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. They finally caught up with him at the Laguna Del Sol nudist colony, which he frequently visited. It was not animated or digitally created; a stunt driver put the truck into a full controlled jackknife in front of the camera. Cary was 11 years old at the time, and deeply upset about his brother's disappearance. Parnell was convicted on kidnapping and false imprisonment charges. 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. Agents arrived at the scene early on the 19th and upon opening the trunk, investigators found two charred bodies. Jeffrey Wayne Keeney, 32, of Modesto. Cary Stayner was sentenced Thursday to die for committing three murders near Yosemite National Park in 1999. The interview was conducted off camera and reported Monday on the late news. He did feel, however, that the FBI spared nothing to investigate the earlier killings. 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. When Steven didnt return from school that afternoon, his parents sounded the alarm. In May 2002, Stayner pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity in the 1999 murder of Pelosso and the Sunds. By this point, Cary Stayner had a couple of nervous breakdowns. | According to court documents filed Monday, Cary Stayner told the FBI he assaulted Silvina Pelosso and Juli Sund before killing them. Steven Stayners fame was short-lived. Soon after, he confessed to murdering Carole Sund, Juli Sund, and Silvina Pelosso once in custody. Cary always wore a hat because he was compulsively pulling his hair out. 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. After the fourth murder, the FBI went looking for Cary Stayner to interview him, but initially as a witness. But, says Delbert, puberty-aged Cary endured some emotional hardships because of that incident. 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. 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. The police reckoned that the killer of the three women was someone familiar with the county given the location of the Pontiac. He had no criminal record and his only encounter with the law was for marijuana use in 1997. "I'm confident we've done everything that could be reasonably done.". He was a good student, a However, there were warning signs during his younger years. He loved his brother. The death-penalty trial of Cary Stayner was moved from Mariposa County to Santa Clara County, CA. 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. Cary looked out for Steven, according to Cary Stayner's former classmate Jack Bungart. Specifically, the media scrutiny seemed to affect his older brother Cary, who clashed with his brother after his return. The American Court TV (now TruTV) television series Mugshots released an episode on the Stayner case titled "Cary Stayner The Cedar Lodge Killings". [29] In 2018, the Reelz channel aired an hour-long documentary about the murders titled Yosemite Park Killer. Hastings rejected new defense claims that juror misconduct prevented a fair trial. By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. 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. Local police and Yosemite Park Rangers began to search the area where the missing three were last seen. The hire car company confirmed that Carole had never returned the rented Pontiac, nor told them that they were extending their agreement. | He usually ate lunch and dinner at the motel restaurant. 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. 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. There, they got a room with a plan to stay for a few days. WebCary Stayner, the handyman at their hotel, confessed after being arrested for beheading another victim, female nature guide Joie Armstrong. 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 grew up, got married and had two kids. Jens couldn't accompany them on this trip because he needed to prepare for an upcoming business trip. All of its been bad, Delbert Stayner said of his familys life. How frightened the girls must have been when he cut their clothes off.. William Mapother is a cousin of, The unsub bears some similarities with Cary Stayner, older brother of infamous kidnapping victim Steven Stayner (. 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. The 1999 murders of four women near Yosemite National Park were already a big story before Cary Stayner confessed in an FBI interview. In mid-July of 2002, the trial began in Judge Thomas C. Hastings courtroom. "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. Shortly after Stevens death, an uncle with whom Cary Stayner was very close was shot and killed in a home they shared together. 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 She had probably been murdered on the evening of Wednesday, July 21. By mid-April, those who had been arrested were ordered to testify in front of a grand jury in Fresno, California. 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. Still, the Bureau intensified its search, recruiting the use of more high-tech equipment and air support. 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. I was the oldest and all that. But, to no avail. 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. After they stopped trying to teach me the fundamentals all over again, it got better. 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 prosecution team was headed by George Williamson and the defense team was headed by Marcia Morrissey. I never did tell anybody about it, but I remember wishing on a star that my little brother would come back home. 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. Some who knew Cary were shocked at his arrest. Im so proud of the way Carole and Juli lived, and Im so ashamed of Stayner.. Tragically, Steven Stayner was killed in a 1989 motorcycle accident at the age of 24. Concluding the interview, he addressed the victims' families: "I am sorry their loved ones were where they were when they were. They lived in the farming town of Merced, California, the Gateway to Yosemite. So while Parnell was at work, Steven ran away with Timothy, and the two hitchhiked to a police station in Ukiah, California. Steven Stayner was just seven-years-old when he was abducted a few blocks from his home in Merced, Stayner, 38, has been charged with murder in the July 21 death of naturalist Joie Armstrong. They no longer want you.. On days off he would escape to Laguna Del Sol, a nudist colony in Sacramento County. I wouldnt think that he would think of himself as one, but he is a hero.". 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. 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. Steven was told his new name was Dennis Parnell and was enrolled in school. 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 In the Bureau's mind, this time it had the right man. 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. Ashley Stayner is a self-professed true crime fan. He was known to take refuge in nearby Yosemite, where hed drive up and get lost in nature. I guess I was jealous. She was subpoenaed because she is a friend of Dykes and Larwick. "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 is currently in his 60s and still on death row while incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison. 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. WebCary Stayner was convicted of the 1999 Cedar Lodge Killings near Yosemite National Park. Stayners father, Delbert Stayner, said his son was deprived of a fair trial by a kangaroo court and a judge who ignored defense arguments. "'Deep in my heart I know something my mind does not want to learn,' said Gina,13. Knives were used in the slayings and the weapon suspected in Ms. Armstrong's death was recovered.". Soundtracks. Darrell Gray Stephens, 55, Strange's roommate. 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. Four hikers visiting Yosemite National Park had been brutally murdered, and Cary Stayner had confessed to the crimes. He remains on Cary Stayner Span of crimes FebruaryJuly 1999 Country United States State (s) California Date apprehended 1999 7 more rows It was badly decomposed and her throat had been cut. Then Carole's wallet turned up in Modesto, which included money and credit cards. "He was spunky. Teresa Kay Gray, 36, of Modesto. For two weeks, Steven watched Timothy suffer the separation from his family. Very seldom did he get into trouble. The California Highway Patrol verified the car's license plate as the Sunds rented vehicle and immediately notified the FBI. But why doesnt my dad hug me anymore? 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. In a jailhouse interview with a television reporter, he said he did not rape any of the women. Connecticut Serial Killer William Devin Howell Describes The Shockin 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. For years, Parnell traveled around California with Steven. Robyn Lively is a step sister of Blake Lively. Larry Duane Utley, 41 an associate of Dykes and Larwick, first picked up during a March parole sweep. Upon examination by the FBI Laboratory, some items have yielded trace evidence. Convicted in 1978 for rape and robbery, he was jailed on March 14 for failing to register as a sex offender. 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. "I've struggled with that issue for the last 24 hours and continue to do so," he confessed.