes from a cited record. Dates marked approximate are as reported. Know a place that is missing? Use Edit record under the photo; a moderator reviews it before it appears.
WA
Aberdeen, Washington
approx. 1962 – present · Born and raised in Aberdeen, Grays Harbor County
Grays Harbor, Washington
approx. 1980 – 1999 · Dairy farms and trucking companies
Hoquiam, Washington
Sep 11, 1984 · Arrested by Hoquiam Police Department for assaulting younger brother
Aberdeen, Washington
approx. 1996 – 1996 · Bouncer at Smoke Shop tavern where victims McCollum and Leighton were regulars
Washington
Jul 19, 1999 – present · North Fork Correctional Facility (Sayre, Oklahoma) 2008; transferred due to Washington State prison overcrowding. Clallam Bay Corrections Center (Washington); Connell (Washington); Monroe Correctional Complex (current facility)
Photographs by Year
Photo from the-line-up.com
david_gerard
david_gerard
Photo from thecinemaholic.com
Kriti Mehrotra of Where Are David Gerard and Frankie Cochran Now?
Timeline
Nov 23, 1962
David Allen Gerard born in Aberdeen, Washington.
1967
Parents divorce when Gerard is age 4.
Sep 11, 1984
Gerard arrested by Hoquiam Police Department for assaulting his younger brother; brother decides not to press charges.
Feb 06, 1991
Elaine McCollum, age 33, found dead; believed driven over with vehicle multiple times. Gerard later linked through DNA evidence.
Aug 02, 1996
Carol Leighton, age 41, found stabbed approximately 45 times along logging road in Grays Harbor County.
Sep 27, 1996
Gerard arrested for soliciting undercover officer posing as prostitute.
Mar 10, 1999
Gerard threatens Frankie Cochran with hammer outside dairy barn; Cochran files restraining order.
Mar 17, 1999
Gerard arrested after attacking Frankie Cochran, age 31, with claw hammer and knife at dairy farm milking parlor near Oakville; she survives.
Apr 30, 1999
Gerard signs written confession for attempted murder of Frankie Cochran.
Jul 19, 1999
Gerard sentenced to 37 years in prison for attempted murder of Cochran.
Sep 22, 1999
Gerard's DNA matched to DNA found at Carol Leighton murder scene.
May 23, 2000
Washington State Court of Appeals denies Gerard's appeal to overturn attempted murder conviction.
Aug 19, 2004
Gerard charged with second-degree murder in death of Carol Leighton.
Aug 30, 2004
Gerard pleads not guilty to murder of Carol Leighton.
2005
Gerard sentenced to 17 years for Carol Leighton murder, concurrent with attempted murder sentence.
Feb 09, 2005
Gerard enters Alford Plea in death of Carol Leighton.
2008
Gerard transferred to North Fork Correctional Facility in Sayre, Oklahoma due to overcrowding in Washington State prisons.
Sources
Solve the Case is never the original source. Each item below is the public record a statement on this page rests on, with an archived copy where one exists.
Other government record · Washington State Department of Corrections ·
Monroe Correctional Complex“Monroe Correctional Complex (MCC) is a Washington State Department of Corrections men's prison located in Monroe, Washington, with bed capacity over 3,100.”
News report · The Cinema Holic ·
Where are David Gerard and Frankie Cochran Now?“In 2004, he entered a guilty plea for second-degree murder for Leighton's death and received a concurrent sentence of 17 years. At age 58, David is incarcerated at the Monroe Correctional Complex-SOU in Washington.”
News report · The Lineup ·
The Woman Who Was Bludgeoned By a Claw Hammer—And Survived“Gerard attacked girlfriend Frankie Cochran, 31, with claw hammer as she worked milking cows at dairy farm. At least five vicious head blows followed by stab to neck. Cochran survived after playing dead.”
Other · Radford University, Department of Psychology ·
Radford University serial killer biography: Gerard, David Allen“Born in Aberdeen, Washington on 11/23/1962. Arrested for assaulting younger brother 09/11/1984. Arrested for attempted murder of Frankie Cochran 03/17/1999. Sentenced to 37 years in prison 07/19/1999. Charged with second-degree murder of Carol Leighton 08/19/2004. Entered Alford Plea in death of Leighton 02/09/2005. Sentenced to 17 years for Leighton case in 2005.”
News report · Seattle Times ·
One-man task force keeps cold cases on front burner“Detective's investigation linked Gerard to two killings, resulting in a guilty plea in one. Gerard was raised in Aberdeen, the youngest of four children in a fatherless family. He'd had a strict mother who lived on disability and was said to have used a skillet on Gerard's head from time to time.”
News report · Seattle Times ·
DNA evidence links suspect to two killings“Gerard's DNA was identical to seminal fluid found on Carol Leighton's body (Aug. 4, 1996 discovery). DNA found on Elaine McCollum's body also matched Gerard's. Gerard was arrested and later convicted of first-degree assault and sentenced to 37 years in prison.”
News report · Chehalis-Centralia Newspaper ·
Woman in a Coma After 1999 Beating“Frankie Cochran, 32, attacked with blunt object by estranged boyfriend David Allen Gerard, 36, Aberdeen, at Oakville milking barn. Four days before attack, Gerard faced fourth-degree domestic violence assault charges after threatening Cochran with hammer.”
Discussion
Casual discussion about this record on the community forum. The facts live on this page: to add a place, a vehicle or a source, use the Edit record button under the photo so a moderator can review it. Please name no one else, never name a victim, and do not connect the person to any case not listed here.Open the topic on the forum
Corrections and removal. If a charge on this page has been dismissed, acquitted, overturned, pardoned or expunged, or any fact is wrong, tell us through the correction form. Corrections are free, reviewed within five business days, and a record with no remaining conviction or pending charge is removed. Information here may not be used for decisions about employment, housing, credit, insurance or any purpose covered by the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and never to harass, threaten or harm anyone. Where a source is an offender registry, that information is reproduced as of the date shown and is subject to the conditions of use of that registry.