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. 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.. After the fourth murder, the FBI went looking for Cary Stayner to interview him, but initially as a witness. Angelia Dale, who testified before the federal grand jury. 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. 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. | Latent fingerprints were also been lifted from the interior of Joie Armstrong's truck, which Stayner admits to touching during his encounter with her. I wish I could have controlled myself and not done what I did. 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. 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. I went to ask if Cary wanted to talk, reporter Ted Rowlands said. I guess seven years changed him, too. "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. Initially, the police didn't have any solid leads as to who killed them. He was a good student, a By this point, Cary Stayner had a couple of nervous breakdowns. 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. By Friday, July 23rd, Stayner, in the meantime, had disappeared from the area, by the time agents came to arrest him. Soon after, he confessed to murdering Carole Sund, Juli Sund, and Silvina Pelosso once in custody. Eugene "Rufus" Dykes, 32, also of Modesto and Larwick's half-brother was arrested in March. Management found him a hard worker and honest. 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. Cary was the ideal son, Kay Stayner revealed to the jury during her elder sons trial for murder. 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. Tragically, Steven Stayner was killed in a 1989 motorcycle accident at the age of 24. | 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. Unsurprisingly, it didnt take long for the story to become national news, and the teenage Steven was at the center of it all. Stayners father, Delbert Stayner, said his son was deprived of a fair trial by a kangaroo court and a judge who ignored defense arguments. 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. 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. He was charged with attempting to purchase a child and attempted child molestation in 2004, that he was sentenced to 25 years to life. Cary was 11 years old at the time, and deeply upset about his brother's disappearance. She also happens to have a front row seat to two true crime narratives in her own family. He was also angry about how his truck had been searched. Then there was another murder. I wouldnt think that he would think of himself as one, but he is a hero.". For four weeks, police, family, and volunteers searched the area in and near Yosemite National Park by helicopter, foot, and skis. 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. 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. Or certainly, nothing noticed by his colleagues at the motel. 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. The FBI pushed for Strange's arrest, but he denied any part in the triple murders. Decades later, Stevens older brother, Cary Stayner, made headlines when he was arrested and convicted of the serial slayings of four females. In 1972, Stayners Some who knew Cary were shocked at his arrest. On December 4, 1972, at the age of seven, Steven was approached after school by Edward Ervin Murphy, who claimed he was collecting money for the church. The other Sund children believed their mother and sister Juli would be returned. Police found her car in front of her cabin, packed for the trip. Concluding the interview, he addressed the victims' families: "I am sorry their loved ones were where they were when they were. After Steven said his mother would be interested in donating, Murphy offered to take the boy home. He was arrested on March 5 when he allegedly reported to his parole officer with liquor on his breath. Crazy Credits He then carried Juli to a vista point near Lake Don Pedro, pledged his love, and then cut her throat as the sun rose. On Monday, July 22, the court heard Stayners taped confession, which he had given to FBI agents. He was known to take refuge in nearby Yosemite, where hed drive up and get lost in nature. Jens had scheduled to meet them at the San Francisco airport that evening on his way to Arizona, to where the others were to accompany him. They no longer want you.. By the end of June, the FBI had reviewed the testimonies and the evidence linked to the suspects in custody. When Steven didnt return from school that afternoon, his parents sounded the alarm. He denied any role in the Yosemite slayings. The FBI Laboratory has also found possible bodily fluid stains on a bed sheet taken from her residence. I did murder Carole Sund, Juli Sund, Silvina Pelosso and Joie Armstrong None of the women were sexually abused in any way.". Stayner, 38, has been charged with murder in the July 21 death of naturalist Joie Armstrong. 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. It was not animated or digitally created; a stunt driver put the truck into a full controlled jackknife in front of the camera. 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. A large search turned up nothing. Connecticut Serial Killer William Devin Howell Describes The Shockin For years, Parnell traveled around California with Steven. Four men were considered the main murder suspects in the initial inquiries. He was arrested in May on an unrelated crime charge but was soon released. 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. After several days, the bodies were identified as Carole Sund and Silvina Pelosso through dental records. Unofficially, Jens Sund offered a $250,000 reward for information that would lead to the return of the missing women. "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. Larwick, who grew up in Tuolumme County near where the bodies of Carole Sund and Silvina Pelosso were found, was jailed on March 16 after he allegedly shot a Modesto police office. 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 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. 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. 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 Darrell Gray Stephens, 55, Strange's roommate. Stayner was already serving a life sentence for the murder of Joie Ruth Armstrong. They lived in the farming town of Merced, California, the Gateway to Yosemite. 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. 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. Despite this, he never appeared to behave lewdly nor perversely in public. Had no interest in girls, had no interest in people, he was just a creepy loner. 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. He was convicted of four brutal murders in 2002. Concluding the interview, he addressed the victims' families: "I am sorry their loved ones were where they were when they were. You know what I mean? During the session, an unexpected event occurred. But, to no avail. 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. Stevens death, along with the death of his uncle soon afterward, reportedly had a serious impact on Cary Stayners mental health and well-being. Steven was a national hero. He told Hartman that his parents "didnt change that much," but his brother and sisters, "they changed a lot. The interview was conducted off camera and reported Monday on the late news. 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 death-penalty trial of Cary Stayner was moved from Mariposa County to Santa Clara County, CA. Hastings rejected new defense claims that juror misconduct prevented a fair trial. So while Parnell was at work, Steven ran away with Timothy, and the two hitchhiked to a police station in Ukiah, California. Very seldom did he get into trouble. ", FBI sources claimed that he had already confessed his guilt during the Saturday evening interrogation. Timothy White, the kidnap victim, was only 35 when he died. Part of TV News Archive. The initial suspicion was that they may have wandered off the main hiking paths and got lost in the park. They then headed out for Cedar Lodge in El Portal on February 14, which is located on Yosemite's western slope. 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. After they stopped trying to teach me the fundamentals all over again, it got better. 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." 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. By mid-April, those who had been arrested were ordered to testify in front of a grand jury in Fresno, California. The judge said there was overwhelming evidence against Stayner and that the devastating emotional toll justified execution. How frightened the girls must have been when he cut their clothes off.. WebCary Stayner was convicted of the 1999 Cedar Lodge Killings near Yosemite National Park. 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. Investigators searched his truck and confiscated his backpack for examination. Campbell, when first arrested on mail fraud charges, had in her possession Carole Sund's checking account and automated teller machine numbers. All of its been bad, Delbert Stayner said of his familys life. Previously, the defense had maintained that the FBI had coerced the confession. 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. Then all of a sudden it's gone. The police reckoned that the killer of the three women was someone familiar with the county given the location of the Pontiac. On March 1, 1980, Steven waited until Parnell was at work and then fled the house with Timothy. 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. 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. 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. | Check-out had apparently been done in advance and the keys were left on the room desk. You know, hung out with him, played with him.. Connections It was dark when they arrived and Timmy could remember where he lived so they went to the police station. For FBI agent Jeff Rinek, it was the climax of a That same day, Stayner allowed himself to be interviewed by a reporter from KNTV. 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 trivia item below may give away important plot points. Steven and Cary Stayner: The tale of two brothers' horror - ABC Her mother had been dating him and he had decided to kill them on Valentines Day. Chief James Maddock said he himself questioned whether the Bureau could have done anything to prevent Armstrong's killing. 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.". He loved his brother. 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. He said, I want you to get a hold of some producers in Los Angeles. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Cory gets emotional as she describes how he fell through the cracks of familial or institutional care. Four hikers visiting Yosemite National Park had been brutally murdered, and Cary Stayner had confessed to the crimes. He is currently in his 60s and still on death row while incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison. In a jailhouse interview with a television reporter, he said he did not rape any of the women. Michael "Mick" Larwick, 42, of Modesto, part of a vagabond group of methamphetamine drug users and friends centered in the Modesto area. 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. Agents had interviewed Stayner, a handyman at the Cedar Lodge where the tourists had stayed, and later dismissed him as a suspect. The hire car company confirmed that Carole had never returned the rented Pontiac, nor told them that they were extending their agreement. where Stayner was employed as a handyman. Robyn Lively is a step sister of Blake Lively. 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 had talked his way into the room under the guise of fixing a leak, and then sexually assaulted both girls and brutally murdered Carole Lund and Silvina Pelosso in the room. ", Steven Stayner with his kidnapper Kenneth Parnell. Then Carole's wallet turned up in Modesto, which included money and credit cards. 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. Parnell was convicted on kidnapping and false imprisonment charges. Parnell worked at the Yosemite Lodge, located about two hours away from the Stayner home. Quotes "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. On February 15, the ladies hiked into Yosemite National Park on one of the many trails. 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. 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. But instead of seeking mental health treatment, he moved to Yosemite. 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. Then he took action. In 1999, Carole Sund, 42, her daughter Juli Sund, 15, and Juli's friend, Silvina Pelosso, 16, went missing while visiting Yosemite Park. Its manager had seen a story on television, recognized Stayner's photo as one of his guests, and notified the FBI. 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. He died in jail in 2008 at the age of 76. In 2002, Cary Stayner was convicted of first-degree murder on four counts and sentenced to death. 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. 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. By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. He also exhibited some behaviors that made others uncomfortable, including, as he later admitted, exposing himself to his sister's friend. "Thats when I told him, 'You need to go to a doctor, Cary.'" most playoff wins last 10 years nfl, unit 15 exam comprehensive final nu631 herzing,