To the dismay of the Stayner family, the case went cold. 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 Stayner, 38, has been charged with murder in the July 21 death of naturalist Joie Armstrong. 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. By Friday, July 23rd, Stayner, in the meantime, had disappeared from the area, by the time agents came to arrest him. Hastings rejected new defense claims that juror misconduct prevented a fair trial. In 1999, Carole Sund, 42, her daughter Juli Sund, 15, and Juli's friend, Silvina Pelosso, 16, went missing while visiting Yosemite Park. 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. "The only time Steve would kill anything like a fish is because we were gonna eat it. Shortly after Stevens death, an uncle with whom Cary Stayner was very close was shot and killed in a home they shared together. 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. For FBI agent Jeff Rinek, it was the climax of a | They no longer want you.. They were looking for the missing red 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix as well as the women. The California Highway Patrol verified the car's license plate as the Sunds rented vehicle and immediately notified the FBI. In a jailhouse interview with a television reporter, he said he did not rape any of the women. Vacuum sweepings were taken from inside Joies house, where Stayner claims to have bound her with duct tape, yielded hair evidence. Connections 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. It was dark when they arrived and Timmy could remember where he lived so they went to the police station. 51K views 3 years ago 20/20 Extra: For the first time, 20 years after the Yosemite murders, Lenna speaks out exclusively on what she learned about Cary "I'm confident we've done everything that could be reasonably done.". Latent fingerprints were also been lifted from the interior of Joie Armstrong's truck, which Stayner admits to touching during his encounter with her. In the Bureau's mind, this time it had the right man. And in 1999, the Stayner family was back in the news but this time, for a less than positive reason. Cary Stayner was sentenced Thursday to die for committing three murders near Yosemite National Park in 1999. The other Sund children believed their mother and sister Juli would be returned. 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. For four weeks, police, family, and volunteers searched the area in and near Yosemite National Park by helicopter, foot, and skis. "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. Eugene "Rufus" Dykes, 32, also of Modesto and Larwick's half-brother was arrested in March. Although the Merced police department launched a full-fledged investigation at the time of Stevens disappearance, they werent able to find any significant leads. 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. And he wanted the same treatment. She had probably been murdered on the evening of Wednesday, July 21. Soundtracks. Steven was told his new name was Dennis Parnell and was enrolled in school. 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. "I've struggled with that issue for the last 24 hours and continue to do so," he confessed. 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 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. I want a movie-of-the-week made about my story. There was a movie made about Steven Stayner. Against the odds, he flourished there. Cary looked out for Steven, according to Cary Stayner's former classmate Jack Bungart. However, when they found Cary at a nudist colony nearby and brought him in for questioning, he quickly confessed to Armstrongs murder, and soon after admitted he was also responsible for the first three killings. | He also struggled in high school where he was bullied for the abuse he had endured. "And I did that almost every clear night from then on until Steve finally came back home. He was arrested in May on an unrelated crime charge but was soon released. William Mapother is a cousin of, The unsub bears some similarities with Cary Stayner, older brother of infamous kidnapping victim Steven Stayner (. 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. 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." 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. Concluding the interview, he addressed the victims' families: "I am sorry their loved ones were where they were when they were. 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. "Its difficult for me to picture what Cary has done and knowing Steve because their personalities are completely opposite," Duke, Stevens former girlfriend, said. 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. | WebCary Stayner was convicted of the 1999 Cedar Lodge Killings near Yosemite National Park. It was then that Steven's nightmare began as Murphy brought him to Kenneth Parnell, a known pedophile. 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. Teresa Kay Gray, 36, of Modesto. "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. How can one family, contain two completely contrasting children? Campbell, when first arrested on mail fraud charges, had in her possession Carole Sund's checking account and automated teller machine numbers. I did murder Carole Sund, Juli Sund, Silvina Pelosso and Joie Armstrong None of the women were sexually abused in any way.". Agents descended on the colony and returned him to El Portal on Saturday where he was put through a more lengthy interrogation. Parnell worked at the Yosemite Lodge, located about two hours away from the Stayner home. He told Hartman that his parents "didnt change that much," but his brother and sisters, "they changed a lot. 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. 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. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. He loved his brother. Something was clearly very, very wrong. 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. The boys were still in elementary school when on December 4, 1972, a man named Kenneth Parnell took seven-year-old Stephen, whilst walking home from school on Highway 140. 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 Jeffrey Wayne Keeney, 32, of Modesto. Steven was a national hero. 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. Her body was next to a stream and head within the water that she and her friends used for drinking water. After several days, the bodies were identified as Carole Sund and Silvina Pelosso through dental records. It was badly decomposed and her throat had been cut. Carole and her husband, Jens, 43, owned a realtors business in the Stockton area. 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. Concluding the interview, he addressed the victims' families: "I am sorry their loved ones were where they were when they were. Agents arrived at the scene early on the 19th and upon opening the trunk, investigators found two charred bodies. Stevens death, along with the death of his uncle soon afterward, reportedly had a serious impact on Cary Stayners mental health and well-being. Kenneth"Soldier" Stewart, 24, a former cellmate of Dykes who was charged with attempted murder. Im so proud of the way Carole and Juli lived, and Im so ashamed of Stayner.. '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.'". You could see that he wanted to play and be with kids and be normal. Goofs Darrell Gray Stephens, 55, Strange's roommate. The death-penalty trial of Cary Stayner was moved from Mariposa County to Santa Clara County, CA. But instead of seeking mental health treatment, he moved to Yosemite. They finally caught up with him at the Laguna Del Sol nudist colony, which he frequently visited. Maria Ledbetter, 24, of Modesto, an admitted methamphetamine addict and former girlfriend of Dykes, about whom she was questioned extensively. He was also angry about how his truck had been searched. 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. 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. Cary was the ideal son, Kay Stayner revealed to the jury during her elder sons trial for murder. On March 1, 1980, Steven waited until Parnell was at work and then fled the house with Timothy. Convicted in 1978 for rape and robbery, he was jailed on March 14 for failing to register as a sex offender. Steven Stayner was just seven-years-old when he was abducted a few blocks from his home in Merced, The two hitchhiked to Ukiah, California. Soon after, he confessed to murdering Carole Sund, Juli Sund, and Silvina Pelosso once in custody. | In May 2002, Stayner pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity in the 1999 murder of Pelosso and the Sunds. 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. 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. Then there was another murder. 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. By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. Upon examination by the FBI Laboratory, some items have yielded trace evidence. 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. 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. After graduation from Merced (California) High School, Stayner worked as a window installer at a glass company. He denied any role in the Yosemite slayings. On February 15, the ladies hiked into Yosemite National Park on one of the many trails. 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 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. Stayner said to investigators I want you to get a hold of some producers in Los Angeles. "Thats when I told him, 'You need to go to a doctor, Cary.'" That evening, the group grabbed some videos from the lodge's service desk to watch in their room. How frightened the girls must have been when he cut their clothes off.. 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. Cory gets emotional as she describes how he fell through the cracks of familial or institutional care. 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. Her mother had been dating him and he had decided to kill them on Valentines Day. 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. I never recognized either one of them.". During the session, an unexpected event occurred. 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. At a press conference outside the Stayner house, everyone was smiling, but Cary in his baseball cap wasnt smiling at all. She also happens to have a front row seat to two true crime narratives in her own family. 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. However, there were warning signs during his younger years. 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 The dramatic story was told in the 1989 television movie, I Know My First Name Is Steven.. I never did tell anybody about it, but I remember wishing on a star that my little brother would come back home. The Stayner family was made up of two brothers, three sisters, and parents Kay and Delbert. The hire car company confirmed that Carole had never returned the rented Pontiac, nor told them that they were extending their agreement. 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. There, they got a room with a plan to stay for a few days. He walked naked and and smoked pot, he could find the peace that he so desperately needed. 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. Quotes 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. "He was spunky. 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. She was subpoenaed because she is a friend of Dykes and Larwick. Local police and Yosemite Park Rangers began to search the area where the missing three were last seen. 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.. Parnell and Murphy were driving towards town when Stephen was lured into their vehicle and abducted. 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 Stayner with his kidnapper Kenneth Parnell. Parnell, along with Murphy, took Steven to a cabin in Catheys Valley, where he was brainwashed to believe his parents no longer wanted him. He abandoned the group's rental car with the bodies of Carole and Silvina inside, returning two days later to burn the evidence and retrieve the wallet, which he dumped in Modesto to confuse authorities. All of its been bad, Delbert Stayner said of his familys life. In February 1980, Parnell decided to kidnap a new victim. I guess I was jealous. By the end of June, the FBI had reviewed the testimonies and the evidence linked to the suspects in custody. But, to no avail. ", Steven Stayner and Cary Stayner in the baseball cap in the background. Initially, the police didn't have any solid leads as to who killed them. The FBI pushed for Strange's arrest, but he denied any part in the triple murders. After the fourth murder, the FBI went looking for Cary Stayner to interview him, but initially as a witness. At that time, Steven had been forced to endure sexual abuse by his kidnapper, whom he finally turned in to the police. You know, hung out with him, played with him.. The car was hidden off a spur road where locals dump old refrigerators, cars, and washing machines. "He had a great personality," said Lori Duke, who dated Steven in high school but knew him as Dennis. 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. 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. Four hikers visiting Yosemite National Park had been brutally murdered, and Cary Stayner had confessed to the crimes. I went to ask if Cary wanted to talk, reporter Ted Rowlands said. After a couple of weeks, he upped the sum to $300,000. He had given the FBI details "only the killer would know in such specificity that agents were able to recover evidence confirming his confession. Connecticut Serial Killer William Devin Howell Describes The Shockin In a voice that seemed relieved to be unburdened from its depth a long-kept secret, Stayner blurted, "I am guilty. Previously, the defense had maintained that the FBI had coerced the confession. 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. 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. WebThe story of Steven and Cary Stayner will leave you in absolute disbelief. Then Carole's wallet turned up in Modesto, which included money and credit cards. Woman recalls moment family learned they were target of 1999 The interview was conducted off camera and reported Monday on the late news. Jens couldn't accompany them on this trip because he needed to prepare for an upcoming business trip. 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. 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. I wouldnt think that he would think of himself as one, but he is a hero.". FBI agent Nick Rossi said on February 26, "At this point, we have not yet uncovered evidence to allow us to determine conclusively whether this was a tragic accident or a criminal act. Two weeks later, FBI agent James Maddock, now placed in charge of the investigation, told the press, "We feel almost certain that the women were victims of a violent crime.". 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. The trivia item below may give away important plot points. A woman named Lenna learned in 1999 that her mother, her sister and her had nearly been murdered by Cary Stayner. | 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. 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. Management found him a hard worker and honest. Stayner was already serving a life sentence for the murder of Joie Ruth Armstrong. 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. You have the other brother who's left at home. After they stopped trying to teach me the fundamentals all over again, it got better. 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. ", 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. Or certainly, nothing noticed by his colleagues at the motel. Investigators searched his truck and confiscated his backpack for examination. . He had a long criminal record and had been questioned extensively by the FBI. The prosecution team was headed by George Williamson and the defense team was headed by Marcia Morrissey. Very seldom did he get into trouble. In mid-July of 2002, the trial began in Judge Thomas C. Hastings courtroom. Michael "Mick" Larwick, 42, of Modesto, part of a vagabond group of methamphetamine drug users and friends centered in the Modesto area. 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 He also exhibited some behaviors that made others uncomfortable, including, as he later admitted, exposing himself to his sister's friend. Despite this, he never appeared to behave lewdly nor perversely in public. 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 Four men were considered the main murder suspects in the initial inquiries. 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. 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. On Monday, July 22, the court heard Stayners taped confession, which he had given to FBI agents. A relatively quiet, but friendly, a motel handyman called Cary Stayners only passions seemed to be nude sunbathing and hiking. Part of TV News Archive. He was sentenced to seven years in prison but only served five, less time than he held Steven captive. He died in jail in 2008 at the age of 76. He had no criminal record and his only encounter with the law was for marijuana use in 1997. He was a good student, a While he attended his meeting, the women were to tour the Grand Canyon. 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. 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. Unofficially, Jens Sund offered a $250,000 reward for information that would lead to the return of the missing women. For years, Parnell traveled around California with Steven. 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 Stayner, now 57, was convicted of the murders of Armstrong, the Sunds and Pelosso, and sentenced to death for all except Armstrong's. The initial suspicion was that they may have wandered off the main hiking paths and got lost in the park. A large search turned up nothing. 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. 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 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. He remains on He was convicted of four brutal murders in 2002. In 2002, Cary Stayner was convicted of first-degree murder on four counts and sentenced to death. Had no interest in girls, had no interest in people, he was just a creepy loner. 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. They lived in the farming town of Merced, California, the Gateway to Yosemite. He said, I want you to get a hold of some producers in Los Angeles. The revelation came in a six 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 befriended a co-worker named Ervin Murphy to assist him in the abduction. 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. Chief James Maddock said he himself questioned whether the Bureau could have done anything to prevent Armstrong's killing. Special agent Maddock said, "During the last 24 hours, we have developed specific information linking Stayner (also) to the Sund-Pelosso murders.". When Steven didnt return from school that afternoon, his parents sounded the alarm. He was arrested on March 5 when he allegedly reported to his parole officer with liquor on his breath. 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. Police found her car in front of her cabin, packed for the trip. But, says Delbert, puberty-aged Cary endured some emotional hardships because of that incident. Emotionally, Cary Stayner had a tough time during his childhood. "Privately, some members of the Sund-Pelosso task force were saying the same things to the media. By mid-April, those who had been arrested were ordered to testify in front of a grand jury in Fresno, California. Decades later, Stevens older brother, Cary Stayner, made headlines when he was arrested and convicted of the serial slayings of four females.
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