Cary Stayner was sentenced Thursday to die for committing three murders near Yosemite National Park in 1999. Part of TV News Archive. 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. "I'm confident we've done everything that could be reasonably done.". Then he took action. WebCary Stayner, the handyman at their hotel, confessed after being arrested for beheading another victim, female nature guide Joie Armstrong. The two brothers of the Stayner family are both famous - one experienced horror in the hands of a child molester, Steven, and the other, Cary, the serial killer in Yosemite. Agents descended on the colony and returned him to El Portal on Saturday where he was put through a more lengthy interrogation. It was discovered beyond a campground adjacent to her living quarters in the Foresta community, a group of 30 cabins for use by park workers. 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. In his capacity, Stayner performed technical and housekeeping duties, everything from fixing electrical and mechanical breakdowns to delivering extra towels and bedding to guests. Cedar Lodge, 9966 CA-140, El Portal, CA 95318. I want a movie-of-the-week made about my story,'" There was a movie made about his brother, Steven Stayner, and he wanted the same and for the world to take notice. Curtis Cousin Eddie Smith Claims Alex Murdaugh Made Him A Fall Guy, Morgan Doughty Filed A Lawsuit Against The Murdaugh Family, Buster Murdaugh Testified For The Defense At His Fathers Double Murder Trial, Randy Roth From 'A Rose For Her Grave' Is Still In Prison, Get Even More From Bustle Sign Up For The Newsletter. On March 1, 1980, Steven waited until Parnell was at work and then fled the house with Timothy. "And I did that almost every clear night from then on until Steve finally came back home. Arrested on an unrelated drug charge, he has been questioned about the Yosemite case. 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 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.'". By the end of June, the FBI had reviewed the testimonies and the evidence linked to the suspects in custody. 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. WebCary Stayner was convicted of the 1999 Cedar Lodge Killings near Yosemite National Park. "'Deep in my heart I know something my mind does not want to learn,' said Gina,13. 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 FBI pushed for Strange's arrest, but he denied any part in the triple murders. On days off he would escape to Laguna Del Sol, a nudist colony in Sacramento County. On Monday, July 22, the court heard Stayners taped confession, which he had given to FBI agents. Agents had interviewed Stayner, a handyman at the Cedar Lodge where the tourists had stayed, and later dismissed him as a suspect. William Mapother is a cousin of, The unsub bears some similarities with Cary Stayner, older brother of infamous kidnapping victim Steven Stayner (. But by the middle of March, their hopes faded. Her body was next to a stream and head within the water that she and her friends used for drinking water. You know what I mean? Its manager had seen a story on television, recognized Stayner's photo as one of his guests, and notified the FBI. He was also angry about how his truck had been searched. By Friday, July 23rd, Stayner, in the meantime, had disappeared from the area, by the time agents came to arrest him. 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." It was badly decomposed and her throat had been cut. I never recognized either one of them.". For years, Parnell traveled around California with Steven. How can one family, contain two completely contrasting children? "He stated that he felt like jumping in a truck, driving it through the shop and killing the boss and killing everybody in the office, and then torching the place," friend Mark Marchese said in 1999. Many local residents were convinced that no one person could have created so much horror, "'The logistics of it say it had to involve more than one person, said Letty Carolyn Barry, owner of the Yosemite Rosebud Lodge, west of Cedar Lodge. He was charged with attempting to purchase a child and attempted child molestation in 2004, that he was sentenced to 25 years to life. From hair trends to relationship advice, our daily newsletter has everything you need to sound like a person whos on TikTok, even if you arent. Im just horrified when I think of what happened in that room, what my daughter felt when she realized she was in serious trouble, said Carole Carrington as she asked the judge to sentence Stayner to death. The dramatic story was told in the 1989 television movie, I Know My First Name Is Steven.. Cory gets emotional as she describes how he fell through the cracks of familial or institutional care. So while Parnell was at work, Steven ran away with Timothy, and the two hitchhiked to a police station in Ukiah, California. "He had a great personality," said Lori Duke, who dated Steven in high school but knew him as Dennis. Then on March 25, Juli Sunds body was discovered near Lake Pedro in Tuolumme County. Billy Joe Strange, 39, an El Portal parolee who worked at the Cedar Lodge lounge and restaurant, where the murdered women were last seen. However, there were warning signs during his younger years. The hire car company confirmed that Carole had never returned the rented Pontiac, nor told them that they were extending their agreement. 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. Robyn Lively is a step sister of Blake Lively. 5-year-old Timothy White walking home from school and they quickly snatched him. Agents arrived at the scene early on the 19th and upon opening the trunk, investigators found two charred bodies. But why doesnt my dad hug me anymore? ", FBI sources claimed that he had already confessed his guilt during the Saturday evening interrogation. Or certainly, nothing noticed by his colleagues at the motel. 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. Steven was a national hero. In 1972, Stayners Teresa Kay Gray, 36, of Modesto. Stayner, clad in a red jail jumpsuit, bowed his head but showed no emotion as Judge Hastings sentenced him to death three times, once for each murder, after returning to the courtroom. 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. But, to no avail. He told Hartman that his parents "didnt change that much," but his brother and sisters, "they changed a lot. The prosecution team was headed by George Williamson and the defense team was headed by Marcia Morrissey. Although the Merced police department launched a full-fledged investigation at the time of Stevens disappearance, they werent able to find any significant leads. They then headed out for Cedar Lodge in El Portal on February 14, which is located on Yosemite's western slope. The FBI also seized clothing stained with blood from her body. Larwick, who grew up in Tuolumme County near where the bodies of Carole Sund and Silvina Pelosso were found, was jailed on March 16 after he allegedly shot a Modesto police office. 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 where Stayner was employed as a handyman. The FBI task force investigating Yosemite issued a federal warrant for her arrest after she failed to appear in Stanislaus County drug court in June. 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. | For FBI agent Jeff Rinek, it was the climax of a Cary Stayner, now 57, was convicted of the murders of Armstrong, the Sunds and Pelosso, and sentenced to death for all except Armstrong's. 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. Sandy Cox, whose husband owned the window company where Stayner worked for in Atwater, says, "We've known Cary since he was a little boyIt just doesn't match up. At that time, Steven had been forced to endure sexual abuse by his kidnapper, whom he finally turned in to the police. ", Steven Stayner with his kidnapper Kenneth Parnell. Investigators searched his truck and confiscated his backpack for examination. You know, hung out with him, played with him.. Alternate Versions Still, the Bureau intensified its search, recruiting the use of more high-tech equipment and air support. The initial suspicion was that they may have wandered off the main hiking paths and got lost in the park. I want a movie-of-the-week made about my story. There was a movie made about Steven Stayner. The Stayner family was made up of two brothers, three sisters, and parents Kay and Delbert. Items included in the Television News search service. In mid-July of 2002, the trial began in Judge Thomas C. Hastings courtroom. I wouldnt think that he would think of himself as one, but he is a hero.". They lived in the farming town of Merced, California, the Gateway to Yosemite. She also happens to have a front row seat to two true crime narratives in her own family. Carole and her husband, Jens, 43, owned a realtors business in the Stockton area. After they stopped trying to teach me the fundamentals all over again, it got better. In February 1980, Parnell decided to kidnap a new victim. 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. He is currently in his 60s and still on death row while incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison. Ive never seen anything thats so close to black and white and evil and good as Stayner and our children, said Francis Carrington, the father of Carole Sund and grandfather of Juli. Chief James Maddock said he himself questioned whether the Bureau could have done anything to prevent Armstrong's killing. He had a long criminal record and had been questioned extensively by the FBI. Although most of the stains were likely to include Armstrong's blood, Stayner was observed to have a laceration on his hand during his interrogation, and therefore may have been cut and bled during the attack. Im so proud of the way Carole and Juli lived, and Im so ashamed of Stayner.. 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. 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. Stevens death, along with the death of his uncle soon afterward, reportedly had a serious impact on Cary Stayners mental health and well-being. 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. Steven Stayner had a new father figure, and it was Kenneth Parnell, who by day, was his father, and by night, was his rapist. 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. | The trivia item below may give away important plot points. Steven was told his new name was Dennis Parnell and was enrolled in school. Some who knew Cary were shocked at his arrest. 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. Goofs Cary Stayner Span of crimes FebruaryJuly 1999 Country United States State (s) California Date apprehended 1999 7 more rows "He was spunky. For two weeks, Steven watched Timothy suffer the separation from his family. How frightened the girls must have been when he cut their clothes off.. After graduation from Merced (California) High School, Stayner worked as a window installer at a glass company. He was buried Thursday in the town of Newhall, where he had worked as a Los Angeles County sheriffs deputy. He died in jail in 2008 at the age of 76. Cary looked out for Steven, according to Cary Stayner's former classmate Jack Bungart. Special agent Maddock said, "During the last 24 hours, we have developed specific information linking Stayner (also) to the Sund-Pelosso murders.". For four weeks, police, family, and volunteers searched the area in and near Yosemite National Park by helicopter, foot, and skis. Four men were considered the main murder suspects in the initial inquiries. Stayners father, Delbert Stayner, said his son was deprived of a fair trial by a kangaroo court and a judge who ignored defense arguments. 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. Concluding the interview, he addressed the victims' families: "I am sorry their loved ones were where they were when they were. In order to prevent Steven from escaping, Parnell was constantly moving the two of them from town to town in California. Steven Stayners fame was short-lived. The police reckoned that the killer of the three women was someone familiar with the county given the location of the Pontiac. To the dismay of the Stayner family, the case went cold. After first flying to San Francisco, where Carole rented a red 1999 Pontiac Gran Prix, they stopped in Stockton, where Juli took part in a cheerleading contest at the University of the Pacific. ", Stayner's apartment was searched later in the day and the authorities discovered evidence that linked him to Armstrong's murder. Cary didnt emerge as a suspect during the initial investigation, and the FBI actually believed they had the people responsible for the killings in custody. You have the other brother who's left at home. The California Highway Patrol verified the car's license plate as the Sunds rented vehicle and immediately notified the FBI. "Its difficult for me to picture what Cary has done and knowing Steve because their personalities are completely opposite," Duke, Stevens former girlfriend, said. He walked naked and and smoked pot, he could find the peace that he so desperately needed. Very seldom did he get into trouble. He was arrested in May on an unrelated crime charge but was soon released. Decades later, Stevens older brother, Cary Stayner, made headlines when he was arrested and convicted of the serial slayings of four females. 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. After a couple of weeks, he upped the sum to $300,000. That evening, the group grabbed some videos from the lodge's service desk to watch in their room. One brother was subjected to just unspeakable horror for years, but by all appearances, he was a happy-go-lucky, jovial kid with a girlfriend. 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. Michael "Mick" Larwick, 42, of Modesto, part of a vagabond group of methamphetamine drug users and friends centered in the Modesto area. Cary was 11 years old at the time, and deeply upset about his brother's disappearance. They were looking for the missing red 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix as well as the women. She had probably been murdered on the evening of Wednesday, July 21. 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. 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. Parnell worked at the Yosemite Lodge, located about two hours away from the Stayner home. But it took less than six months for another murder in the area to show them that the killer was still at large this time, the victim was 26-year-old naturalist Joie Armstrong. He loved his brother. This time, agents detained him and forced him to answer more questions. On Good Morning America in March 1980, Steven shared with host David Hartman that it felt "great" to be home. He then carried Juli to a vista point near Lake Don Pedro, pledged his love, and then cut her throat as the sun rose. 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. He had no criminal record and his only encounter with the law was for marijuana use in 1997. The 1999 murders of four women near Yosemite National Park were already a big story before Cary Stayner confessed in an FBI interview. Four hikers visiting Yosemite National Park had been brutally murdered, and Cary Stayner had confessed to the crimes. In December 1972, a 7-year-old Steven was kidnapped by Kenneth Parnell, a man who worked at the Yosemite Lodge at the national park near Stevens hometown of Merced, California. Parnell was convicted on kidnapping and false imprisonment charges. The FBI Laboratory has also found possible bodily fluid stains on a bed sheet taken from her residence. He remains on Cary Stayner went from being the brother of child abductee Steven Stayer to a full-blown serial killer. A large search turned up nothing. "We never really got along that well after he came back All of a sudden Steve was getting all these gifts, getting all this clothing, getting all this attention. On the way to his police interview he confessed to a detective in the car to murdering Joie Armstrong, describing the brutal killing "as if he was reading a soup label," said John Boles, another FBI agent on the case. I never did tell anybody about it, but I remember wishing on a star that my little brother would come back home. 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. He was sentenced to seven years in prison but only served five, less time than he held Steven captive. Parnell and Murphy were driving towards town when Stephen was lured into their vehicle and abducted. Had no interest in girls, had no interest in people, he was just a creepy loner. The other Sund children believed their mother and sister Juli would be returned. He denied any role in the Yosemite slayings. Jens couldn't accompany them on this trip because he needed to prepare for an upcoming business trip. I wish I could have controlled myself and not done what I did. Darrell Gray Stephens, 55, Strange's roommate. By this point, Cary Stayner had a couple of nervous breakdowns. During the first crash, the truck jackknifed before hitting the car. | 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. Stayner, 38, has been charged with murder in the July 21 death of naturalist Joie Armstrong. Rachel Lou Campbell, 36, of Modesto, was charged in April with stealing checks and credit cards, and converting them into cash and merchandise worth $365,000. Angelia Dale, who testified before the federal grand jury. 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. Real Crime 1.23M subscribers Join Subscribe 6.7K 562K views 1 year ago Also known as the Yosemite Park Killer, Cary Stayner murdered four women in 1999 But, as the Hulu doc frames it, the media attention that Steven got after escaping his abductor and also saving Timothy White had a dark side both for Steven and for the rest of his family. . In 1999, Carole Sund, 42, her daughter Juli Sund, 15, and Juli's friend, Silvina Pelosso, 16, went missing while visiting Yosemite Park. He said, I want you to get a hold of some producers in Los Angeles. Cary was the ideal son, Kay Stayner revealed to the jury during her elder sons trial for murder. After several days, the bodies were identified as Carole Sund and Silvina Pelosso through dental records. In 1997, Stayner got a job as a handyman at the Cedar Lodge, seven miles from the gate of the national park, where he worked for 2 years before the murders.. Campbell, when first arrested on mail fraud charges, had in her possession Carole Sund's checking account and automated teller machine numbers. 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. Against the odds, he flourished there. And in 1999, the Stayner family was back in the news but this time, for a less than positive reason. 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. By mid-April, those who had been arrested were ordered to testify in front of a grand jury in Fresno, California.
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