He usually ate lunch and dinner at the motel restaurant. Teresa Kay Gray, 36, of Modesto. He had given the FBI details "only the killer would know in such specificity that agents were able to recover evidence confirming his confession. The trio stayed at the lodge in February 1999, during which time Cary talked his way into their room, where he sexually assaulted and murdered all of them. 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 Stayner, 38, has been charged with murder in the July 21 death of naturalist Joie Armstrong. 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. By mid-April, those who had been arrested were ordered to testify in front of a grand jury in Fresno, California. On March 1, 1980, Steven waited until Parnell was at work and then fled the house with Timothy. Unofficially, Jens Sund offered a $250,000 reward for information that would lead to the return of the missing women. To the dismay of the Stayner family, the case went cold. Heroism, tragedy and cold-blooded murder: The Stayner brothers "I've struggled with that issue for the last 24 hours and continue to do so," he confessed. At a press conference outside the Stayner house, everyone was smiling, but Cary in his baseball cap wasnt smiling at all. 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. 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. Shortly after Stevens death, an uncle with whom Cary Stayner was very close was shot and killed in a home they shared together. I never did tell anybody about it, but I remember wishing on a star that my little brother would come back home. He demanded that his parents be given the reward money, that he be incarcerated at a prison near his parents home, and, to Stayners detriment, that he be given a large cache of child pornography. Cary Stayner, the serial killer convicted in the grisly murders of four women near Yosemite National Park, is born on August 13, 1961. He denied any role in the Yosemite slayings. 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. It was not animated or digitally created; a stunt driver put the truck into a full controlled jackknife in front of the camera. Cary Stayner He had a long criminal record and had been questioned extensively by the FBI. Robyn Lively is a step sister of Blake Lively. Previously, the defense had maintained that the FBI had coerced the confession. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. I was the oldest and all that. Sex offender Kenneth Parnell dies in Vacaville 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. 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. 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 Something was clearly very, very wrong. Arrested on an unrelated drug charge, he has been questioned about the Yosemite case. I wouldnt think that he would think of himself as one, but he is a hero.". 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. An FBI Agent Recounts a Repulsive Request by Serial Killer Cary Eugene "Rufus" Dykes, 32, also of Modesto and Larwick's half-brother was arrested in March. 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. Despite this, he never appeared to behave lewdly nor perversely in public. 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. 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. For FBI agent Jeff Rinek, it was the climax of a 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.". They finally caught up with him at the Laguna Del Sol nudist colony, which he frequently visited. He was a good student, a Upon examination by the FBI Laboratory, some items have yielded trace evidence. 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. 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. The Stayner family was made up of two brothers, three sisters, and parents Kay and Delbert. He told Hartman that his parents "didnt change that much," but his brother and sisters, "they changed a lot. Unfortunately, less than a decade after his incredible escape, Steven Stayner died in a motorcycle accident at the age of 24, leaving behind a wife and two children. In February 1980, Parnell decided to kidnap a new victim. 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. Tragically, Steven Stayner was killed in a 1989 motorcycle accident at the age of 24. He received the death penalty for killing four women, three of whom had been staying at the Cedar Lodge, where Stayner was employed as a handyman. 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. 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. That same day, Stayner allowed himself to be interviewed by a reporter from KNTV. The car was hidden off a spur road where locals dump old refrigerators, cars, and washing machines. Unsurprisingly, it didnt take long for the story to become national news, and the teenage Steven was at the center of it all. Steven Stayners fame was short-lived. The revelation came in a six Concluding the interview, he addressed the victims' families: "I am sorry their loved ones were where they were when they were. So while Parnell was at work, Steven ran away with Timothy, and the two hitchhiked to a police station in Ukiah, California. Items included in the Television News search service. Michael "Mick" Larwick, 42, of Modesto, part of a vagabond group of methamphetamine drug users and friends centered in the Modesto area. There was a lot of torment: the family who endured two true You know, hung out with him, played with him.. ", FBI sources claimed that he had already confessed his guilt during the Saturday evening interrogation. Steven & Cary Stayner: Hero vs Killer Brother - YouTube At that time, the Bureau stated that, while no one had yet been charged, it felt that those responsible for killing the three women at Yosemite were already behind bars. He was known to take refuge in nearby Yosemite, where hed drive up and get lost in nature. She was subpoenaed because she is a friend of Dykes and Larwick. Parnell and Murphy were driving towards town when Stephen was lured into their vehicle and abducted. On Good Morning America in March 1980, Steven shared with host David Hartman that it felt "great" to be home. On Dec. 4, 1972, Steven, 7, was walking alone to his familys home in Merced, California, when he was coaxed into the car of convicted child rapist Kenneth Parnell, who was posing as a minister. The California Highway Patrol verified the car's license plate as the Sunds rented vehicle and immediately notified the FBI. He befriended a co-worker named Ervin Murphy to assist him in the abduction. "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. He was charged with attempting to purchase a child and attempted child molestation in 2004, that he was sentenced to 25 years to life. Maria Ledbetter, 24, of Modesto, an admitted methamphetamine addict and former girlfriend of Dykes, about whom she was questioned extensively. However, there were warning signs during his younger years. | He was also angry about how his truck had been searched. 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. 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. The trivia item below may give away important plot points. He had no criminal record and his only encounter with the law was for marijuana use in 1997. Then Carole's wallet turned up in Modesto, which included money and credit cards. 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 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. In the end, Stayner confessed without the promise of child pornography or reward money for his parents. 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. One of those arrested, and later released, was Cary Stayner, who worked at the Cedar Lodge as the handyman. On February 15, the ladies hiked into Yosemite National Park on one of the many trails. Crazy Credits Chief James Maddock said he himself questioned whether the Bureau could have done anything to prevent Armstrong's killing. Part of TV News Archive. He was arrested in May on an unrelated crime charge but was soon released. He loved his brother. He was buried Thursday in the town of Newhall, where he had worked as a Los Angeles County sheriffs deputy. I did murder Carole Sund, Juli Sund, Silvina Pelosso and Joie Armstrong None of the women were sexually abused in any way.". 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. In 1972, Stayners The other Sund children believed their mother and sister Juli would be returned. where Stayner was employed as a handyman. 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. By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. Cedar Lodge, 9966 CA-140, El Portal, CA 95318. The initial suspicion was that they may have wandered off the main hiking paths and got lost in the park. Yosemite Park Killer: When A Victim Turns Into A Murderer The FBI pushed for Strange's arrest, but he denied any part in the triple murders. More than a thousand leads, they confessed, produced nothing. 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. 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. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, "(A witness claimed that) Stayner was angry about authorities seizing his backpack after he was questioned earlier that day. The Untold Truth Of Serial Killer Cary Stayner - Grunge 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. Then all of a sudden it's gone. Stayner Woman recalls moment family learned they were target of 1999 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 "Its difficult for me to picture what Cary has done and knowing Steve because their personalities are completely opposite," Duke, Stevens former girlfriend, said. Stayner was already serving a life sentence for the murder of Joie Ruth Armstrong. The death-penalty trial of Cary Stayner was moved from Mariposa County to Santa Clara County, CA. Her mother had been dating him and he had decided to kill them on Valentines Day. Out of respect for his family and the victim's family, we don't want to say anymore." 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 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. A relatively quiet, but friendly, a motel handyman called Cary Stayners only passions seemed to be nude sunbathing and hiking. But by the middle of March, their hopes faded. All of its been bad, Delbert Stayner said of his familys life. Cary was the ideal son, Kay Stayner revealed to the jury during her elder sons trial for murder. Web6,597 views Jan 24, 2019 56 Dislike Share ABC10 172K subscribers On July 26, 1999, former ABC10 reporter Tim Daly went down to the Cedar Lodge where Cary Stayner 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. I want a movie-of-the-week made about my story. There was a movie made about Steven Stayner. 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 wanted the world to take note.. While he attended his meeting, the women were to tour the Grand Canyon. The 1999 murders of four women near Yosemite National Park were already a big story before Cary Stayner confessed in an FBI interview. Woman recalls moment family learned they were target of 1999 In order to prevent Steven from escaping, Parnell was constantly moving the two of them from town to town in California. "Privately, some members of the Sund-Pelosso task force were saying the same things to the media. Specifically, the media scrutiny seemed to affect his older brother Cary, who clashed with his brother after his return. You have the other brother who's left at home. Yosemite killer Cary Stayner born Campbell, when first arrested on mail fraud charges, had in her possession Carole Sund's checking account and automated teller machine numbers. By Friday, July 23rd, Stayner, in the meantime, had disappeared from the area, by the time agents came to arrest him. During the first crash, the truck jackknifed before hitting the car. Parnell worked at the Yosemite Lodge, located about two hours away from the Stayner home. You could see that he wanted to play and be with kids and be normal. Steven was told his new name was Dennis Parnell and was enrolled in school. They no longer want you.. Local police and Yosemite Park Rangers began to search the area where the missing three were last seen. But, to no avail. 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 After they stopped trying to teach me the fundamentals all over again, it got better. Cary Stayner Today: Where Is He Now in 2021? | Heavy.com Steven Stayner had a new father figure, and it was Kenneth Parnell, who by day, was his father, and by night, was his rapist. How intended victim of 1999 Yosemite killer views the tragedy It was then that Steven's nightmare began as Murphy brought him to Kenneth Parnell, a known pedophile. The FBI also seized clothing stained with blood from her body. Carole and her husband, Jens, 43, owned a realtors business in the Stockton area. 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 only time Steve would kill anything like a fish is because we were gonna eat it. You know what I mean? The judge said there was overwhelming evidence against Stayner and that the devastating emotional toll justified execution. 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. Against the odds, he flourished there. 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. Cary was off anybody and everybody who met him will tell In mid-July of 2002, the trial began in Judge Thomas C. Hastings courtroom. Cary looked out for Steven, according to Cary Stayner's former classmate Jack Bungart. On February 12, 1999, Carole Sund, 42, her daughter Juli 15, and Silvina Pelosso 16, left their home in Eureka, California to go on vacation in the area near Yosemite National Park in the same state in the United States. He was arrested on March 5 when he allegedly reported to his parole officer with liquor on his breath. A Shade Of His Brother - TIME Stayners father, Delbert Stayner, said his son was deprived of a fair trial by a kangaroo court and a judge who ignored defense arguments. He was convicted of four brutal murders in 2002. There, they got a room with a plan to stay for a few days. Cary and Steven Stayners Parents Now: Where Are - The 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. I went to ask if Cary wanted to talk, reporter Ted Rowlands said. Agents had interviewed Stayner, a handyman at the Cedar Lodge where the tourists had stayed, and later dismissed him as a suspect. ", The FBI was reluctant to finger Stayner because, they, and many others, did not believe that Stayner acted by himself, given the brazen killing of the three women in the Cedar Lodge Motel and the disposal of the bodies. Cary Stayner confesses to killing four innocent women in 1999: Stayner Raped 2 Teenagers, Affidavit Says Parnell was convicted on kidnapping and false imprisonment charges. On Monday, July 22, the court heard Stayners taped confession, which he had given to FBI agents. "He was spunky. "I'm confident we've done everything that could be reasonably done.". ", Steven Stayner with his kidnapper Kenneth Parnell. Its manager had seen a story on television, recognized Stayner's photo as one of his guests, and notified the FBI. It was the last time the women were seen alive. This time, agents detained him and forced him to answer more questions. Special agent Maddock said, "During the last 24 hours, we have developed specific information linking Stayner (also) to the Sund-Pelosso murders.". In May 2002, Stayner pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity in the 1999 murder of Pelosso and the Sunds. When she did not appear as planned, her would-be host had phoned the park. 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. He then carried Juli to a vista point near Lake Don Pedro, pledged his love, and then cut her throat as the sun rose. Stayner 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. ", Stayner's apartment was searched later in the day and the authorities discovered evidence that linked him to Armstrong's murder. Very seldom did he get into trouble. 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 wish I could have controlled myself and not done what I did. 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. Because he was the handyman at the Cedar Lodge in El Portal where the Sund & Pelosso group had stayed before they were murdered, his questioning at that time seems to have been more routine than anything. He said, I want you to get a hold of some producers in Los Angeles. After the fourth murder, the FBI went looking for Cary Stayner to interview him, but initially as a witness. Soundtracks. 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. Stevens death, along with the death of his uncle soon afterward, reportedly had a serious impact on Cary Stayners mental health and well-being. 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. From the Archives: Friends surprised by Cary Stayner's arrest 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. Quotes 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. In a jailhouse interview with a television reporter, he said he did not rape any of the women. Her body was next to a stream and head within the water that she and her friends used for drinking water. I guess I was jealous. 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. 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. Timothy Lee White, 5, gets a piggyback ride from 14-year-old Steven Stayner at a news conference in Ukiah, California, in 1980, Kenneth Parnell stops the car and goes to a payphone, he comes back and tells Steven, Your parents, I just spoke to them.