cary stayner interview cary stayner interview

Decades later, Stevens older brother, Cary Stayner, made headlines when he was arrested and convicted of the serial slayings of four females. Maria Ledbetter, 24, of Modesto, an admitted methamphetamine addict and former girlfriend of Dykes, about whom she was questioned extensively. 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." 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. He died in jail in 2008 at the age of 76. Despite this, he never appeared to behave lewdly nor perversely in public. During the session, an unexpected event occurred. 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. It was badly decomposed and her throat had been cut. The judge said there was overwhelming evidence against Stayner and that the devastating emotional toll justified execution. But instead of seeking mental health treatment, he moved to Yosemite. Police found her car in front of her cabin, packed for the trip. Initially, the police didn't have any solid leads as to who killed them. Upon release, the FBI warned him not to leave El Portal. 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 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 After a couple of weeks, he upped the sum to $300,000. It was then that Steven's nightmare began as Murphy brought him to Kenneth Parnell, a known pedophile. By the end of that evening, the FBI felt it had gathered enough evidence to arrest Cary Stayner for murder, Sunday morning, they rushed him to Fresno to officially lodge a complaint, then to Sacramento on Monday where he was put before the courts. 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. Darrell Gray Stephens, 55, Strange's roommate. So while Parnell was at work, Steven ran away with Timothy, and the two hitchhiked to a police station in Ukiah, California. 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. where Stayner was employed as a handyman. Concluding the interview, he addressed the victims' families: "I am sorry their loved ones were where they were when they were. That same day, Stayner allowed himself to be interviewed by a reporter from KNTV. In a jailhouse interview with a television reporter, he said he did not rape any of the women. The California Highway Patrol verified the car's license plate as the Sunds rented vehicle and immediately notified the FBI. Hastings rejected new defense claims that juror misconduct prevented a fair trial. While he attended his meeting, the women were to tour the Grand Canyon. I guess seven years changed him, too. 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. He grew up, got married and had two kids. "He was spunky. But, says Delbert, puberty-aged Cary endured some emotional hardships because of that incident. Campbell, when first arrested on mail fraud charges, had in her possession Carole Sund's checking account and automated teller machine numbers. I never recognized either one of them.". It seemed as though he had a compulsion with trying to get close to women or be sexual with them, but he was unable to develop any sort of interpersonal relationships with any women. He has been questioned about any involvement. Robyn Lively is a step sister of Blake Lively. Local police and Yosemite Park Rangers began to search the area where the missing three were last seen. 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. 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. ", FBI sources claimed that he had already confessed his guilt during the Saturday evening interrogation. Angelia Dale, who testified before the federal grand jury. He was arrested on March 5 when he allegedly reported to his parole officer with liquor on his breath. Then he took action. Eugene "Rufus" Dykes, 32, also of Modesto and Larwick's half-brother was arrested in March. Some who knew Cary were shocked at his arrest. Specifically, the media scrutiny seemed to affect his older brother Cary, who clashed with his brother after his return. The Cedar Lodge hired him as a handyman in 1997 and gave him the use of a small apartment on the top floor. I was the oldest and all that. 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. After the fourth murder, the FBI went looking for Cary Stayner to interview him, but initially as a witness. He was sentenced to seven years in prison but only served five, less time than he held Steven captive. "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. He usually ate lunch and dinner at the motel restaurant. The trivia item below may give away important plot points. The dramatic story was told in the 1989 television movie, I Know My First Name Is Steven.. 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. Stayner said to investigators I want you to get a hold of some producers in Los Angeles. 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 loved his brother. She was subpoenaed because she is a friend of Dykes and Larwick. Emotionally, Cary Stayner had a tough time during his childhood. But, to no avail. Then on March 25, Juli Sunds body was discovered near Lake Pedro in Tuolumme County. Steven Stayners fame was short-lived. He was convicted of four brutal murders in 2002. The death-penalty trial of Cary Stayner was moved from Mariposa County to Santa Clara County, CA. After the fourth murder, the FBI went looking for Cary Stayner to interview him, but initially as a witness. He had no criminal record and his only encounter with the law was for marijuana use in 1997. Very seldom did he get into trouble. Im so proud of the way Carole and Juli lived, and Im so ashamed of Stayner.. But why doesnt my dad hug me anymore? Stayner was already serving a life sentence for the murder of Joie Ruth Armstrong. ", Steven Stayner with his kidnapper Kenneth Parnell. Steven Stayner had a new father figure, and it was Kenneth Parnell, who by day, was his father, and by night, was his rapist. ", Steven Stayner and Cary Stayner in the baseball cap in the background. WebThe story of Steven and Cary Stayner will leave you in absolute disbelief. "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. Her mother had been dating him and he had decided to kill them on Valentines Day. A large search turned up nothing. I went to ask if Cary wanted to talk, reporter Ted Rowlands said. 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. 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. On Good Morning America in March 1980, Steven shared with host David Hartman that it felt "great" to be home. Steven Stayner was just seven-years-old when he was abducted a few blocks from his home in Merced, 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. Ashley Stayner is a self-professed true crime fan. | After several days, the bodies were identified as Carole Sund and Silvina Pelosso through dental records. Ken Parnell went back to what he had been doing for years. 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. Connecticut Serial Killer William Devin Howell Describes The Shockin I wish I could have controlled myself and not done what I did. WebCary Stayner, the handyman at their hotel, confessed after being arrested for beheading another victim, female nature guide Joie Armstrong. He had given the FBI details "only the killer would know in such specificity that agents were able to recover evidence confirming his confession. For four weeks, police, family, and volunteers searched the area in and near Yosemite National Park by helicopter, foot, and skis. In his capacity, Stayner performed technical and housekeeping duties, everything from fixing electrical and mechanical breakdowns to delivering extra towels and bedding to guests. By the end of June, the FBI had reviewed the testimonies and the evidence linked to the suspects in custody. 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. He then carried Juli to a vista point near Lake Don Pedro, pledged his love, and then cut her throat as the sun rose. 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. He paid a local kid to ride with him to the town of Ukiah, California and he told to go and find him a boy. I want a movie-of-the-week made about my story. There was a movie made about Steven Stayner. In May 2002, Stayner pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity in the 1999 murder of Pelosso and the Sunds. The interview was conducted off camera and reported Monday on the late news. For years, Parnell traveled around California with Steven. Latent fingerprints were also been lifted from the interior of Joie Armstrong's truck, which Stayner admits to touching during his encounter with her. Goofs He wanted the world to take note.. 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. Billy Joe Strange, 39, an El Portal parolee who worked at the Cedar Lodge lounge and restaurant, where the murdered women were last seen. 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. Its manager had seen a story on television, recognized Stayner's photo as one of his guests, and notified the FBI. Part of TV News Archive. Her body was next to a stream and head within the water that she and her friends used for drinking water. 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 It was dark when they arrived and Timmy could remember where he lived so they went to the police station. I never did tell anybody about it, but I remember wishing on a star that my little brother would come back home. 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. 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. But by the middle of March, their hopes faded. Unofficially, Jens Sund offered a $250,000 reward for information that would lead to the return of the missing women. 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. In 1972, Stayners He befriended a co-worker named Ervin Murphy to assist him in the abduction. I did murder Carole Sund, Juli Sund, Silvina Pelosso and Joie Armstrong None of the women were sexually abused in any way.". Arrested on an unrelated drug charge, he has been questioned about the Yosemite case. One of those arrested, and later released, was Cary Stayner, who worked at the Cedar Lodge as the handyman. He is currently in his 60s and still on death row while incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison. When Steven didnt return from school that afternoon, his parents sounded the alarm. Parnell was convicted on kidnapping and false imprisonment charges. It then came out that Steven had been kidnapped by Parnell, who had been sexually abusing Steven while also posing as his father and forcing him to go by the name Dennis Parnell. Cary Stayner Span of crimes FebruaryJuly 1999 Country United States State (s) California Date apprehended 1999 7 more rows The two hitchhiked to Ukiah, California. He was known to take refuge in nearby Yosemite, where hed drive up and get lost in nature. Soundtracks. The FBI also seized clothing stained with blood from her body. Concluding the interview, he addressed the victims' families: "I am sorry their loved ones were where they were when they were. After graduation from Merced (California) High School, Stayner worked as a window installer at a glass company. On days off he would escape to Laguna Del Sol, a nudist colony in Sacramento County. 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. The initial suspicion was that they may have wandered off the main hiking paths and got lost in the park. By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. 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 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. Tragically, Steven Stayner was killed in a 1989 motorcycle accident at the age of 24. 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. 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 Stayner family was made up of two brothers, three sisters, and parents Kay and Delbert. 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. 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. Out of respect for his family and the victim's family, we don't want to say anymore." Then there was another murder. Stevens death, along with the death of his uncle soon afterward, reportedly had a serious impact on Cary Stayners mental health and well-being. And he wanted the same treatment. Four men were considered the main murder suspects in the initial inquiries. Crazy Credits 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. 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. They no longer want you.. You could see that he wanted to play and be with kids and be normal. | Timothy White, the kidnap victim, was only 35 when he died. Cary Stayner, now 57, was convicted of the murders of Armstrong, the Sunds and Pelosso, and sentenced to death for all except Armstrong's. Parnell worked at the Yosemite Lodge, located about two hours away from the Stayner home. Agents arrived at the scene early on the 19th and upon opening the trunk, investigators found two charred bodies. Investigators searched his truck and confiscated his backpack for examination. He did feel, however, that the FBI spared nothing to investigate the earlier killings. 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. Cary was off anybody and everybody who met him will tell Quotes 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. 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. In February 1980, Parnell decided to kidnap a new victim. After Steven said his mother would be interested in donating, Murphy offered to take the boy home. 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. 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.