Cary Stayner
| Cary A. Stayner | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Cary Stayner |
| Also known as | The Yosemite Killer The Yosemite Park murderer The Yosemite Park Killer |
| Born | August 13, 1961 Merced, California |
| Conviction | Murder |
| Sentence | Death |
| Killings | |
| Number of victims | 4 |
| Span of killings | February 1999–July 1999 |
| Country | United States |
| State(s) | California |
| Date apprehended | 1999 |
Cary A. Stayner (born August 13, 1961) is an American serial killer currently on death row for the 1999 murders of four women in Mariposa County near Yosemite, California.
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[edit] Early life
Stayner was born and raised in Merced, California. His younger brother, Steven, was kidnapped by child molester Kenneth Parnell in 1972 and held captive for more than seven years before escaping and being reunited with his family. Cary Stayner would later say he felt neglected as his parents grieved over the loss of Steven.[1] He would also later claim that, when he was 11, he was molested by an uncle.[2]
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, Cary Stayner's uncle, with whom Cary was living at the time, was murdered.
Stayner attempted suicide in 1991 and was arrested in 1997 for possession of marijuana and methamphetamine, although the charges were eventually dropped.
[edit] Crimes
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, Argentinian exchange student, 16 year old Silvina Pelosso; and Yosemite National Institute employee, Joie Armstrong.
The first two victims, Carole Sund and Silvina Pelosso, were found in the trunk of the charred remains of Carole's Pontiac rental car. Both bodies were burned beyond recognition, but 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.
Detectives began interviewing employees of the Cedar Lodge motel where the first three victims had been staying just prior to their deaths. One of those employees was Cary Stayner, but he was not considered a suspect at that point because he had no criminal history and remained calm during the police interview. When the decapitated body of the fourth victim Joie Armstrong was found, eyewitnesses said they saw a blue 1979 International Scout parked outside the cabin where Armstrong was staying. Detectives traced this vehicle to its owner, who turned out to be Cary Stayner. This caused Stayner to become the prime suspect in the case. FBI Agents John Boles and Jeff Rinek found Stayner staying at Laguna del Sol nudist resort in Wilton, where he was arrested. His vehicle yielded evidence linking him to Joie Armstrong. During interrogation, Stayner confessed to the four murders as well as sending the map for finding Juli Sund's body.[3]
Stayner claimed after his arrest that he had fantasized about murdering women since he was seven years old, long before the abduction of his brother.[4]
[edit] Sentencing
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 in Stayner's request for child pornography (in return for his confession[4]) and obsessive-compulsive disorder. He was nevertheless found sane and convicted of four counts of first degree murder by a jury in 2001. In 2002, during the penalty phase of his trial, he was sentenced to death. An appeal is pending. Stayner is housed in the Adjustment Center on death row at San Quentin Penitentiary in California.
[edit] In the media
The investigation and arrest of Cary Stayner was featured in an episode of FBI: Criminal Pursuit, entitled "Trail of Terror", airing on the Investigation Discovery channel. It was also on the show American Justice.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "A collection of crime stories of some of the most famous and fascinating true crimes in history and modern times. Serial killers, murders, kidnappings, crimes of passion and much more". True Life Crimes. http://www.truelifecrimes.com/cary_stayner.html. Retrieved 2011-04-09.
- ^ Finz, Stacy. "The Case of a Lifetime" San Francisco Chronicle, December 15, 2002
- ^ "CNN - Yosemite suspect confesses to 4 killings - July 27, 1999". Edition.cnn.com. 1999-07-27. http://edition.cnn.com/US/9907/27/yosemite.murder.01/index.html. Retrieved 2011-04-09.
- ^ a b "Crime Library article on Stayner". Crimelibrary.com. 1999-02-12. http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/predators/stayner/index_1.html. Retrieved 2011-04-09.
