In 2002, he was convicted of all four murders and sentenced to death row, per A&E True Crime.At the time of this writing, Stayner, now 60, remains locked up at San Quentin State Prison in California, alongside another high-profile convicted killer, Scott Peterson.That seems unlikely to change anytime soon. Cary at 6, watching television from the couch. The Stayner family thought they lost their 7-year-old son, Steven Stayner, when he disappeared in 1972. The Untold Truth Of Serial Killer Cary Stayner, Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. He had two brothers: Richard S. Lee and Jonathan O. Lee. A true crime book and TV movie, both titled I Know My First Name Is Steven, were made about the ordeal. Here are some untold facts about Cary Stayner's grim past and his monstrous crimes. For two weeks, Steven watched Timothy suffer the separation from his family. Moreover, according to his testimony in 2002, when Steven went missing, he became fixated with finding him and neglected his four other children in the process, particularly Cary. By this point, Cary Stayner was suffering. The Stayner family, made up of the two brothers, their three sisters and parents Kay and Delbert, lived in the secluded farming town of Merced, California, surrounded by almond groves and peach orchards, in the shadow of Yosemite National Park. During his interrogation, Stayner shocked the agents when he confessed not only to Armstrong's decapitation but to the murders of Pelosso and the Sunds and the sending of the map for finding Juli Sund's body. Seven-year-old, Steven Stayner lived with his parents, Kay and Delbert and his three sisters and an older brother in the small Californian city of Merced. She had spoken to him before during his March trip, so she was aware of his employment at Cedar Lodge. And if I didnt take care of it now, it would just get worse,'" Duke said. He was found smoking marijuana and brought in for questioning. He had begun working as a handyman at a motel in El Portal in the 1990s. The other grew up to become a serial killer who terrorized the Yosemite forest. On the other hand, Kay still lives in California, rarely speaks out about either of her sons publicly, and prefers to go by her day-to-day life away from the limelight. 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 handyman in California. In 1999, Steven's older brother, Cary, was convicted of killing four women at Yosemite National Park where he worked. In the little time I worked with him, he just seemed like a regular person.". Kay and Delbert Stayner testified as character witnesses in the penalty phase of their son's murder trial. The fact that Stayners brother was kidnapped by a pedophile and abused for seven years adds an almost unfathomable dimension to the tragedy that enveloped this family. From the time Cary was a small boy, the Stayner family vacationed together in Yosemite and the surrounding high countrypiling into the family van and driving 60 miles east to camp, fish, and . The abductor abused Steven and planned to use the boy to abduct more victims. He is preceded in death by his parents, his brother, Jerry Stayner and. He would joke around with us workers, but he was also kind of quiet," said Albert Sanchez, who worked with Stayner on a month-long gardening project earlier this year. His seven-year-old brother, Steven Stayner, was kidnapped by child molester Kenneth Parnell in 1972, when Cary was 11, and held captive for more than seven years before escaping and being reunited with his family. What happened to Cary Stayner, and where is he now? ", "Its difficult for me to picture what Cary has done and knowing Steve because their personalities are completely opposite," Duke, Stevens former girlfriend, said. When his sister had a sleepover, he crawled under the bed of one of her friends in order to touch her breasts. You could see that he wanted to play and be with kids and be normal.". Aged seven, Stayner, a California native, was abducted by child molester Kenneth Parnell. Prosecutors say he is among the worst criminals in California and should be put to death. California Department of CorrectionsCary Stayner's prison record. He loved country music and animals. "I heard stories about him going out and wishing on a star, that his brother would come home.". You know, hung out with him, played with him., Martin Purdy, a friend of the brothers, remembered Cary as a "nice guy.". Stayner later told investigators that he had bound Armstrong and forced her into his car, and she heroically escaped before he caught up to her, according to ABC News. "It was a sleety, wintery day," Sean Flynn, a journalist who wrote about both Stayner brothers for Esquire, said. Steven Stayner and his parents, Kay Stayner and Delbert Stayner, reunited after seven years of losing their son in abduction. Born on August 13, 1961, Cary was raised in Merced, California along with his younger brother, Steven Stayner, who was kidnapped by child molester Kenneth Parnell in 1972, when Cary was barely 11. Getty. His lawyers claimed that the Stayner family had a history of sexual abuse and mental illness, manifesting itself not only in the murders, but also his obsessive-compulsive disorder and his request to be provided with child pornography in return for his confession. "I went to ask if Cary wanted to talk. In fact, the wrong men were custody. Still, Stayner wanted to help. Docuseries To Explore Tale Of The Stayner Brothers: One A Hero Kidnapping Survivor And The Other A Serial Killer. The naive child believed the pedophile and thereafter began a new and dark life with Parnell as his abusive father figure. "They did mention about finally getting a chance to get out of here," said Ennis Mayberry, 36, who bought the house from the Stayners 10 years ago. When he was 2 years old, Stayner began pulling out his own hair. "He and Ervin Murphy got into Ken's big, white Buick and drove into Merced.". Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). The film was a two-part mini series that debuted in 1989, per TCM. On 4 December 1972, Steven Stayner was kidnapped by Kenneth Parnell and his accomplice Ervin Murphy. He thought he heard voices and other mysterious noises, like messages emanating from the television. He is now 59 years old. He usually ordered a rum and coke. The defendant's father, Delbert Stayner, testified that after Steven went missing, he became obsessed with finding his boy and neglected his other four children -- especially Cary. He grew up, got married and had two kids. White, who was a pallbearer at Stayner's funeral, died in 2010 at age 35 due to a pulmonary embolism. In December 1972, when Stayner was seven, he was approached . His abductor kept and sexually abused Steven for seven years. 2241), First degree murder with special circumstances, List of serial killers in the United States, "Steven and Cary Stayner: The tale of two brothers' horror and heroism", "Justice story: Twisted trail of 'Yosemite murders' leads to resort handyman", "Yosemite suspect confesses to 4killings", "Crash ends life scarred by childhood abduction", "The Yosemite Killer: Cary Stayner's Twisted Mind", "Man Is Suspect in Both Yosemite Murder Cases", "Yosemite suspect confesses to 4 killings", "Stayner called mentally impaired / Psychiatrist testifies for defense", "Stayner guilty of 1st-degree murder / Former handyman could now face death penalty", "Yosemite killer sentenced to death / Terrible details of Stayner case stun even the judge", "MUGSHOTS: CARY STAYNER THE CEDAR LODGE KILLINGS", "MUGSHOTS: Cary Stayner -The Cedar Lodge Killings", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cary_Stayner&oldid=1135707890, Stayner's case was featured in an episode of, In 2011, Stayner's investigation and arrest were featured in an episode of, In 2013, the history of Stayner's progress from student to the convicted murderer was told in an episode of the U.K. television series, Documentary series from Court TV (now TruTV), This page was last edited on 26 January 2023, at 10:04. Later, she moved to the food and wine section, where she covered food and wine trends and news. He read comics and listened to metal, according to SFGate. Once taken into custody, Cary Stayner was soon put on trial. Kay Stayner said that although her father molested her as a child, she allowed him to live in the Stayner home but kept him away from her daughters. Stayner was questioned several times by law enforcement and eventually confessed to the 1999 murders of 42-year-old Carole Sund, her 15-year-old daughter Juli, their 16-year-old family friend Silvina Pelosso and Joie Armstrong, a 26-year-old Yosemite naturalist, according to History. Stayner, already serving a life sentence for the 1999 murder of Joie Armstrong, faces the death penaltyfor the murders of Carole and Juli Sund and Sylvina Pelosso. Some. According to SFGATE, Cary Stayner was jealous of all of the attention his younger brother received, both in the media and from their parents. One relative described child sexual abuse as like a family sickness because it had been going on for so many generations. State authorities said Delbert Stayner molested them. Kay lost her son Steven in a motorcycle accident, and even though his son was found guilty of murder, she begged the jury to not give her son the death penalty. "There was a movie made about Steven Stayner. Stayner, 41, faces the death penalty for the killings of Carole Sund, 42, her daughter, Juli, 15, and their Argentine friend Silvina Pelosso, 16, while they were staying at the motel where he. This included a positron emission tomography (PET) scan, an imaging test that can detect brain diseases and disorders, per MedlinePlus. His mother, Kay, flipped through the photographs Thursday from a witness stand in Santa Clara County Superior Court. "I don't think he should be executed because he's sick.". "I said, "Well, yeah. Meet Kay Stayner, Steven Stayner Mother. When Steven didnt make it home from school, his parents sounded the alarm. "Working at Cedar Lodge gave Cary access to his beloved Yosemite," Rowlands said. Stayner saved White from his captor after he was kidnapped. Cary Anthony Stayner (born August13, 1961) is an American serial killer and the older brother of kidnapping victim Steven Stayner. Telling police, "I know my first name is Steven" became the most iconic moment in Stevens remarkable story later becoming the title of the book and a television movie. [15] Stayner remains on death row as of May 2022[update][16][1] though there have been no executions in California since a 2006 court ruling over flaws in the administration of capital punishment in the state. But they said they can't imagine losing another son. In California, 900 people were sentenced to death between the years 1978 and 2019. Stayner was lured into the vehicle and abducted. On July 23, when Cary Stayner was released from custody for his marijuana charge, he quickly packed up and left for Laguna del Sol, a nudist colony, according to ABC News. Cary Stayner will forever be known for marring Yosemite's reputation as a peaceful retreat with the brutal murders of four innocent women. Purdy said Cary Stayner always wore a hat. Cary Stayner, shown in this March 2, 1980 photo, is hugged by his mother Kay Stayner outside the Stayner home in Merced County, Calif., on the day Stayner's brother Steven was reunited with his family after being kidnapped for 7 years. In the 1970s, they constituted Cary and Steven, their three sisters, and their parents, Kay and Delbert Stayner. Vickie Flores, who grew up with the Stayner children, said Cary Stayner had a strange side. Neighbors who remember Steven Stayner's return to his family's home on quiet Bette Street in Merced were astonished that his brother was now a suspect in one, or more, grisly killings. I'll just give you a ride home.' During the sentencing hearing, Stayner stunned the courtroom when he suddenly broke down in tears and apologized. "Steven Stayner had a new father figure, and it was Kenneth Parnell -- who by day, was his father, and by night, was his rapist," Rowlands said. "He was kind of a quiet guy. In addition to her fathers unwanted advances, one of Stayners sisters said that Cary started peeping on her and inappropriately touching her when she was ten. And I said, "Well, it's just a little ways, I can walk.' FBI/California Department of Corrections While Steven was grappling with life after his escape, his brother was out of high school with his own troubles. There was out and out fury over the sentence," Flynn said. Timothy "Timmy" White was 5 years old when he was kidnapped by child molester Kenneth Parnell as he walked home from his Ukiah school in 1980. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. Stayner had been at Cedar Lodge for two years when Carole Sund, her teenage daughter Juli Sund and her friend Silvina Pelosso came to stay one night in February 1999. In the shadow of the Yosemite National Park in California, in the secluded farming town of Merced, the Stayner family resided in a lower-middle-class area classified as Betty Street. According to Rowlands, "He was wearing a hat because he was compulsively pulling his hair out. Today, the idea of a 7-year old walking home from school alone is almost unheard of. 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 jury in Stayner's triple murder trial is expected to soon decide whether Stayner should live out his life in prison or die for the murders of three Yosemite tourists. "We figured he would be a cartoonist by now," Shertz said. Now Steven Stayner's brother, Cary, 37, was the prime suspect in the decapitation killing of a young naturalist, and the FBI suggested he had a role in the murder of three Yosemite tourists in February - Carole Sund, her daughter, Juli, and family friend Silvina Pelosso. ", "He stated that he felt like jumping in a truck, driving it through the shop and killing the boss and killing everybody in the office, and then torching the place," friend Mark Marchese said in 1999. At that time, Steven had been forced to endure sexual abuse by his kidnapper, whom he finally turned in to the police. As he was walking home from school on December 4th 1972, he was approached by a man named Ervin Murphy claiming to be a representative of the church who was looking for donations. Bill Balestra said of Stayner, who was returned to his parents . He smoked cigarettes. I wouldnt think that he would think of himself as one, but he is a hero.". The tale of his abduction and escape was adapted into a book and novel, both titled "I Know My Name First Name Is Steven." Perhaps confident in his evasion, he sent FBI investigators a letter with a map, detailing where he had left Juli's body and hinting that he had sexually assaulted the body. When a tip was called in about Stayner's car, which had been parked near the crime scene, investigators only thought of him as a potential witness, per ABC News. Now we only had four children to clothe," she told the court. Cary Stayner had been sexually abused by his uncle, while his sisters were abused by their father, Delbert Stayner. Detectives began interviewing employees of the Cedar Lodge motel where the first three victims had been staying just before their deaths. Stayner and White left while Parnell was at work and took refuge at a police station, where they informed authorities of their abduction. 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