Cary Stayner
Cary Hugs his Mother at Steven's Homecoming
Cary's younger brother Steven's abduction by a child molester in 1972 and his celebrated return seven years later haunted Cary. Steven was a hero and Cary a psychopath.
Cary Stayner was born and raised in Merced, California. His younger brother, Steven ( I Know My First Name is Steven), 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.
Steven Stayner's Release from Captivity
Cary Stayner would later say that he felt neglected while his parents grieved over the loss of Steven.
When Steven escaped from Parnell and returned home in 1980, he received massive media attention; a true crime book and TV movie, both titled I Know My First Name is Steven, were made about the ordeal.
Steven died in a motorcycle accident in 1989. The following year, Stayner's uncle Jesse, with whom he was living at the time, was murdered. Cary Stayner would also later claim that his uncle molested him when he was 11. Steven's Child Molester/ Kidnapper died in Prison in 2008
In 1997, Stayner was hired as a handyman at the Cedar Lodge motel in El Portal, just outside the Highway 140 Arch Rock entrance to Yosemite National Park.
Between February and July 1999, he murdered two women and two teenagers: Carole Sund; her daughter, 15-year-old Juli Sund; their travel companion, 16-year-old Argentine exchange student Silvina Pelosso; and Yosemite Institute employee Joie Ruth Armstrong, 26, a naturalist.
In 1997, Stayner was hired as a handyman at the Cedar Lodge motel in El Portal, just outside the Highway 140 Arch Rock entrance to Yosemite National Park.
Between February and July 1999, he murdered two women and two teenagers: Carole Sund; her daughter, 15-year-old Juli Sund; their travel companion, 16-year-old Argentine exchange student Silvina Pelosso; and Yosemite Institute employee Joie Ruth Armstrong, 26, a naturalist.
Stayner's Victims
The first two victims, Carole Sund and Silvina Pelosso, were found in the trunk of the charred remains of Carole's Pontiac rental car. The bodies were burned beyond recognition and were identified using dental records.
A note was sent to police with a hand-drawn map indicating the location of the third victim, Juli Sund. The top of the note read, "We had fun with this one." Investigators went to the location depicted on the map and found the remains of Juli, whose throat had been cut.
A note was sent to police with a hand-drawn map indicating the location of the third victim, Juli Sund. The top of the note read, "We had fun with this one." Investigators went to the location depicted on the map and found the remains of Juli, whose throat had been cut.
Stayner pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. 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 request to be provided with child pornography in return for his confession. Dr. Jose Arturo Silva testified that Stayner had mild autism, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and paraphilia.
Stayner was nevertheless found sane and convicted of four counts of first degree murder by a jury in 2001 and sentenced to Death. His is currently on Death Row at San Quentin. READ MORE
