Cary Stayner, also known as The Yosemite Killer, was convicted nearly 20 years ago in the deaths of four people in 1999 while he was working as a hotel handyman in California. Steven Stayner's story reflects the horror and tragedy that the family went through in their life. [5] The bodies were burned beyond recognition and were identified using dental records. Cary Stayner, who had been working as a handyman at Cedar Lodge for less than two years, was responsible for the murders. Kay lost her son Steven in a motorcycle accident, and even though his son was found guilty of murder, she begged the jury to not give her son the death penalty. He had told her then that he left because the police presence was overwhelming. State authorities said Delbert Stayner molested them. I wouldnt think that he would think of himself as one, but he is a hero.". In 1972, a seven-year-old was abducted 200 in Mendocino County, 200 miles away. "Then finally, things were getting to be normal and things were getting good, that's when Steven gets killed," she said. And if I didnt take care of it now, it would just get worse,'" Duke said. There was a "pall over" Cary, because he was "the kid who had his brother kidnapped," said Bungart. Although an almost four-year age gap separated the two brothers, with Cary being the eldest of all five siblings, they seemed incredibly close. It was common for the couple to load the kids in the car and take off in search of a new tip that could lead them to Steven. Detectives began interviewing employees of the Cedar Lodge motel where the first three victims had been staying just before their deaths. He loved his brother. At a press conference outside the Stayner house, "everyone was smiling, there was a lot of jubilation, but if you look in the background, there's something worth noting, and it's Cary in his baseball cap, and he's not smiling at all," according to Flynn. The boy was asked if he wanted to donate something to a church. Not only was Steven able to explain to police what happened to him and Timothy, he was also able to tell them his real name was Steven, not Dennis. He would joke around with us workers, but he was also kind of quiet," said Albert Sanchez, who worked with Stayner on a month-long gardening project earlier this year. He had two brothers: Richard S. Lee and Jonathan O. Lee. Del, Steven's father, died on April 9, 2013, at his house in Winton, California. Steven's older brother, Cary Stayner, took his disappearance particularly hard. His high school girlfriend said he later told her what happened. My son is very sick right now, the familys patriarch said while sobbing. Refocus, and listen as we honor the memory of Steven Stayner, a boy kidnapped in his youth, only to tragically die shortly after escaping captivity. The few years after Steven's abduction, their parents had been well preoccupied with trying to find their son. [16], Kidnapping resulting in death (18 U.S.C. "If his dying would bring these people back, I'd say do it," she said. Aged seven, Stayner, a California native, was abducted by child molester Kenneth Parnell. "I went to ask if Cary wanted to talk. Cary Stayner Today: Where Is He Now in 2021? Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a135be5ae24dae5 Here are some untold facts about Cary Stayner's grim past and his monstrous crimes. You could see that he wanted to play and be with kids and be normal.". Then his uncle gets killed in a homicide. In 2019, California Governor Gavin Newsom placed a moratorium on executions, halting the process for 700 inmates, including Stayner. You know, hung out with him, played with him., Martin Purdy, a friend of the brothers, remembered Cary as a "nice guy.". "I don't think he should be executed because he's sick.". When he was an adolescent, he began having dark, sexual fantasies involving rape. Inside was Kenneth Parnell and his friend Ervin Murphy. His parents testified at his trial that they felt they had. Neighbors who remember Steven Stayner's return to his family's home on quiet Bette Street in Merced were astonished that his brother was now a suspect in one, or more, grisly killings. The driver was taken aback by his strange behavior but did nothing about it since the FBI had publicly announced that the killer was likely in custody, according to ABC News. One of her daughters, Lenna, was interviewed by ABC's 20/20 in 2019 and said she and her sister were excited whenever Stayner visited. Seven years later, after escaping his captor, he returned home. Cary's brother, Steven . The jury in Stayner's triple murder trial is expected to soon decide whether Stayner should live out his life in prison or die for the murders of three Yosemite tourists. After Stayner's first murder spree, he hired a cab driver to take him away from the area. "Hes ready to kill again. When the decapitated body of Joie Ruth Armstrong was found, eyewitnesses said they saw a blue 1972 International Scout parked outside the cabin where she was staying. His seven-year-old brother, Steven Stayner, was kidnapped by child molester Kenneth Parnell in 1972, when Cary was 11, and held captive for more than seven years before escaping and being reunited with his family. Prosecutors say he is among the worst criminals in California and should be put to death. Cary Stayner is shown in a 1979 Merced High School yearbook photo. However, during Cary's murder trial, his attorneys argued that he never wanted fame or attention, calling him a "shrinking violet," per the Independent. Cary was arrested the following year and was convicted of all four women's murders and put to death in the trials that followed. They then slept in the same bed, and Cary awoke to his uncle attempting to molest him, according to SFGate. Is Cary Stayner still on death row in California? His mother, Kay, flipped through the photographs Thursday from a witness stand in Santa Clara County Superior Court. We were talking about the Kennedy family, and all the bad things that have happened to them," Strength said. Born on August 13, 1961, Cary was raised in Merced, California along with his younger brother, Steven Stayner, who was kidnapped by child molester Kenneth Parnell in 1972, when Cary was barely 11. On December 4, 1972, seven-year-old Stayner was abducted in Merced, California, by child molester Kenneth Parnell.He was held by his abductor 38 miles (61 km) away in Mariposa County, California, and later in Mendocino County, California, until he was aged 14, when he managed to escape with . For two weeks, Steven watched Timothy suffer the separation from his family. "I heard stories about him going out and wishing on a star, that his brother would come home.". In California, 900 people were sentenced to death between the years 1978 and 2019. According to SFGATE, Cary Stayner was jealous of all of the attention his younger brother received, both in the media and from their parents. An FBI agent said that Stayner recounted his crimes "as if he was reading a soup label," (via ABC News). However, she remembers feeling uncomfortable with him when he once stripped completely bare in front of them at the Merced River. His mother, Kay, had been late to pick him up at school, and instead of walking . Later, she moved to the food and wine section, where she covered food and wine trends and news. When Steven returned home on March 2, 1980, the cameras were there to capture the moment he hugged his parents, Kay and Delbert Stayner. He stayed away from most of the other kids.". The two brothers of the Stayner family are both famous, both tied to the wonder of Yosemite National Park, and both knew unspeakable horror. White, who was a pallbearer at Stayner's funeral, died in 2010 at age 35 due to a pulmonary embolism. Shawn Hornbeck, 15, gets a hug from his mother Pam Akers as his stepfather Craig Akers touches his head Saturday, Jan. 13, 2007 in Richwoods, Mo. [] But there isnt. Vickie Flores, who grew up with the Stayner children, said Cary Stayner had a strange side. Steven was told his new name was Dennis Parnell and was enrolled in school. I know theyre going to give me the death penalty. At the end of his murder trial in 2002, Cary Stayner was sentenced to death for the murders of Carole and Juli Sund and Silvina Pelosso. "He seemed like a nice guy. He was sentenced to seven years in prison but only served five -- less time than he held Steven captive. Thus, sadly, all we know is that Delbert passed away at 79-years-old in his house in Winton, California, on April 9, 2013. He is still on death row in San Quentin State Prison at the age of 60. Stayner later told investigators that he had bound Armstrong and forced her into his car, and she heroically escaped before he caught up to her, according to ABC News. [4] Between February and July 1999, he murdered two women and two teenagers: 42-year-old Carole Sund; her daughter, 15-year-old Juli Sund; Juli's friend, 16-year-old Argentine exchange student Silvina Pelosso; and Yosemite Institute employee Joie Ruth Armstrong, a 26-year-old naturalist.[5]. "He knew everyone and talked to everyone, but I can't say anyone was his best friend or not.". Steven Stayner captured the heart of a nation when he helped another child escape from a pedophile, after enduring years of abuse and not wanting to see the child experience the same fate. Her head, which had been removed, was found several feet away in the water. Nearly 20 years later, Stayner is still on death row, his prison record shows. Lynnea Shertz, who grew up two doors down from the Stayners, remembered Cary Stayner as a scrawny teenager who liked to draw figures. California Department of CorrectionsCary Stayners prison record. Steven was a different person when he returned to his home in Merced, California. However, as we all know, that turned when pedophile Kenneth Parnell abducted Steven in 1972, and the Stayners allegedly began to neglect their children. The case remains unsolved. Cary Stayner had been sexually abused by his uncle, while his sisters were abused by their father, Delbert Stayner. While Steven was grappling with life after his escape, his brother was out of high school with his own troubles. [3] Cary later said that he felt neglected while his parents grieved over the loss of Steven. The tale of his abduction and escape was adapted into a book and novel, both titled "I Know My Name First Name Is Steven." Cary's mother, Kay Stayner, had also been molested by her own father, per SFGate. "Steven didn't understand the rules that he was now expected to live by. She started at the Chronicle as a general assignment reporter, covering breaking news, catastrophes, crime, criminal and civil trials. But according to court testimony, the girls weren't safe. Stayner's parents fear losing another son. When Cary Stayner was just 11, his younger brother, Steven, 7, was snatched from a Merced street on his way home from school. The trial was so emotionally charged that Judge Thomas C. Hastings had to leave the room to gather himself, and when he returned, he appeared as if he had cried. To avoid a possible death sentence, he pleaded guilty to premeditated first-degree murder, felony first-degree murder, kidnapping resulting in death, and attempted aggravated sexual abuse resulting in death. Delbert Stayner, left, and his wife Kay, 2nd from left, talk with their son's attorney, Marcia Morrissey, second from right, and an unidentified member of the defense team, outside of Santa Clara Superior Court during the penalty phase of Cary Stayner's murder trial on Thursday, October 3, 2002. Thomas H. Lee is the son of Herbert C. Lee and Mildred "Micki" Schiff Lee. "He was very proud of who he was," his wife, Jodi Stayner, said in 1999. The attorneys also requested a new trial since it appeared that three jurors were victims of child molestation, but the judge rejected the motion. "Merced was the lead police department, and so they really mounted a large effort to search. According to the psychiatrists report, Stayners father, Delbert Stayner, was ordered into therapy for molesting his own daughters. In addition to her fathers unwanted advances, one of Stayners sisters said that Cary started peeping on her and inappropriately touching her when she was ten. Stayner's resolve to rescue White made him a national hero. "Cary was pretty much a loner. By Gina Tron. Stayner was lured into the vehicle and abducted. "The Yosemite Park Killer," or simply "The Yosemite Killer," is an ephebophilic serial killer, serial rapist, thrill killer and abductor. [11] Stayner was sentenced to life in prison without parole. [5] FBI agents John Boles and Jeff Rinek found Stayner staying at the Laguna del Sol nudist resort in Wilton, where he was arrested and taken to Sacramento for questioning. "I'm just shocked that he would be involved in something like this.". Assistant Sheriff Strength said Stayner was on the waiting list for a job as a county jail guard. "They call [Merced] the gateway to Yosemite," said Ted Rowlands, a former reporter who covered Cary Stayners story at KNTV for the San Francisco Bay area. Docuseries To Explore Tale Of The Stayner Brothers: One A Hero Kidnapping Survivor And The Other A Serial Killer. Stayner's defense attorneys positioned Stayner as a victim of mental illness and trauma, stemming from his brother's abduction and having been molested as a child, according to SFGate. Cary with his little brother, Steven. "Working at Cedar Lodge gave Cary access to his beloved Yosemite," Rowlands said. Its senseless." On 4 December 1972, Steven Stayner was kidnapped by Kenneth Parnell and his accomplice Ervin Murphy. He was one of two sons and three daughters to parents, Delbert and Kay Stayner.. After several weeks, the bodies of all three women were discovered. They. Parents today are very protective of their children, and for good reason. "Dad" and saying his parents no longer wanted him. Parnell convinced 7-year-old Steven that his parents no longer wanted him by pretending to speak to them on a payphone. Steven Stayner escaped Kenneth Parnell when he was 14 years old. In December 1972, when Stayner was seven, he was approached . He was a good student, a good artist, and he was very loving. Death row inmates are also allowed showers every other day, but they shower alone and not in groups per KALW News. Now we only had four children to clothe," she told the court. "I wish I could take it back, but I cant," he said. His next victim was 26-year-old park naturalist Joie Armstrong, who had been staying in a cabin at the park. Once taken into custody, Cary Stayner was soon put on trial. 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 ABC News. Perhaps confident in his evasion, he sent FBI investigators a letter with a map, detailing where he had left Juli's body and hinting that he had sexually assaulted the body. And they searched. I wish there was a reason. And it wasn't that he was just a loner, he was a bit of a creepy loner," Flynn said. Psychiatrist George Woods, who evaluated Cary while he was in prison, said Steven's return was stressful for Cary since he was dealing with mental health issues and obsessive thoughts at the time, per SFGate. He was interviewed on TV before he was able to reunite with his parents and even their reunion was on display. And for a brief moment, a wave of good memories appeared to wash over her face. Del Stayner and his family resided on Betty Street, a lower-middle-class suburb in Merced, California, a tranquil farming town nestled in the shadows of Yosemite National Park. Cary Stayner, shown in this March 2, 1980 photo, is hugged by his mother Kay Stayner outside the Stayner home in Merced County, Calif., on the day Stayner's brother Steven was reunited with his family after being kidnapped for 7 years. As a kid, Cary Stayner became famous for all the bad things that happened to his family. Steven Stayner's incredible story features in the captivating Hulu crime drama Captive Audience. "Very seldom did he get into trouble. [4], When Steven escaped Parnell and returned home in 1980, he received massive media attention. In the little time I worked with him, he just seemed like a regular person.". [14], After being sentenced to death for the brutal killings, Stayner has been housed at the Adjustment Center on death row at San Quentin State Prison in California since 2002. The serial killer is still alive due to the abolition of capital punishment in the state of California. He told Hartman that his parents "didnt change that much," but his brother and sisters, "they changed a lot. "I yelled at him a lot.". Steven died in a motorcycle accident in 1989. That year Parnell recently kidnapped another young boy to replace the aging Stayner, 5-year-old Timothy White. Steven was kidnapped at 7 years old (12/4/72) by a child molester who he lived with for 7 years. Stayner saved White from his captor after he was kidnapped. On March 19, 1999, law enforcement officials discover the charred bodies of forty-two-year-old Carol Sund and sixteen-year-old Silvina Pelosso in the trunk of their burned-out rental car, a day. When Steven Stayner made his heroic return home, he became famous and his story engrossed the nation. When was 7, he imagined himself killing female cashiers at a grocery store, per SFGate. Flynn said Satyner had "a couple of nervous breakdowns," one of which was "fairly violent. Lenna was just 10 or 11 years old when her mother began a relationship with Cary Stayner, a maintenance worker at the Cedar Lodge right outside of Yosemite National Park. Seven-year-old, Steven Stayner lived with his parents, Kay and Delbert and his three sisters and an older brother in the small Californian city of Merced. But he received it nevertheless, and he is in prison. ", Steven also struggled in high school where he was bullied for the tragic abuse he had endured. "It seemed as though he had a compulsion with trying to get close to women or be sexual with them," Rowlands said. Stayner is reported to have attempted suicide in 1991,[6] and was arrested in 1997 for possession of marijuana[4] and methamphetamine,[7] although these charges were eventually dropped. Had no interest in girls, had no interest in people. "Then you have Steven Stayner get kidnapped, and then he comes back and gets killed in a motorcycle accident. On Sept. 20, 1989, Steven Stayner was riding his new Kawasaki motorcycle without a helmet in the rain. This time, in July, Stayner told Damant that he intended to move to Oregon or Utah. The penalty phase is scheduled to resume today, and closing arguments are planned for Monday. Steven Stayners fame was short-lived. He had visited the resort before in March after his first murder spree, and he lived there in a tent beside a lake. I never recognized either one of them.". In 1997, Stayner got a job as a handyman at the Cedar Lodge, seven miles from the gate of the national park. The Stayners' family history of pedophilia had long been a problem, one that may have lasted for three generations, according to SFGate. Getty. He grew up, got married and had two kids. ET on ABC, Cary looked out for Steven, according to Cary Stayner's former classmate Jack Bungart. The naive child believed the pedophile and thereafter began a new and dark life with Parnell as his abusive father figure. In fact, the wrong men were custody. Cary Stayner is the oldest of five children in the Stayner family and was born in Merced, CA, in 1961. That girlfriend worked at a restaurant at Cedar Lodge. Cary Stayner was the oldest of Delbert and Kay Stayner's five children, who included Steven and three sisters. Then he took matters into his own hands. Cos Ive not until about an hour ago and its definitely one for the books. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. Cary at 6, watching television from the couch. Still, Stayner wanted to help his parents, so he asked as a condition of his confession that a $250,000 reward offered by his victims family members go to his own family, Rinek wrote. In 2021, it was penalized around $400,000 for safety violations that resulted in a COVID-19 outbreak and 28 inmate deaths, per CNN. Meet Kay Stayner, Steven Stayner Mother. He was inattentive and dour toward his other children, and family road trips involved searching for their missing brother whenever new tips emerged. Against the odds, he flourished there. 1201), Attempted aggravated sexual abuse resulting in death (18 U.S.C. He graduated from Merced High School, and worked as a window installer for a glass company in nearby Atwater. Moreover, according to his testimony in 2002, when Steven went missing, he became fixated with finding him and neglected his four other children in the process, particularly Cary. An FBI agent believed they would've been Stayner's next victims had he not been caught,per ABC News. But adding children to the equation seemed to only make their relationship worse. However, due to an error, he was released, according to ABC News. Surrounded by endless complainers? "I was just talking to someone about this. She had spoken to him before during his March trip, so she was aware of his employment at Cedar Lodge. [13] He was nevertheless found sane and convicted of three counts of first degree murder with special circumstances and one count of kidnapping by a jury on August 27, 2002. When Steven was abducted, Cary had wished upon a star every night that Steven would return, per SFGate. Following the family tragedy, Steven Stayner's mother, Kay, has decided to live a quiet life. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. Stayner and White left while Parnell was at work and took refuge at a police station, where they informed authorities of their abduction. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. ABC 20/20 is digging into the case on a new episode, which airs at 9 p.m. Eastern time Friday, July 2, 2021. Steven Stayner is reunited with his parents Kay and Delbert Stayner on 2 March 1980 after escaping from a seven-year captivity (Courtesy of Hulu) America met Steven Stayner twice. Still, Stayner wanted to help. And he wanted the same treatment. Cary Stayner is the oldest of five children in the Stayner family and was born in Merced, CA, in 1961. Shortly after Stevens death, an uncle with whom Cary Stayner was very close was shot and killed in a home they shared together. Despite the problems that all the publicity caused for Steven including bullying and a general lack of privacy his older brother Cary seemed to envy it. The other grew up to become a serial killer who terrorized the Yosemite forest. On GMA in March 1980, Steven shared with former host David Hartman that it felt "great" to be home. Kay Stayner said that although her father molested her as a child, she allowed him to live in the Stayner home but kept him away from her daughters. "I think Cary after high school seemed a little lost, like he didnt know where he was going," Bungart said. "Its dark and Timmy can't remember where he lives. "Cary was the ideal son," Kay Stayner told the jury. He is now 59 years old. "For seven years I have been supposedly an only child. Losing perspective? A note was sent to the police with a hand-drawn map indicating the location of the third victim, Sund's daughter Juli. During his interrogation, Stayner shocked the agents when he confessed not only to Armstrong's decapitation but to the murders of Pelosso and the Sunds and the sending of the map for finding Juli Sund's body. Soon after, he confessed to murdering Carole Sund, Juli Sund and Silvina Pelosso. ", "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. Delbert served as a mechanic at a peach can factory at that point in time, whereas Kay was a wife and mother whom many characterized as cold and distant. On December 4, 1972, Steven Stayner was walking home from school on the side of a highway when a white Buick pulled up beside him. In 1989, Steven tragically died in a motorcycle accident at 24 years old, per A&E. Their remarkably dark and tragic lives are told in Hulu's recent documentary "Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Story." He died at the age of 79, and the reason for his death has not been publicly disclosed as far as we can ascertain. Stayners case was granted additional attention because of his brother, Steven Stayner, who had been kidnapped and was missing for seven years. Meanwhile, investigators began to suspect Stayner and released his name to the public. According to his evaluation, Stayner's murder of a mother, her teen daughter, and her daughter's friend at Yosemite came as a result of these violent thoughts. Strength said Cary Stayner's arrest has stunned the community. ABCs 20/20: Yosemite Serial Killer, as the title suggests, profiles the tale of the male who carried out four murders in six months near the Yosemite National Park in 1999. Bill Balestra said of Stayner, who was returned to his parents . Some. He is preceded in death by his parents, his brother, Jerry Stayner and. Therefore, Kay swore to raise her children that same way, without an ounce of sentimental touch or warmth, which Delbert seemed to agree with. Cary Stayner in his arrest photo taken by the FBI./Cary Stayner in 2019. "I don't think he did it. Watch "20/20's" full story, "The Black Sheep," TONIGHT at 9 p.m. One relative described child sexual abuse as like a family sickness because it had been going on for so many generations. Along Bette Street, neighbors searched for clues from Cary Stayner's childhood that he was capable of the gruesome crime. "Whatever demons were clamoring around in his head, by being naked, by smoking pot, he could find the peace that he so desperately needed," LaLama said. If being the mother of one of California's most notorious killers isn't tragic enough, Kay Stayner is also the mother of one of its most high-profile victims. His mental health issues predated his brother's abduction. He was convicted of the murders of four women between February and July 1999: Carole Sund, her teenage daughter Juli Sund and their teenage traveling companion Silvina Pelosso, and Yosemite Institute naturalist Joie Ruth Armstrong. Jesse Houtz, co-owner of Cedar Lodge Restaurants, said Cary Stayner would hang out at the bar, but often kept to himself. Nearly 20 years later, Stayner is still on death row, his prison record shows.California Department of CorrectionsCary Stayner's prison record. A child abductee's journey back. Today, the idea of a 7-year old walking home from school alone is almost unheard of. Steven's father, Delbert Stayner, died on April 9, 2013 at his home in Winton, California. And on July 21, Stayner killed again. The boys were still in elementary school when a man named Kenneth Parnell entered the picture. When a tip was called in about Stayner's car, which had been parked near the crime scene, investigators only thought of him as a potential witness, per ABC News. The Stayners were not only parents to a child who was the victim of a kidnapping (Steven) but also of the Yosemite serial killer (Cary Stayner). According to Rowlands, "He was wearing a hat because he was compulsively pulling his hair out. Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. But they said they can't imagine losing another son. When Steven didnt make it home from school, his parents sounded the alarm. You know what I mean? He was discovered by police and gave this statement: "My . He loved country music and animals. Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). He was attractive, and girls would tell his friends that they would like to date him, but Stayner never pursued a relationship and remained alone. No executions have been made in California, since the year 2006 when a court . The world is a crazy place, full of unknown dangers. During that time, he was physically and mentally abused by Kenneth which deeply affected him as a person. One son was abducted when he was 7-years-old. Hang out with friends or skateboard," Purdy told ABC News. As for where Delbert and Kay Stayner are now, the pair had made it evident that they wanted to lead quiet lives after the events of the early 2000s. Stayner had a traumatic childhood involving sexual abuse, the kidnapping of his younger brother by a pedophile, and feelings of guilt that he could not protect his brother, Rinek wrote in his book. Our days would be-- just get on our bikes in the morning and go to the park. Within days, he's on 'Good Morning America,'" Flynn said. Steven Stayner was the middle child of a family from Merced, California. As Strength tracked down the information for the FBI, he made the connection. Cary Stayner worked at Cedar Lodge for two years before he killed guests Carole and Juli Sund and Silvina Pelosso. He was easy to spot because he was the only person wearing clothes, per ABC News. So, of course, we can not help but wonder more about their family, particularly their parents. 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