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. Decades later, Stevens older brother, Cary Stayner, made headlines when he was arrested and convicted of the serial slayings of four females. Stevens death, along with the death of his uncle soon afterward, reportedly had a serious impact on Cary Stayners mental health and well-being. 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. Cary Stayner, now 57, was convicted of the murders of Armstrong, the Sunds and Pelosso, and sentenced to death for all except Armstrong's. 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. However, there were warning signs during his younger years. Quotes The FBI Laboratory has also found possible bodily fluid stains on a bed sheet taken from her residence. By this point, Cary Stayner had a couple of nervous breakdowns. 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. Although the Merced police department launched a full-fledged investigation at the time of Stevens disappearance, they werent able to find any significant leads. By Friday, July 23rd, Stayner, in the meantime, had disappeared from the area, by the time agents came to arrest him. The initial suspicion was that they may have wandered off the main hiking paths and got lost in the park. His attempt was foiled when other people were at the house at the time he was planning to commit the crimes. During the session, an unexpected event occurred. Latent fingerprints were also been lifted from the interior of Joie Armstrong's truck, which Stayner admits to touching during his encounter with her. They then headed out for Cedar Lodge in El Portal on February 14, which is located on Yosemite's western slope. 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. But it took less than six months for another murder in the area to show them that the killer was still at large this time, the victim was 26-year-old naturalist Joie Armstrong. Soon after, he confessed to murdering Carole Sund, Juli Sund, and Silvina Pelosso once in custody. Something was clearly very, very wrong. 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. Steven was told his new name was Dennis Parnell and was enrolled in school. I guess I was jealous. After graduation from Merced (California) High School, Stayner worked as a window installer at a glass company. Check-out had apparently been done in advance and the keys were left on the room desk. Alternate Versions 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. "Thats when I told him, 'You need to go to a doctor, Cary.'" 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. The revelation came in a six Darrell Gray Stephens, 55, Strange's roommate. On Good Morning America in March 1980, Steven shared with host David Hartman that it felt "great" to be home. On February 15, the ladies hiked into Yosemite National Park on one of the many trails. Im just horrified when I think of what happened in that room, what my daughter felt when she realized she was in serious trouble, said Carole Carrington as she asked the judge to sentence Stayner to death. And in 1999, the Stayner family was back in the news but this time, for a less than positive reason. Upon release, the FBI warned him not to leave El Portal. For two weeks, Steven watched Timothy suffer the separation from his family. When Cary Stayner was questioned by FBI agents, he immediately confessed to the four Yosemite Park murders and provided a detailed accounting of his crimes. In 1999, Carole Sund, 42, her daughter Juli Sund, 15, and Juli's friend, Silvina Pelosso, 16, went missing while visiting Yosemite Park. He was known to take refuge in nearby Yosemite, where hed drive up and get lost in nature. I was the oldest and all that. Stayner, clad in a red jail jumpsuit, bowed his head but showed no emotion as Judge Hastings sentenced him to death three times, once for each murder, after returning to the courtroom. Its manager had seen a story on television, recognized Stayner's photo as one of his guests, and notified the FBI. 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 Agents descended on the colony and returned him to El Portal on Saturday where he was put through a more lengthy interrogation. On Monday, July 22, the court heard Stayners taped confession, which he had given to FBI agents. The prosecution team was headed by George Williamson and the defense team was headed by Marcia Morrissey. Connecticut Serial Killer William Devin Howell Describes The Shockin 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 I guess seven years changed him, too. For four weeks, police, family, and volunteers searched the area in and near Yosemite National Park by helicopter, foot, and skis. Then there was another murder. Cary Stayner went from being the brother of child abductee Steven Stayer to a full-blown serial killer. | I want a movie-of-the-week made about my story. There was a movie made about Steven Stayner. It was dark when they arrived and Timmy could remember where he lived so they went to the police station. By mid-April, those who had been arrested were ordered to testify in front of a grand jury in Fresno, California. where Stayner was employed as a handyman. It was badly decomposed and her throat had been cut. I wouldnt think that he would think of himself as one, but he is a hero.". Against the odds, he flourished there. Then he took action. The interview was conducted off camera and reported Monday on the late news. Jeffrey Wayne Keeney, 32, of Modesto. 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. By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. Arrested on an unrelated drug charge, he has been questioned about the Yosemite case. In 1972, Stayners 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. But seven years later in February 1980, Steven miraculously reappeared. In order to prevent Steven from escaping, Parnell was constantly moving the two of them from town to town in California. I never recognized either one of them.". He grew up, got married and had two kids. Stayners father, Delbert Stayner, said his son was deprived of a fair trial by a kangaroo court and a judge who ignored defense arguments. But, to no avail. From hair trends to relationship advice, our daily newsletter has everything you need to sound like a person whos on TikTok, even if you arent. She also happens to have a front row seat to two true crime narratives in her own family. Concluding the interview, he addressed the victims' families: "I am sorry their loved ones were where they were when they were. The police reckoned that the killer of the three women was someone familiar with the county given the location of the Pontiac. But, says Delbert, puberty-aged Cary endured some emotional hardships because of that incident. 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. Parnell, along with Murphy, took Steven to a cabin in Catheys Valley, where he was brainwashed to believe his parents no longer wanted him. 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.". The hire car company confirmed that Carole had never returned the rented Pontiac, nor told them that they were extending their agreement. 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. 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. Jens couldn't accompany them on this trip because he needed to prepare for an upcoming business trip. 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. He had no criminal record and his only encounter with the law was for marijuana use in 1997. 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. Cary looked out for Steven, according to Cary Stayner's former classmate Jack Bungart. 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. He is currently in his 60s and still on death row while incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison. "He was spunky. 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 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 In February 1980, Parnell decided to kidnap a new victim. "And I did that almost every clear night from then on until Steve finally came back home. After Steven said his mother would be interested in donating, Murphy offered to take the boy home. Stayner's father, Delbert, admitted that he thinks son Cary may have suffered a trauma at age 11, when younger brother Steven, then seven, was abducted in 1972, disappearing for eight years. Soundtracks. Items included in the Television News search service. Tragically, Steven Stayner was killed in a 1989 motorcycle accident at the age of 24. That same day, Stayner allowed himself to be interviewed by a reporter from KNTV. Investigators searched his truck and confiscated his backpack for examination. He denied any role in the Yosemite slayings.