April 1974
Frank Carlson is murdered and Annette Carlson is raped and tortured at their home on Kansas Street by Angelo Pavageau.

August 1974
Angelo Pavageau is found guilty of Frank’s murder. He is sentenced to death in the gas chamber plus 54 years for his additional crimes (including rape, torture, arson, and theft). He is sentenced to serve time on death row until his execution.

December 1976
The California Supreme Court invalidates the death penalty statute then in effect based on the US Supreme Court ruling (Gregg v. Georgia).

January 1977
Angelo Pavageau’s death sentence is commuted to the next most severe punishment in effect at the time, which was life in prison with parole.

Late ‘70s through the ‘80s

1977
The Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts at de Young Museum in San Francisco creates the Frank M. Carlson Memorial Collection.

April 1980
Angelo Pavageau is denied parole.

1980
Elizabeth “Betty” Carlson (mother of Frank and Eric) is named Millbrae Woman of the Year. Her work on behalf of crime victims is cited as one of the reasons.

May 1981
Angelo Pavageau is denied parole

May 1982
Angelo Pavageau is denied parole.

Elizabeth Carlson joins the staff of Congressman Tom Lantos (D-San Mateo). She will retain this position until 2008 when Congressman Lantos passes away. Elizabeth works primarily with U.S. military veterans and crime victims who need advocacy or assistance from the Congressional Office.

March 1983
Elizabeth and Annette Carlson testify at a presidential commission on violent crime. Elizabeth is cited by U.S. President Ronald Reagan (view citation) for her work on behalf of crime victims.

June 1983
Angelo Pavageau is denied parole; Sten and Elizabeth Carlson appear at hearing to testify on behalf of the crime victims for the first time. His duration for consideration is extended to two years (from the previous one) thanks to a new law passed in part due to the Carlsons’ hard work in this area.

June 1985
Angelo Pavageau is denied parole; Sten and Elizabeth Carlson appear at hearing to testify on behalf of the victims.

Elizabeth Carlson co-founds Justice for Murder Victims, an organization that serves as advocates for people who have lost loved ones through violent crime.

June 1987
Angelo Pavageau is denied parole; Sten and Elizabeth Carlson appear at hearing to testify on behalf of the victims. Pavageau elects not to appear at the last minute, thus forfeiting his opportunity.

June 1989
Angelo Pavageau is denied parole; Sten and Elizabeth Carlson appear at hearing to testify on behalf of the victims.

The ‘90s & 2000s

August 1991
Angelo Pavageau is denied parole; Sten and Elizabeth Carlson appear at hearing to testify on behalf of the victims.

September 1993
Angelo Pavageau is denied parole; Sten and Elizabeth Carlson appear at hearing to testify on behalf of the victims.

November 1995
Angelo Pavageau is denied parole; Sten and Elizabeth Carlson appear at hearing to testify on behalf of the victims. His duration for consideration is extended to five years (from previous one) thanks to new law passed in part due to the Carlsons’ hard work in this area.

October 2000
Elizabeth “Betty” Carlson contributes to ‘Dead Man Walking,’ an opera in two acts by composer Jake Heggie and librettist Terrence McNally. Based on the narrative book by Sister Helen Prejean, it tells the journey of a Louisiana nun who became the spiritual advisor to inmates on Angola, LA Prison’s death row.

June 2001
Angelo Pavageau is denied parole; Sten and Elizabeth Carlson appear at hearing to testify on behalf of the victims.

June 2006
Angelo Pavageau is denied parole; Sten and Elizabeth Carlson appear at hearing to testify on behalf of the victims.

2007
Elizabeth Carlson added to San Mateo County Hall of Fame, in part due to work on behalf of crime victims.

2010 through present day

October 2010
Elizabeth Carlson passes away at the age 93 (The Mercury News).

February 2011
Sten Carlson passes away at the age of 98.

October 2012
Angelo Pavageau signs one-year waiver of parole hearing.

October 2013
Angelo Pavageau signs three-year waiver of parole hearing.

April 2017
Angelo Pavageau was once again scheduled for a parole hearing on April 25, 2017. On the last day permissible he signs a three-year waiver of parole hearing. This is the last waiver he is allowed by law.

January 2020
Angelo Pavageau is once again scheduled for a parole hearing (his 16th) to be held on April 15, 2020. The Carlson family will seek support from family, friends, law enforcement and political figures to ensure that Pavageau is never released from jail and spends the rest of his natural life behind bars.

April 2020
On April 15, 2020, at the parole hearing conducted via Skype due to the COVID-19 shelter-in-place restrictions, Pavageau chose not to attend and stipulated through his state-appointed attorney that he was unsuitable for release and offered to defer the next hearing for 3 years. The California Parole Board took the path of least resistance and just accepted his offer when they could have imposed a longer deferral period of time.