Decades later, Stevens older brother, Cary Stayner, made headlines when he was arrested and convicted of the serial slayings of four females. He befriended a co-worker named Ervin Murphy to assist him in the abduction. Had no interest in girls, had no interest in people, he was just a creepy loner. He said, I want you to get a hold of some producers in Los Angeles. 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 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. On Good Morning America in March 1980, Steven shared with host David Hartman that it felt "great" to be home. 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 convicted of four brutal murders in 2002. 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. Items included in the Television News search service. Or certainly, nothing noticed by his colleagues at the motel. And in 1999, the Stayner family was back in the news but this time, for a less than positive reason. Ashley Stayner is a self-professed true crime fan. There was a lot of torment: the family who endured two true Her mother had been dating him and he had decided to kill them on Valentines Day. Quotes Still, the Bureau intensified its search, recruiting the use of more high-tech equipment and air support. After the fourth murder, the FBI went looking for Cary Stayner to interview him, but initially as a witness. | It was dark when they arrived and Timmy could remember where he lived so they went to the police station. 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. When she did not appear as planned, her would-be host had phoned the park. For four weeks, police, family, and volunteers searched the area in and near Yosemite National Park by helicopter, foot, and skis. But by the middle of March, their hopes faded. But, says Delbert, puberty-aged Cary endured some emotional hardships because of that incident. Steven Stayners fame was short-lived. The other Sund children believed their mother and sister Juli would be returned. 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. 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. Something was clearly very, very wrong. Local police and Yosemite Park Rangers began to search the area where the missing three were last seen. Emotionally, Cary Stayner had a tough time during his childhood. Initially, the police didn't have any solid leads as to who killed them. His attempt was foiled when other people were at the house at the time he was planning to commit the crimes. 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. At a press conference outside the Stayner house, everyone was smiling, but Cary in his baseball cap wasnt smiling at all. 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. He walked naked and and smoked pot, he could find the peace that he so desperately needed. During the session, an unexpected event occurred. How frightened the girls must have been when he cut their clothes off.. She was subpoenaed because she is a friend of Dykes and Larwick. "He was spunky. In February 1980, Parnell decided to kidnap a new victim. But why doesnt my dad hug me anymore? Concluding the interview, he addressed the victims' families: "I am sorry their loved ones were where they were when they were. All of its been bad, Delbert Stayner said of his familys life. Maria Ledbetter, 24, of Modesto, an admitted methamphetamine addict and former girlfriend of Dykes, about whom she was questioned extensively. Stayner Raped 2 Teenagers, Affidavit Says The death-penalty trial of Cary Stayner was moved from Mariposa County to Santa Clara County, CA. However, given Californias statewide moratorium on capital punishment, it doesnt appear that hell be executed anytime soon the states last execution was held in 2006. Cary was 11 years old at the time, and deeply upset about his brother's disappearance. A woman named Lenna learned in 1999 that her mother, her sister and her had nearly been murdered by Cary Stayner. After the fourth murder, the FBI went looking for Cary Stayner to interview him, but initially as a witness. I did murder Carole Sund, Juli Sund, Silvina Pelosso and Joie Armstrong None of the women were sexually abused in any way.". The case of a lifetime / For Cary Stayner, there was something 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. In a jailhouse interview with a television reporter, he said he did not rape any of the women. TV NEWS : Search Captions. Borrow Broadcasts : TV Archive : He then carried Juli to a vista point near Lake Don Pedro, pledged his love, and then cut her throat as the sun rose. Cary Stayner Span of crimes FebruaryJuly 1999 Country United States State (s) California Date apprehended 1999 7 more rows The judge said there was overwhelming evidence against Stayner and that the devastating emotional toll justified execution. That evening, the group grabbed some videos from the lodge's service desk to watch in their room. They finally caught up with him at the Laguna Del Sol nudist colony, which he frequently visited. 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. 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. Four hikers visiting Yosemite National Park had been brutally murdered, and Cary Stayner had confessed to the crimes. 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. When Steven didnt return from school that afternoon, his parents sounded the alarm. 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. Goofs 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. 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. Suspect at Yosemite Had Fantasy of Killing Women 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." He was arrested on March 5 when he allegedly reported to his parole officer with liquor on his breath. Larry Duane Utley, 41 an associate of Dykes and Larwick, first picked up during a March parole sweep. I guess I was jealous. 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. | Connecticut Serial Killer William Devin Howell Describes The Shockin Crazy Credits "Privately, some members of the Sund-Pelosso task force were saying the same things to the media. The dramatic story was told in the 1989 television movie, I Know My First Name Is Steven.. Whites stepfather, Roger Gitlin, said White died April 1, 2010, of an apparent pulmonary embolism. That same day, Stayner allowed himself to be interviewed by a reporter from KNTV. William Mapother is a cousin of, The unsub bears some similarities with Cary Stayner, older brother of infamous kidnapping victim Steven Stayner (. 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 He grew up, got married and had two kids. Steven & Cary Stayner: Hero vs Killer Brother - YouTube He told Hartman that his parents "didnt change that much," but his brother and sisters, "they changed a lot. The police reckoned that the killer of the three women was someone familiar with the county given the location of the Pontiac. After Steven said his mother would be interested in donating, Murphy offered to take the boy home. Yosemite killer Cary Stayner born Stayner said to investigators I want you to get a hold of some producers in Los Angeles. It was badly decomposed and her throat had been cut. He denied any role in the Yosemite slayings. Angelia Dale, who testified before the federal grand jury. 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. 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. He was buried Thursday in the town of Newhall, where he had worked as a Los Angeles County sheriffs deputy. Campbell, when first arrested on mail fraud charges, had in her possession Carole Sund's checking account and automated teller machine numbers. "He had a great personality," said Lori Duke, who dated Steven in high school but knew him as Dennis. The revelation came in a six I never did tell anybody about it, but I remember wishing on a star that my little brother would come back home. I went to ask if Cary wanted to talk, reporter Ted Rowlands said. ", Steven Stayner and Cary Stayner in the baseball cap in the background. 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 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. Where Is Cary Stayner from Hulu's Captive Audience Now? | 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. By the end of June, the FBI had reviewed the testimonies and the evidence linked to the suspects in custody. 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. Steven Stayner had a new father figure, and it was Kenneth Parnell, who by day, was his father, and by night, was his rapist. Stayner Kenneth"Soldier" Stewart, 24, a former cellmate of Dykes who was charged with attempted murder. Four men were considered the main murder suspects in the initial inquiries. He has been questioned about any involvement. You have the other brother who's left at home. ", Steven Stayner with his kidnapper Kenneth Parnell. 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.". I was the oldest and all that. The Untold Truth Of Serial Killer Cary Stayner - Grunge 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. After several days, the bodies were identified as Carole Sund and Silvina Pelosso through dental records. "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. You could see that he wanted to play and be with kids and be normal. It was not animated or digitally created; a stunt driver put the truck into a full controlled jackknife in front of the camera. "And I did that almost every clear night from then on until Steve finally came back home. Stayner The prosecution team was headed by George Williamson and the defense team was headed by Marcia Morrissey. 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 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. On days off he would escape to Laguna Del Sol, a nudist colony in Sacramento County. By Friday, July 23rd, Stayner, in the meantime, had disappeared from the area, by the time agents came to arrest him. Cary Stayner was sentenced Thursday to die for committing three murders near Yosemite National Park in 1999. He remains on 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. Cory gets emotional as she describes how he fell through the cracks of familial or institutional care. Part of TV News Archive. Yosemite Victims Were Raped - CBS News Cary Stayner yosemite murders True Crime Out of respect for his family and the victim's family, we don't want to say anymore." 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. "'Deep in my heart I know something my mind does not want to learn,' said Gina,13. The 1999 murders of four women near Yosemite National Park were already a big story before Cary Stayner confessed in an FBI interview. "I'm confident we've done everything that could be reasonably done.". 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. Latent fingerprints were also been lifted from the interior of Joie Armstrong's truck, which Stayner admits to touching during his encounter with her. Police found her car in front of her cabin, packed for the trip. Cary Stayner went from being the brother of child abductee Steven Stayer to a full-blown serial killer. In 1972, Stayners It was the last time the women were seen alive. Parnell was convicted on kidnapping and false imprisonment charges. But he was surprised that did not find his wife at the airport and assumed she had flown ahead, The next day, he tried to contact them again and failed and he called the police. He did feel, however, that the FBI spared nothing to investigate the earlier killings. And he wanted the same treatment. Steven and Cary Stayner: The tale of two brothers' horror - ABC Jeffrey Wayne Keeney, 32, of Modesto. Parnell, along with Murphy, took Steven to a cabin in Catheys Valley, where he was brainwashed to believe his parents no longer wanted him. Stevens death, along with the death of his uncle soon afterward, reportedly had a serious impact on Cary Stayners mental health and well-being. He was also angry about how his truck had been searched. After they stopped trying to teach me the fundamentals all over again, it got better. He loved his brother. 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. 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 She had probably been murdered on the evening of Wednesday, July 21. Cary was off anybody and everybody who met him will tell He also struggled in high school where he was bullied for the abuse he had endured. During the first crash, the truck jackknifed before hitting the car. In 1999, Carole Sund, 42, her daughter Juli Sund, 15, and Juli's friend, Silvina Pelosso, 16, went missing while visiting Yosemite Park. Previously, the defense had maintained that the FBI had coerced the confession. 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. After a couple of weeks, he upped the sum to $300,000. Cary always wore a hat because he was compulsively pulling his hair out. Parnell worked at the Yosemite Lodge, located about two hours away from the Stayner home. According to court documents filed Monday, Cary Stayner told the FBI he assaulted Silvina Pelosso and Juli Sund before killing them. Vacuum sweepings were taken from inside Joies house, where Stayner claims to have bound her with duct tape, yielded hair evidence. At that time, Steven had been forced to endure sexual abuse by his kidnapper, whom he finally turned in to the police. Cary Stayner, now 57, was convicted of the murders of Armstrong, the Sunds and Pelosso, and sentenced to death for all except Armstrong's. In May 2002, Stayner pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity in the 1999 murder of Pelosso and the Sunds. He had no criminal record and his only encounter with the law was for marijuana use in 1997. Yosemite Park Killer: When A Victim Turns Into A Murderer So while Parnell was at work, Steven ran away with Timothy, and the two hitchhiked to a police station in Ukiah, California. Concluding the interview, he addressed the victims' families: "I am sorry their loved ones were where they were when they were. WebCary Stayner, the handyman at their hotel, confessed after being arrested for beheading another victim, female nature guide Joie Armstrong. Woman recalls moment family learned they were target of 1999 He was arrested in May on an unrelated crime charge but was soon released. 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. . 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. 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. In the end, Stayner confessed without the promise of child pornography or reward money for his parents. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Special agent Maddock said, "During the last 24 hours, we have developed specific information linking Stayner (also) to the Sund-Pelosso murders.". An FBI Agent Recounts a Repulsive Request by Serial Killer Cary Its manager had seen a story on television, recognized Stayner's photo as one of his guests, and notified the FBI. 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. How intended victim of 1999 Yosemite killer views the tragedy It then came out that Steven had been kidnapped by Parnell, who had been sexually abusing Steven while also posing as his father and forcing him to go by the name Dennis Parnell. The 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. Hastings rejected new defense claims that juror misconduct prevented a fair trial. Agents arrived at the scene early on the 19th and upon opening the trunk, investigators found two charred bodies. A relatively quiet, but friendly, a motel handyman called Cary Stayners only passions seemed to be nude sunbathing and hiking. "Her mother, sisters, and a family friend had been missing for a month by the time Gina Sund read her poem in front of a thousand or so people who gathered in Modesto," writes Time. Robyn Lively is a step sister of Blake Lively. | Connections Management found him a hard worker and honest. Her body was next to a stream and head within the water that she and her friends used for drinking water. Agents had interviewed Stayner, a handyman at the Cedar Lodge where the tourists had stayed, and later dismissed him as a suspect. The FBI pushed for Strange's arrest, but he denied any part in the triple murders. 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. From the Archives: Friends surprised by Cary Stayner's arrest where Stayner was employed as a handyman. Carole and her husband, Jens, 43, owned a realtors business in the Stockton area. 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.". He usually ate lunch and dinner at the motel restaurant. They then headed out for Cedar Lodge in El Portal on February 14, which is located on Yosemite's western slope. Stayner, 38, has been charged with murder in the July 21 death of naturalist Joie Armstrong. Cary Stayner, the serial killer convicted in the grisly murders of four women near Yosemite National Park, is born on August 13, 1961. ", Stayner's apartment was searched later in the day and the authorities discovered evidence that linked him to Armstrong's murder. Stayner was already serving a life sentence for the murder of Joie Ruth Armstrong. Then he took action. "The only time Steve would kill anything like a fish is because we were gonna eat it. 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. They lived in the farming town of Merced, California, the Gateway to Yosemite. Some who knew Cary were shocked at his arrest. But instead of seeking mental health treatment, he moved to Yosemite. By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. He wanted the world to take note.. On Monday, July 22, the court heard Stayners taped confession, which he had given to FBI agents. He died in jail in 2008 at the age of 76. More than a thousand leads, they confessed, produced nothing. Stayner Cary Stayner confesses to killing four innocent women in 1999: Heroism, tragedy and cold-blooded murder: The Stayner brothers 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.. Steven Stayner was just seven-years-old when he was abducted a few blocks from his home in Merced, Chief James Maddock said he himself questioned whether the Bureau could have done anything to prevent Armstrong's killing. The Cedar Lodge hired him as a handyman in 1997 and gave him the use of a small apartment on the top floor. WebCary Stayner was convicted of the 1999 Cedar Lodge Killings near Yosemite National Park. 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. Unofficially, Jens Sund offered a $250,000 reward for information that would lead to the return of the missing women. After graduation from Merced (California) High School, Stayner worked as a window installer at a glass company. 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. 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. Timothy White, the kidnap victim, was only 35 when he died. Then all of a sudden it's gone. 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. Agents descended on the colony and returned him to El Portal on Saturday where he was put through a more lengthy interrogation. 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. The hire car company confirmed that Carole had never returned the rented Pontiac, nor told them that they were extending their agreement. FBI Accused Of Botching Yosemite Case / Agency