Ashley Stayner is a self-professed true crime fan. He had no criminal record and his only encounter with the law was for marijuana use in 1997. He denied any role in the Yosemite slayings. He was arrested on March 5 when he allegedly reported to his parole officer with liquor on his breath. 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 usually ate lunch and dinner at the motel restaurant. 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. By the end of June, the FBI had reviewed the testimonies and the evidence linked to the suspects in custody. "Its difficult for me to picture what Cary has done and knowing Steve because their personalities are completely opposite," Duke, Stevens former girlfriend, said. Out of respect for his family and the victim's family, we don't want to say anymore." It was dark when they arrived and Timmy could remember where he lived so they went to the police station. Carole and her husband, Jens, 43, owned a realtors business in the Stockton area. Parnell worked at the Yosemite Lodge, located about two hours away from the Stayner home. The car was hidden off a spur road where locals dump old refrigerators, cars, and washing machines. Local police and Yosemite Park Rangers began to search the area where the missing three were last seen. Although the Merced police department launched a full-fledged investigation at the time of Stevens disappearance, they werent able to find any significant leads. For FBI agent Jeff Rinek, it was the climax of a Teresa Kay Gray, 36, of Modesto. Cary Stayner, the serial killer convicted in the grisly murders of four women near Yosemite National Park, is born on August 13, 1961. But, says Delbert, puberty-aged Cary endured some emotional hardships because of that incident. 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 He was also angry about how his truck had been searched. WebCary Stayner was convicted of the 1999 Cedar Lodge Killings near Yosemite National Park. He had given the FBI details "only the killer would know in such specificity that agents were able to recover evidence confirming his confession. It was not animated or digitally created; a stunt driver put the truck into a full controlled jackknife in front of the camera. Part of TV News Archive. But seven years later in February 1980, Steven miraculously reappeared. 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. In the end, Stayner confessed without the promise of child pornography or reward money for his parents. The California Highway Patrol verified the car's license plate as the Sunds rented vehicle and immediately notified the FBI. One of those arrested, and later released, was Cary Stayner, who worked at the Cedar Lodge as the handyman. Alternate Versions I guess seven years changed him, too. 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 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. 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. Very seldom did he get into trouble. The dramatic story was told in the 1989 television movie, I Know My First Name Is Steven.. He loved his brother. The initial suspicion was that they may have wandered off the main hiking paths and got lost in the park. 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. 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 FBI also seized clothing stained with blood from her body. 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. Police found her car in front of her cabin, packed for the trip. Or certainly, nothing noticed by his colleagues at the motel. 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. Items included in the Television News search service. Then on March 25, Juli Sunds body was discovered near Lake Pedro in Tuolumme County. 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. However, there were warning signs during his younger years. But by the middle of March, their hopes faded. By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. Hastings rejected new defense claims that juror misconduct prevented a fair trial. | Campbell, when first arrested on mail fraud charges, had in her possession Carole Sund's checking account and automated teller machine numbers. Larry Duane Utley, 41 an associate of Dykes and Larwick, first picked up during a March parole sweep. Then all of a sudden it's gone. "Privately, some members of the Sund-Pelosso task force were saying the same things to the media. That same day, Stayner allowed himself to be interviewed by a reporter from KNTV. Robyn Lively is a step sister of Blake Lively. 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. In his capacity, Stayner performed technical and housekeeping duties, everything from fixing electrical and mechanical breakdowns to delivering extra towels and bedding to guests. Connecticut Serial Killer William Devin Howell Describes The Shockin 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. Kenneth"Soldier" Stewart, 24, a former cellmate of Dykes who was charged with attempted murder. And in 1999, the Stayner family was back in the news but this time, for a less than positive reason. Arrested on an unrelated drug charge, he has been questioned about the Yosemite case. "And I did that almost every clear night from then on until Steve finally came back home. Darrell Gray Stephens, 55, Strange's roommate. You could see that he wanted to play and be with kids and be normal. The brothers, four years apart in age, shared a room, but didnt get along, Steven didn't understand the rules that he was now expected to live by. Cary Stayner confesses to killing four innocent women in 1999: Part 9 Two FBI agents were eating pizza with Stayner when he suddenly admitted he murdered Joie Jens couldn't accompany them on this trip because he needed to prepare for an upcoming business trip. Cary Stayner, now 57, was convicted of the murders of Armstrong, the Sunds and Pelosso, and sentenced to death for all except Armstrong's. ", Steven Stayner with his kidnapper Kenneth Parnell. The other Sund children believed their mother and sister Juli would be returned. 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. In his interview, Stayner claimed that hair from his body was left on the bedspread in their motel room, but he returned later and changed the bed. Had no interest in girls, had no interest in people, he was just a creepy loner. The police reckoned that the killer of the three women was someone familiar with the county given the location of the Pontiac. He said, I want you to get a hold of some producers in Los Angeles. I never did tell anybody about it, but I remember wishing on a star that my little brother would come back home. Specifically, the media scrutiny seemed to affect his older brother Cary, who clashed with his brother after his return. 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. I guess I was jealous. 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. "We never really got along that well after he came back All of a sudden Steve was getting all these gifts, getting all this clothing, getting all this attention. The prosecution team was headed by George Williamson and the defense team was headed by Marcia Morrissey. 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. Some who knew Cary were shocked at his arrest. The issue was no longer who committed the murders but whether Stayner was insane at the time and whether the confession to the FBI agents was coerced. Upon release, the FBI warned him not to leave El Portal. Eugene "Rufus" Dykes, 32, also of Modesto and Larwick's half-brother was arrested in March. Stevens death, along with the death of his uncle soon afterward, reportedly had a serious impact on Cary Stayners mental health and well-being. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. She also happens to have a front row seat to two true crime narratives in her own family. After graduation from Merced (California) High School, Stayner worked as a window installer at a glass company. Goofs Parnell was convicted on kidnapping and false imprisonment charges. There, they got a room with a plan to stay for a few days. A woman named Lenna learned in 1999 that her mother, her sister and her had nearly been murdered by Cary Stayner. Timothy White, the kidnap victim, was only 35 when he died. Maria Ledbetter, 24, of Modesto, an admitted methamphetamine addict and former girlfriend of Dykes, about whom she was questioned extensively. Her mother had been dating him and he had decided to kill them on Valentines Day. 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. When Steven didnt return from school that afternoon, his parents sounded the alarm. I was the oldest and all that. During the first crash, the truck jackknifed before hitting the car. By mid-April, those who had been arrested were ordered to testify in front of a grand jury in Fresno, California. Special agent Maddock said, "During the last 24 hours, we have developed specific information linking Stayner (also) to the Sund-Pelosso murders.". A large search turned up nothing. All of its been bad, Delbert Stayner said of his familys life. He was convicted of four brutal murders in 2002. On February 15, the ladies hiked into Yosemite National Park on one of the many trails. During the session, an unexpected event occurred. 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. He grew up, got married and had two kids. She was subpoenaed because she is a friend of Dykes and Larwick. 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. How can one family, contain two completely contrasting children? Cary was off anybody and everybody who met him will tell . 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 For years, Parnell traveled around California with Steven. Connections She was seen that day at the Institute offices and was planning to visit a friend in Sausalito, California, that day but never made it. 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. Something was clearly very, very wrong. ", Steven Stayner and Cary Stayner in the baseball cap in the background. He wanted the world to take note.. 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. 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. 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. He then carried Juli to a vista point near Lake Don Pedro, pledged his love, and then cut her throat as the sun rose. 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. Emotionally, Cary Stayner had a tough time during his childhood. How frightened the girls must have been when he cut their clothes off.. He died in jail in 2008 at the age of 76. Despite this, he never appeared to behave lewdly nor perversely in public. 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.". They then headed out for Cedar Lodge in El Portal on February 14, which is located on Yosemite's western slope. 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. On days off he would escape to Laguna Del Sol, a nudist colony in Sacramento County. 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 a jailhouse interview with a television reporter, he said he did not rape any of the women. To the dismay of the Stayner family, the case went cold. According to court documents filed Monday, Cary Stayner told the FBI he assaulted Silvina Pelosso and Juli Sund before killing them. 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. Cary was the ideal son, Kay Stayner revealed to the jury during her elder sons trial for murder. 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. Among other things, the FBI Laboratory has found hairs in vacuum sweepings taken from Room 509 and possibly body fluid stains on a blanket (and) a latent palm print from the window sill. 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. 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. Four men were considered the main murder suspects in the initial inquiries. They finally caught up with him at the Laguna Del Sol nudist colony, which he frequently visited. Woman recalls moment family learned they were target of 1999 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. 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 Parnell, along with Murphy, took Steven to a cabin in Catheys Valley, where he was brainwashed to believe his parents no longer wanted him. More than a thousand leads, they confessed, produced nothing. 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. Im so proud of the way Carole and Juli lived, and Im so ashamed of Stayner.. 5-year-old Timothy White walking home from school and they quickly snatched him. On March 1, 1980, Steven waited until Parnell was at work and then fled the house with Timothy. '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.'". Steven Stayner had a new father figure, and it was Kenneth Parnell, who by day, was his father, and by night, was his rapist. Previously, the defense had maintained that the FBI had coerced the confession. Upon examination by the FBI Laboratory, some items have yielded trace evidence. | 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. Ken Parnell went back to what he had been doing for years. 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. For two weeks, Steven watched Timothy suffer the separation from his family. In order to prevent Steven from escaping, Parnell was constantly moving the two of them from town to town in California. The two hitchhiked to Ukiah, California. 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. Cary was 11 years old at the time, and deeply upset about his brother's disappearance. You know what I mean? He had a long criminal record and had been questioned extensively by the FBI. The trivia item below may give away important plot points. Then Carole's wallet turned up in Modesto, which included money and credit cards. And he wanted the same treatment. On Monday, July 22, the court heard Stayners taped confession, which he had given to FBI agents. 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. For four weeks, police, family, and volunteers searched the area in and near Yosemite National Park by helicopter, foot, and skis. When she did not appear as planned, her would-be host had phoned the park. 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. Parnell and Murphy were driving towards town when Stephen was lured into their vehicle and abducted. Still, the Bureau intensified its search, recruiting the use of more high-tech equipment and air support. 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. You know, hung out with him, played with him.. 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. Shortly after Stevens death, an uncle with whom Cary Stayner was very close was shot and killed in a home they shared together. But why doesnt my dad hug me anymore? At a press conference outside the Stayner house, everyone was smiling, but Cary in his baseball cap wasnt smiling at all. 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. 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. 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. William Mapother is a cousin of, The unsub bears some similarities with Cary Stayner, older brother of infamous kidnapping victim Steven Stayner (. Michael "Mick" Larwick, 42, of Modesto, part of a vagabond group of methamphetamine drug users and friends centered in the Modesto area. They were looking for the missing red 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix as well as the women. Four hikers visiting Yosemite National Park had been brutally murdered, and Cary Stayner had confessed to the crimes. Its manager had seen a story on television, recognized Stayner's photo as one of his guests, and notified the FBI. After they stopped trying to teach me the fundamentals all over again, it got better. 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. 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. Steven was a national hero. On Good Morning America in March 1980, Steven shared with host David Hartman that it felt "great" to be home. | She had probably been murdered on the evening of Wednesday, July 21. 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. A relatively quiet, but friendly, a motel handyman called Cary Stayners only passions seemed to be nude sunbathing and hiking. 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. Latent fingerprints were also been lifted from the interior of Joie Armstrong's truck, which Stayner admits to touching during his encounter with her. 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 then that Steven's nightmare began as Murphy brought him to Kenneth Parnell, a known pedophile. In 1972, Stayners In a voice that seemed relieved to be unburdened from its depth a long-kept secret, Stayner blurted, "I am guilty. "'Deep in my heart I know something my mind does not want to learn,' said Gina,13. 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.. | 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. Jeffrey Wayne Keeney, 32, of Modesto. Against the odds, he flourished there. "He had a great personality," said Lori Duke, who dated Steven in high school but knew him as Dennis. Cedar Lodge, 9966 CA-140, El Portal, CA 95318. He also struggled in high school where he was bullied for the abuse he had endured. In 2002, Cary Stayner was convicted of first-degree murder on four counts and sentenced to death. But, to no avail. 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. Then there was another murder. 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. Stayners father, Delbert Stayner, said his son was deprived of a fair trial by a kangaroo court and a judge who ignored defense arguments. 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 got put on the back burner, you might say," Cary told J.P. Miller, a filmmaker who wrote a screenplay about Steven's abduction. After the fourth murder, the FBI went looking for Cary Stayner to interview him, but initially as a witness. "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.
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