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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. 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. | Teresa Kay Gray, 36, of Modesto. Campbell, when first arrested on mail fraud charges, had in her possession Carole Sund's checking account and automated teller machine numbers. Four hikers visiting Yosemite National Park had been brutally murdered, and Cary Stayner had confessed to the crimes. Still, the Bureau intensified its search, recruiting the use of more high-tech equipment and air support. According to court documents filed Monday, Cary Stayner told the FBI he assaulted Silvina Pelosso and Juli Sund before killing them. On Good Morning America in March 1980, Steven shared with host David Hartman that it felt "great" to be home. Parnell and Murphy were driving towards town when Stephen was lured into their vehicle and abducted. 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. 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. The prosecution team was headed by George Williamson and the defense team was headed by Marcia Morrissey. He had no criminal record and his only encounter with the law was for marijuana use in 1997. He was sentenced to seven years in prison but only served five, less time than he held Steven captive. "'Deep in my heart I know something my mind does not want to learn,' said Gina,13. 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. Cary was the ideal son, Kay Stayner revealed to the jury during her elder sons trial for murder. Billy Joe Strange, 39, an El Portal parolee who worked at the Cedar Lodge lounge and restaurant, where the murdered women were last seen. 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. It was badly decomposed and her throat had been cut. 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. Shortly after Stevens death, an uncle with whom Cary Stayner was very close was shot and killed in a home they shared together. He had given the FBI details "only the killer would know in such specificity that agents were able to recover evidence confirming his confession. Quotes After several days, the bodies were identified as Carole Sund and Silvina Pelosso through dental records. On March 1, 1980, Steven waited until Parnell was at work and then fled the house with Timothy. That evening, the group grabbed some videos from the lodge's service desk to watch in their room. Vacuum sweepings were taken from inside Joies house, where Stayner claims to have bound her with duct tape, yielded hair evidence. Im so proud of the way Carole and Juli lived, and Im so ashamed of Stayner.. 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. Ken Parnell went back to what he had been doing for years. You know, hung out with him, played with him.. 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 And he wanted the same treatment. Convicted in 1978 for rape and robbery, he was jailed on March 14 for failing to register as a sex offender. He then carried Juli to a vista point near Lake Don Pedro, pledged his love, and then cut her throat as the sun rose. Soon after, he confessed to murdering Carole Sund, Juli Sund, and Silvina Pelosso once in custody. 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. "He was spunky. 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. He had a long criminal record and had been questioned extensively by the FBI. The Stayner family was made up of two brothers, three sisters, and parents Kay and Delbert. 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. 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. This time, agents detained him and forced him to answer more questions. He was arrested on March 5 when he allegedly reported to his parole officer with liquor on his breath. Emotionally, Cary Stayner had a tough time during his childhood. 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. Steven was a national hero. 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. The 1999 murders of four women near Yosemite National Park were already a big story before Cary Stayner confessed in an FBI interview. 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. "Privately, some members of the Sund-Pelosso task force were saying the same things to the media. In order to prevent Steven from escaping, Parnell was constantly moving the two of them from town to town in California. Alternate Versions 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. Agents arrived at the scene early on the 19th and upon opening the trunk, investigators found two charred bodies. Check-out had apparently been done in advance and the keys were left on the room desk. '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.'". During the first crash, the truck jackknifed before hitting the car. 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. She was working for the Yosemite Institute for the past year and had worked on education programs through a partnership with the National Park Service. "He had a great personality," said Lori Duke, who dated Steven in high school but knew him as Dennis. A relatively quiet, but friendly, a motel handyman called Cary Stayners only passions seemed to be nude sunbathing and hiking. I guess I was jealous. 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. Cary was off anybody and everybody who met him will tell 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. At a press conference outside the Stayner house, everyone was smiling, but Cary in his baseball cap wasnt smiling at all. There, they got a room with a plan to stay for a few days. 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. 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. Then there was another murder. 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 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. After the fourth murder, the FBI went looking for Cary Stayner to interview him, but initially as a witness. But why doesnt my dad hug me anymore? Parnell, along with Murphy, took Steven to a cabin in Catheys Valley, where he was brainwashed to believe his parents no longer wanted him. 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. | The hire car company confirmed that Carole had never returned the rented Pontiac, nor told them that they were extending their agreement. "Its difficult for me to picture what Cary has done and knowing Steve because their personalities are completely opposite," Duke, Stevens former girlfriend, said. 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. 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. You have the other brother who's left at home. For two weeks, Steven watched Timothy suffer the separation from his family. A woman named Lenna learned in 1999 that her mother, her sister and her had nearly been murdered by Cary Stayner. Hastings rejected new defense claims that juror misconduct prevented a fair trial. The two hitchhiked to Ukiah, California. 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. But, says Delbert, puberty-aged Cary endured some emotional hardships because of that incident. During an off-camera jailhouse interview in Sacramento following his arrest, Cary admitted to Armstrong's murder as well as the murders of Carole Sund, 42, her He told Hartman that his parents "didnt change that much," but his brother and sisters, "they changed a lot. Larry Duane Utley, 41 an associate of Dykes and Larwick, first picked up during a March parole sweep. Steven Stayners fame was short-lived. ", Steven Stayner with his kidnapper Kenneth Parnell. 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. Although the Merced police department launched a full-fledged investigation at the time of Stevens disappearance, they werent able to find any significant leads. However, there were warning signs during his younger years. Michael "Mick" Larwick, 42, of Modesto, part of a vagabond group of methamphetamine drug users and friends centered in the Modesto area. Stayner said to investigators I want you to get a hold of some producers in Los Angeles. Out of respect for his family and the victim's family, we don't want to say anymore." I never did tell anybody about it, but I remember wishing on a star that my little brother would come back home. Jens couldn't accompany them on this trip because he needed to prepare for an upcoming business trip. The car was hidden off a spur road where locals dump old refrigerators, cars, and washing machines. 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. Steven and Cary Stayner: The tale of two brothers' horror - ABC By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. Concluding the interview, he addressed the victims' families: "I am sorry their loved ones were where they were when they were. Her body was next to a stream and head within the water that she and her friends used for drinking water. So while Parnell was at work, Steven ran away with Timothy, and the two hitchhiked to a police station in Ukiah, California. How can one family, contain two completely contrasting children? Stayner, 38, has been charged with murder in the July 21 death of naturalist Joie Armstrong. Special agent Maddock said, "During the last 24 hours, we have developed specific information linking Stayner (also) to the Sund-Pelosso murders.". In the Bureau's mind, this time it had the right man. He befriended a co-worker named Ervin Murphy to assist him in the abduction. Items included in the Television News search service. I went to ask if Cary wanted to talk, reporter Ted Rowlands said. 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. After graduation from Merced (California) High School, Stayner worked as a window installer at a glass company. He said, I want you to get a hold of some producers in Los Angeles. 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 I wish I could have controlled myself and not done what I did. He also struggled in high school where he was bullied for the abuse he had endured. 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. Cary Stayner Span of crimes FebruaryJuly 1999 Country United States State (s) California Date apprehended 1999 7 more rows 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. By this point, Cary Stayner had a couple of nervous breakdowns. Stayner was already serving a life sentence for the murder of Joie Ruth Armstrong. William Mapother is a cousin of, The unsub bears some similarities with Cary Stayner, older brother of infamous kidnapping victim Steven Stayner (. Cary was 11 years old at the time, and deeply upset about his brother's disappearance. For years, Parnell traveled around California with Steven. He wanted the world to take note.. Soundtracks. Upon release, the FBI warned him not to leave El Portal. "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. They were looking for the missing red 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix as well as the women. Then Carole's wallet turned up in Modesto, which included money and credit cards. Jeffrey Wayne Keeney, 32, of Modesto. The dramatic story was told in the 1989 television movie, I Know My First Name Is Steven.. 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. 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. The initial suspicion was that they may have wandered off the main hiking paths and got lost in the park. Then he took action. Then all of a sudden it's gone. 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. He was convicted of four brutal murders in 2002. 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 death-penalty trial of Cary Stayner was moved from Mariposa County to Santa Clara County, CA. I guess seven years changed him, too. Cedar Lodge, 9966 CA-140, El Portal, CA 95318. Unofficially, Jens Sund offered a $250,000 reward for information that would lead to the return of the missing women. Cary Stayner was sentenced Thursday to die for committing three murders near Yosemite National Park in 1999. Cary looked out for Steven, according to Cary Stayner's former classmate Jack Bungart. But seven years later in February 1980, Steven miraculously reappeared. 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. By mid-April, those who had been arrested were ordered to testify in front of a grand jury in Fresno, California. I was the oldest and all that. "And I did that almost every clear night from then on until Steve finally came back home. Timothy Lee White, 5, gets a piggyback ride from 14-year-old Steven Stayner at a news conference in Ukiah, California, in 1980, Kenneth Parnell stops the car and goes to a payphone, he comes back and tells Steven, Your parents, I just spoke to them. Unsurprisingly, it didnt take long for the story to become national news, and the teenage Steven was at the center of it all. | Angelia Dale, who testified before the federal grand jury. How frightened the girls must have been when he cut their clothes off.. I did murder Carole Sund, Juli Sund, Silvina Pelosso and Joie Armstrong None of the women were sexually abused in any way.". To the dismay of the Stayner family, the case went cold. The other Sund children believed their mother and sister Juli would be returned. For FBI agent Jeff Rinek, it was the climax of a 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. Ashley Stayner is a self-professed true crime fan. WebCary Stayner, the handyman at their hotel, confessed after being arrested for beheading another victim, female nature guide Joie Armstrong. Agents descended on the colony and returned him to El Portal on Saturday where he was put through a more lengthy interrogation. 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 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. She had probably been murdered on the evening of Wednesday, July 21. Connecticut Serial Killer William Devin Howell Describes The Shockin Arrested on an unrelated drug charge, he has been questioned about the Yosemite case. While he attended his meeting, the women were to tour the Grand Canyon. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. 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. They no longer want you.. where Stayner was employed as a handyman. 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. Steven was told his new name was Dennis Parnell and was enrolled in school. On February 15, the ladies hiked into Yosemite National Park on one of the many trails. Some who knew Cary were shocked at his arrest. 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 For four weeks, police, family, and volunteers searched the area in and near Yosemite National Park by helicopter, foot, and skis. During the session, an unexpected event occurred. Management found him a hard worker and honest. Tragically, Steven Stayner was killed in a 1989 motorcycle accident at the age of 24. He died in jail in 2008 at the age of 76. 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.