Cary Stayner Span of crimes FebruaryJuly 1999 Country United States State (s) California Date apprehended 1999 7 more rows In a 2003 jailhouse interview with The Chronicle, Parnell admitted that he had tried to buy the boy to experience the "love and respect" that a son has for a father. I went to ask if Cary wanted to talk, reporter Ted Rowlands said. Then he took action. Hastings rejected new defense claims that juror misconduct prevented a fair trial. You know, hung out with him, played with him.. It seemed as though he had a compulsion with trying to get close to women or be sexual with them, but he was unable to develop any sort of interpersonal relationships with any women. Cary Stayner confesses to killing four innocent women in 1999: Cary and Steven Stayners Parents Now: Where Are - The He had given the FBI details "only the killer would know in such specificity that agents were able to recover evidence confirming his confession. Stayner Raped 2 Teenagers, Affidavit Says In his capacity, Stayner performed technical and housekeeping duties, everything from fixing electrical and mechanical breakdowns to delivering extra towels and bedding to guests. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. They no longer want you.. Stayner Cary Stayner, also known as The Yosemite Killer, was convicted nearly 20 years ago in the murders of four people in 1999 while he was working as a hotel He remains on There was a lot of torment: the family who endured two true Steven told the police what happened to him and Timothy and he was also able to tell them his real name was Steven, not Dennis. Cary Stayner, now 57, was convicted of the murders of Armstrong, the Sunds and Pelosso, and sentenced to death for all except Armstrong's. He remains on death row at San Quentin Penitentiary. Jeffrey Wayne Keeney, 32, of Modesto. During the first crash, the truck jackknifed before hitting the car. Stayners father, Delbert Stayner, said his son was deprived of a fair trial by a kangaroo court and a judge who ignored defense arguments. The police reckoned that the killer of the three women was someone familiar with the county given the location of the Pontiac. The hire car company confirmed that Carole had never returned the rented Pontiac, nor told them that they were extending their agreement. In February 1980, Parnell decided to kidnap a new victim. Captive Audience Revisits Steven And Cary Stayner's Stories The Sund family's worst fears were confirmed when a hiker wandered onto the site of a burned-out red 1999 Pontiac, hidden off Highway 108, in the Stanislaus Forest region on March 18. She was working for the Yosemite Institute for the past year and had worked on education programs through a partnership with the National Park Service. "I'm confident we've done everything that could be reasonably done.". Yosemite Victims Were Raped - CBS News He was buried Thursday in the town of Newhall, where he had worked as a Los Angeles County sheriffs deputy. What followed turned out to be one of the most shocking crimes in both National Park and American history, involving a man whose family had already been involved in a notorious crime, literally the two faces of evil. When Steven didnt return from school that afternoon, his parents sounded the alarm. That evening, the group grabbed some videos from the lodge's service desk to watch in their room. Stayner Emotionally, Cary Stayner had a tough time during his childhood. The brothers, four years apart in age, shared a room, but didnt get along, Steven didn't understand the rules that he was now expected to live by. He did feel, however, that the FBI spared nothing to investigate the earlier killings. But he was surprised that did not find his wife at the airport and assumed she had flown ahead, The next day, he tried to contact them again and failed and he called the police. Kenneth"Soldier" Stewart, 24, a former cellmate of Dykes who was charged with attempted murder. Alternate Versions Then on March 25, Juli Sunds body was discovered near Lake Pedro in Tuolumme County. He is currently in his 60s and still on death row while incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison. On February 15, the ladies hiked into Yosemite National Park on one of the many trails. Goofs They then headed out for Cedar Lodge in El Portal on February 14, which is located on Yosemite's western slope. Cory gets emotional as she describes how he fell through the cracks of familial or institutional care. Cary was off anybody and everybody who met him will tell Over the next few weeks, a task force including FBI agents and law enforcers from four surrounding counties, arrested several known sex offenders, drug users, and ex-convicts with a record of violence from within a 75-square-mile area between Modesto and Sonoma. Carole and her husband, Jens, 43, owned a realtors business in the Stockton area. After a couple of weeks, he upped the sum to $300,000. Police found her car in front of her cabin, packed for the trip. How intended victim of 1999 Yosemite killer views the tragedy Ken Parnell went back to what he had been doing for years. Soon after, he confessed to murdering Carole Sund, Juli Sund, and Silvina Pelosso once in custody. Billy Joe Strange, 39, an El Portal parolee who worked at the Cedar Lodge lounge and restaurant, where the murdered women were last seen. Check-out had apparently been done in advance and the keys were left on the room desk. Jens had scheduled to meet them at the San Francisco airport that evening on his way to Arizona, to where the others were to accompany him. On Good Morning America in March 1980, Steven shared with host David Hartman that it felt "great" to be home. It was badly decomposed and her throat had been cut. Unsurprisingly, it didnt take long for the story to become national news, and the teenage Steven was at the center of it all. Soundtracks. He had talked his way into the room under the guise of fixing a leak, and then sexually assaulted both girls and brutally murdered Carole Lund and Silvina Pelosso in the room. "He was spunky. Stayner's father, Delbert, admitted that he thinks son Cary may have suffered a trauma at age 11, when younger brother Steven, then seven, was abducted in 1972, disappearing for eight years. On days off he would escape to Laguna Del Sol, a nudist colony in Sacramento County. Darrell Gray Stephens, 55, Strange's roommate. So while Parnell was at work, Steven ran away with Timothy, and the two hitchhiked to a police station in Ukiah, California. Local police and Yosemite Park Rangers began to search the area where the missing three were last seen. See the latest list of Exclusive members-only articles on StrangeOutdoors.com, See more StrangeOutdoors True Crime Stories, The horrific rape and murder of Sophie Louise Hook whilst camping in her Uncle's garden, The miracle rescue of Alan Lee Phillips at Colorados Guanella Pass - the man who turned out to be a serial killer, The chilling story of Thomas Lee Dillon - the Ohio Outdoorsmen killer, https://casefilepodcast.com/case-161-the-yosemite-sightseer-murders-part-1/, https://murderpedia.org/male.S/s/stayner-cary.htm, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cary_Stayner, https://abcnews.go.com/US/steven-cary-stayner-tale-brothers-horror-heroism/story?id=60529944, https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/me-timothy-white10-2010apr10-story.html, https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/a26040174/cary-stayner-steven-yosemite-murders/, https://abcnews.go.com/US/video/july-25-1999-cary-stayner-arrested-murder-yosemite-60263995, https://abcnews.go.com/US/woman-recalls-moment-family-learned-target-1999-yosemite/story?id=60364987, https://www.theunion.com/news/local-news/stayner-sentenced-to-death/, Tagged: The Yosemite National Park Sightseer Murders, Carole Sund yosemite murders, Juli Sund yosemite murders, Silvina Pelosso yosemite murders, Cary Stayner yosemite murders, Yosemite park murders, Joie Ruth Armstrong, Sign up now for a one-time fee for access to over 55 exclusive member articles, The Yosemite National Park Sightseer Murders and the two faces of evil, Exclusive members-only articles on StrangeOutdoors.com, The Yosemite National Park Sightseer Murders, The miraculous escape of the Brazilian and German backpackers at Salt Creek in South Australia, Robert Hansen Butcher Baker - the Alaska Serial killer who hunted his victims in the wilderness, The shocking unsolved Keddie Cabin murders, The disturbing death of Fiona Torbet in the Scottish highlands, The unsolved Williams and Winans camping murders in Shenandoah National Park, The real Wolf Creek - The Backpacker Murders in the Australian Outback, The disturbing story of David Shearing and the Wells Gray Park camping murders, The mysterious death of Carol Laughlin in Yosemite National Park, The frightening case of the Trailside Killer David Carpenter, The mysterious Koh Tao - Death Island in Paradise, The disturbing disappearance of the Beaumont children on Glenelg Beach, The Kamloops Triangle - The British Columbia murders and disappearances, The Delphi hiking murders - Abigail Williams and Liberty German, The Peter Falconio disappearance in the Australian Outback, The unsolved murder of Scott Lilly on the Appalachian trail, The disturbing case of James Jordan - The Appalachian Trail Murderer. The other Sund children believed their mother and sister Juli would be returned. By the time Steven was 14, he had been abused and manipulated by Parnell for seven years and Parnell and Steven together realized that Steven was growing up and that he was no longer going to be controlled by Parnell and they would need to find someone else that they could sexually abuse. For FBI agent Jeff Rinek, it was the climax of a In the end, Stayner confessed without the promise of child pornography or reward money for his parents. For years, Parnell traveled around California with Steven. Steven later said in an interview, I returned almost a grown man, and yet my parents saw me at first as their seven-year-old. "I've struggled with that issue for the last 24 hours and continue to do so," he confessed. Stayner said he thought he had gotten away with the earlier crimes, but could not resist the urge to kill Armstrong after he struck up a chance conversation with her. IMDb Among other things, the FBI Laboratory has found hairs in vacuum sweepings taken from Room 509 and possibly body fluid stains on a blanket (and) a latent palm print from the window sill. But why doesnt my dad hug me anymore? Steven Stayners fame was short-lived. Cary always wore a hat because he was compulsively pulling his hair out. He wanted the world to take note.. However, given Californias statewide moratorium on capital punishment, it doesnt appear that hell be executed anytime soon the states last execution was held in 2006. Cary Stayner confesses to killing four innocent women in 1999: Part 9 Two FBI agents were eating pizza with Stayner when he suddenly admitted he murdered Joie Steven & Cary Stayner: Hero vs Killer Brother - YouTube Caroles parents, Francis and Carole Carrington, appeared on the Good Morning, America TV show, to ask for the prayers of Americans and their help in locating their daughter and the children. "And I did that almost every clear night from then on until Steve finally came back home. Silvina Pelossos mother, Raquel, said, I just cannot understand how so many peopledidn't realize that maybe (Stayner) was the man since I heard that he was interviewed some time ago. They were looking for the missing red 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix as well as the women. ", Stayner's apartment was searched later in the day and the authorities discovered evidence that linked him to Armstrong's murder. Specifically, the media scrutiny seemed to affect his older brother Cary, who clashed with his brother after his return. Sex offender Kenneth Parnell dies in Vacaville In a voice that seemed relieved to be unburdened from its depth a long-kept secret, Stayner blurted, "I am guilty. Very seldom did he get into trouble. When Cary Stayner was questioned by FBI agents, he immediately confessed to the four Yosemite Park murders and provided a detailed accounting of his crimes. That same day, Stayner allowed himself to be interviewed by a reporter from KNTV. But, says Delbert, puberty-aged Cary endured some emotional hardships because of that incident. All of its been bad, Delbert Stayner said of his familys life. In this, he calmly reviewed how he strangled 16-year-old Silvina Pelosso in the motel bathtub and how he sexually assaulted Juli Sund for hours before brutally cutting her throat. On July 23, when Cary Stayner was released from custody for his marijuana charge, he quickly packed up and left for Laguna del Sol, a nudist colony, according to Cary Stayner, the serial killer convicted in the grisly murders of four women near Yosemite National Park, is born on August 13, 1961. Cary Stayner yosemite murders True Crime It was then that Steven's nightmare began as Murphy brought him to Kenneth Parnell, a known pedophile. CNN.com He usually ate lunch and dinner at the motel restaurant. On Saturday, July 24, FBI agents announced at a press conference that a man was in custody on strong suspicion of murder and that a "significant announcement" would be made shortly. He said, I want you to get a hold of some producers in Los Angeles. Steven was a national hero. I got put on the back burner, you might say," Cary told J.P. Miller, a filmmaker who wrote a screenplay about Steven's abduction. More than a thousand leads, they confessed, produced nothing. According to Special Agent Christopher Hopkins , both the FBI's Evidence Response Team and the Mariposa County Sheriff's Office collected items of potential interest from Room 509 at the Cedar Lodge Motel, the room in which Stayner sexually assaulted Juli Sund and Silvina Pelosso and murdered both Carole Sund and Silvina. I want a movie-of-the-week made about my story. There was a movie made about Steven Stayner. He was charged with attempting to purchase a child and attempted child molestation in 2004, that he was sentenced to 25 years to life. Decades later, Stevens older brother, Cary Stayner, made headlines when he was arrested and convicted of the serial slayings of four females. The FBI also seized clothing stained with blood from her body. Four men were considered the main murder suspects in the initial inquiries. Knives were used in the slayings and the weapon suspected in Ms. Armstrong's death was recovered.". In order to prevent Steven from escaping, Parnell was constantly moving the two of them from town to town in California. FBI Accused Of Botching Yosemite Case / Agency "Her mother, sisters, and a family friend had been missing for a month by the time Gina Sund read her poem in front of a thousand or so people who gathered in Modesto," writes Time. Cary, the motel handyman and champion underachiever who was arrested at a nudist colony, said in a jailhouse interview that voices told him to kill Carole and Juli "Privately, some members of the Sund-Pelosso task force were saying the same things to the media. In his interview, Stayner claimed that hair from his body was left on the bedspread in their motel room, but he returned later and changed the bed. It then came out that Steven had been kidnapped by Parnell, who had been sexually abusing Steven while also posing as his father and forcing him to go by the name Dennis Parnell. The issue was no longer who committed the murders but whether Stayner was insane at the time and whether the confession to the FBI agents was coerced. The two hitchhiked to Ukiah, California. Parnell was convicted on kidnapping and false imprisonment charges. "I remember going out one night after Steve disappeared and wishing on a star that my brother would come back home," Cary reportedly told Mike Echols, author of the book I Know My First Name Is Steven. Parnell and Murphy were driving towards town when Stephen was lured into their vehicle and abducted. He had a long criminal record and had been questioned extensively by the FBI. Crazy Credits She was seen that day at the Institute offices and was planning to visit a friend in Sausalito, California, that day but never made it. I guess I was jealous. Agents arrived at the scene early on the 19th and upon opening the trunk, investigators found two charred bodies. And he wanted the same treatment. He has been questioned about any involvement. In mid-July of 2002, the trial began in Judge Thomas C. Hastings courtroom. He was also angry about how his truck had been searched. Parnell, along with Murphy, took Steven to a cabin in Catheys Valley, where he was brainwashed to believe his parents no longer wanted him. Cary Stayner was sentenced Thursday to die for committing three murders near Yosemite National Park in 1999. While Steven was a freshman at Mendocino High School, some 300 miles to the south, his older brother Cary was an upperclassman at Merced High School. In a jailhouse interview with a television reporter, he said he did not rape any of the women. Cary, as the older brother, had a very strange relationship now with his younger brother, Steven, who was getting all of this attention and who was a different person, former KNTV reporter Ted Rowlands told ABC News. He also exhibited some behaviors that made others uncomfortable, including, as he later admitted, exposing himself to his sister's friend. By this point, Cary Stayner had a couple of nervous breakdowns. Those sources say it is difficult for some investigators to believe Stayner could have gotten the jump on all three women without any help, let alone dispose of their bodies.". Eugene "Rufus" Dykes, 32, also of Modesto and Larwick's half-brother was arrested in March. "The only time Steve would kill anything like a fish is because we were gonna eat it. . To the dismay of the Stayner family, the case went cold. Steven was told his new name was Dennis Parnell and was enrolled in school. William Mapother is a cousin of, The unsub bears some similarities with Cary Stayner, older brother of infamous kidnapping victim Steven Stayner (. The car was hidden off a spur road where locals dump old refrigerators, cars, and washing machines. Unofficially, Jens Sund offered a $250,000 reward for information that would lead to the return of the missing women. The 1999 murders of four women near Yosemite National Park were already a big story before Cary Stayner confessed in an FBI interview. Steven Stayner helped another child escape from a pedophile, after enduring years of abuse and not wanting to see the child experience the same fate. After several days, the bodies were identified as Carole Sund and Silvina Pelosso through dental records. He walked naked and and smoked pot, he could find the peace that he so desperately needed. Agents had interviewed Stayner, a handyman at the Cedar Lodge where the tourists had stayed, and later dismissed him as a suspect. And in 1999, the Stayner family was back in the news but this time, for a less than positive reason. Stayner Teresa Kay Gray, 36, of Modesto. Robyn Lively is a step sister of Blake Lively. Parnell worked at the Yosemite Lodge, located about two hours away from the Stayner home. Cary looked out for Steven, according to Cary Stayner's former classmate Jack Bungart. Timothy White, the kidnap victim, was only 35 when he died. Out of respect for his family and the victim's family, we don't want to say anymore." A Shade Of His Brother - TIME The new three-part Hulu docuseries Captive Audience explores the tragic story of the Stayner family specifically the fraught lives of their two sons, Steven Stayner and Cary Stayner. He also struggled in high school where he was bullied for the abuse he had endured. It was dark when they arrived and Timmy could remember where he lived so they went to the police station. But when Parnell kidnapped another young boy, this time 5-year-old Timothy White, Steven knew he couldnt let another child be subjected to the abuse and torment he had faced for years. She also happens to have a front row seat to two true crime narratives in her own family. He died in jail in 2008 at the age of 76. A relatively quiet, but friendly, a motel handyman called Cary Stayners only passions seemed to be nude sunbathing and hiking. After the fourth murder, the FBI went looking for Cary Stayner to interview him, but initially as a witness. Part of TV News Archive. Quotes They had been hosting Silvina, who was a foreign exchange student from Argentina and a friend of Juli's, She was spending three months with the family. Then Carole's wallet turned up in Modesto, which included money and credit cards. Previously, the defense had maintained that the FBI had coerced the confession. By mid-April, those who had been arrested were ordered to testify in front of a grand jury in Fresno, California. I wouldnt think that he would think of himself as one, but he is a hero.". Concluding the interview, he addressed the victims' families: "I am sorry their loved ones were where they were when they were. After Steven said his mother would be interested in donating, Murphy offered to take the boy home. Maria Ledbetter, 24, of Modesto, an admitted methamphetamine addict and former girlfriend of Dykes, about whom she was questioned extensively. The initial suspicion was that they may have wandered off the main hiking paths and got lost in the park. But instead of seeking mental health treatment, he moved to Yosemite. But seven years later in February 1980, Steven miraculously reappeared. Larry Duane Utley, 41 an associate of Dykes and Larwick, first picked up during a March parole sweep. They finally caught up with him at the Laguna Del Sol nudist colony, which he frequently visited. Woman recalls moment family learned they were target of 1999 The suspect, Cary Stayner, 37, had been one of the people questioned after the triple killings in February, but, at that time no evidence linked him directly to the crime and he had been released. The FBI Laboratory has also found possible bodily fluid stains on a bed sheet taken from her residence. By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. The trivia item below may give away important plot points. On Monday, July 22, the court heard Stayners taped confession, which he had given to FBI agents. Yosemite killer Cary Stayner born Tragically, Steven Stayner was killed in a 1989 motorcycle accident at the age of 24. Cary Stayner I guess seven years changed him, too. Im so proud of the way Carole and Juli lived, and Im so ashamed of Stayner.. He grew up, got married and had two kids. But, to no avail. Woman recalls moment family learned they were target of 1999 Acting on a tip from a caller who was worried about the whereabouts of his friend, Joie Ruth Armstrong, 26, park rangers found her decapitated body on the morning of July 22, 1999. He paid a local kid to ride with him to the town of Ukiah, California and he told to go and find him a boy. Heroism, tragedy and cold-blooded murder: The Stayner brothers "'Deep in my heart I know something my mind does not want to learn,' said Gina,13. From the Archives: Friends surprised by Cary Stayner's arrest 'I try to stay strong because I know that's what you'd want your baby to be, but, Mommy, I don't want you to leave me.'". The revelation came in a six The issue of whether his confession was coerced seemed to be resolved when on July 24, the court heard the recorded demands that Stayner made to the FBI agents that he wanted to be satisfied before he would give them his confession. At the time of the murders, Cary was working as a mechanic at the Cedar Lodge, which is where he met his first three victims Carole Sund, her daughter Juli Sund, and her friend Silvina Pelosso. During an off-camera jailhouse interview in Sacramento following his arrest, Cary admitted to Armstrong's murder as well as the murders of Carole Sund, 42, her The Cedar Lodge hired him as a handyman in 1997 and gave him the use of a small apartment on the top floor. In 2002, Cary Stayner was convicted of first-degree murder on four counts and sentenced to death. He befriended a co-worker named Ervin Murphy to assist him in the abduction. They lived in the farming town of Merced, California, the Gateway to Yosemite. Yosemite Park Killer: When A Victim Turns Into A Murderer He then carried Juli to a vista point near Lake Don Pedro, pledged his love, and then cut her throat as the sun rose. There, they got a room with a plan to stay for a few days. You could see that he wanted to play and be with kids and be normal. The Bureau relocated its headquarters from Yosemite to Modesto at this point and, on February 28, twelve days after the women's disappearance, hinted that was is no longer treating the Sund incident as a missing persons case, but as murder. The death-penalty trial of Cary Stayner was moved from Mariposa County to Santa Clara County, CA. The California Highway Patrol verified the car's license plate as the Sunds rented vehicle and immediately notified the FBI. Because of the discovery of Sund's wallet in suburban Modesto, police, and FBI searched "the logical routes in and out of that spot, interviewing homeowners and business owners and others who may have seen them." Items included in the Television News search service. But by the middle of March, their hopes faded. Then all of a sudden it's gone. He was arrested in May on an unrelated crime charge but was soon released. In (the) interview, Stayner said he had fantasized about killing women for the last 30 years and described in detail how he murdered all the women, He had strangled Pelosso and Carole Sund in their rented cabin in the Cedar Lodge motel, then took Juli Sund to a lake, where he killed her early the next morning. At a press conference outside the Stayner house, everyone was smiling, but Cary in his baseball cap wasnt smiling at all. The inn staff claimed that when they cleaned the room the next morning, they had detected no evidence of foul play or anything that made them suspicious. Steven Stayner was just seven-years-old when he was abducted a few blocks from his home in Merced, | By the end of that evening, the FBI felt it had gathered enough evidence to arrest Cary Stayner for murder, Sunday morning, they rushed him to Fresno to officially lodge a complaint, then to Sacramento on Monday where he was put before the courts.