Cary Stayner
Encyclopedia
Cary A. Stayner is an American
serial killer
currently on death row
for the 1999 murder
s of four women in Mariposa County
near Yosemite
, 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. He would also later claim that, when he was 11, he was molested by an uncle.
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.
, 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 the victim of Joie Armstrong. During interrogation, Stayner confessed to the four murders as well as sending the map for finding Juli Sund's body.
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.
and mental illness
, manifesting itself not only in the murders but also in Stayner's request for child pornography
(in return for his confession) 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.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
currently on death row
Death row
Death row signifies the place, often a section of a prison, that houses individuals awaiting execution. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution , even in places where no special facility or separate unit for condemned inmates exists.After individuals are found...
for the 1999 murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
s of four women in Mariposa County
Mariposa County, California
Mariposa County is a county in the U.S. state of California, located in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains. It lies north of Fresno, east of Merced, and southeast of Stockton. As of the 2010 census, the population was 18,251 up from 17,130 at the 2000 census...
near Yosemite
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park is a United States National Park spanning eastern portions of Tuolumne, Mariposa and Madera counties in east central California, United States. The park covers an area of and reaches across the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain chain...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Early life
Stayner was born and raised in Merced, CaliforniaMerced, California
Merced is a city in, and the county seat of, Merced County, California in the San Joaquin Valley of Northern California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 78,958. Incorporated in 1889, Merced is a charter city that operates under a council-manager government...
. His younger brother, Steven
Steven Stayner
Steven Gregory Stayner was an American kidnap victim. Stayner was abducted from the Northern California city and county of Merced, California at the age of seven and held until he was 14, when he escaped and rescued another victim, Timothy White, in 1980...
, was kidnapped
Kidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
by child molester Kenneth Parnell
Kenneth Parnell
Kenneth Eugene Parnell was an American convicted sex offender, known infamously for his kidnapping of seven-year-old Steven Stayner in Merced, California.-Early life:...
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
Grief
Grief is a multi-faceted response to loss, particularly to the loss of someone or something to which a bond was formed. Although conventionally focused on the emotional response to loss, it also has physical, cognitive, behavioral, social, and philosophical dimensions...
over the loss of Steven. He would also later claim that, when he was 11, he was molested by an uncle.
When Steven escaped from Parnell and returned home in 1980, he received massive media
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
attention; a true crime
True crime (genre)
True crime is a non-fiction literary and film genre in which the author examines an actual crime and details the actions of real people.The crimes most commonly include murder, but true crime works have also touched on other legal cases. Depending on the writer, true crime can adhere strictly to...
book and TV movie, both titled I Know My First Name is Steven, were made about the ordeal. Steven died in a motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
accident in 1989. The following year, Cary Stayner's uncle, with whom Cary was living at the time, was murdered.
Stayner attempted suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
in 1991 and was arrested in 1997 for possession of marijuana and methamphetamine
Methamphetamine
Methamphetamine is a psychostimulant of the phenethylamine and amphetamine class of psychoactive drugs...
, although the charges were eventually dropped.
Crimes
In 1997, Stayner was hired as a handyman at the Cedar Lodge motel in El PortalEl Portal, California
El Portal is a census-designated place in Mariposa County, California. It is located west-southwest of Yosemite Village, at an elevation of 1939 feet . The population was 474 at the 2010 census....
, just outside the Highway 140 Arch Rock entrance to Yosemite National Park. Between February
February 1999
February 1999 was a month with twenty-eight days and no full moon.The following events also occurred during the month:...
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
Pontiac
Pontiac was an automobile brand that was established in 1926 as a companion make for General Motors' Oakland. Quickly overtaking its parent in popularity, it supplanted the Oakland brand entirely by 1933 and, for most of its life, became a companion make for Chevrolet. Pontiac was sold in the...
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
Wilton, California
Wilton is a census-designated place in Sacramento County, California, United States. It is part of the Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 5,363 at the 2010 census, up from 4,551 at the 2000 census.-Geography and environment:Wilton is...
, where he was arrested. His vehicle yielded evidence
Evidence
Evidence in its broadest sense includes everything that is used to determine or demonstrate the truth of an assertion. Giving or procuring evidence is the process of using those things that are either presumed to be true, or were themselves proven via evidence, to demonstrate an assertion's truth...
linking him to the victim of Joie Armstrong. During interrogation, Stayner confessed to the four murders as well as sending the map for finding Juli Sund's body.
Stayner claimed after his arrest that he had fantasized
Fantasy (psychology)
Fantasy in a psychological sense is broadly used to cover two different senses, conscious and unconscious. In the unconscious sense, it is sometimes spelled "phantasy".-Conscious fantasy:...
about murdering women since he was seven years old, long before the abduction of his brother.
Sentencing
Stayner pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. His lawyers claimed that the Stayner family had a history of sexual abuseSexual abuse
Sexual abuse, also referred to as molestation, is the forcing of undesired sexual behavior by one person upon another. When that force is immediate, of short duration, or infrequent, it is called sexual assault. The offender is referred to as a sexual abuser or molester...
and mental illness
Mental illness
A mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern generally associated with subjective distress or disability that occurs in an individual, and which is not a part of normal development or culture. Such a disorder may consist of a combination of affective, behavioural,...
, manifesting itself not only in the murders but also in Stayner's request for child pornography
Child pornography
Child pornography refers to images or films and, in some cases, writings depicting sexually explicit activities involving a child...
(in return for his confession) and obsessive-compulsive disorder
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Obsessive–compulsive disorder is an anxiety disorder characterized by intrusive thoughts that produce uneasiness, apprehension, fear, or worry, by repetitive behaviors aimed at reducing the associated anxiety, or by a combination of such obsessions and compulsions...
. He was nevertheless found sane
Sanity
Sanity refers to the soundness, rationality and healthiness of the human mind, as opposed to insanity. A person is sane if they are rational...
and convicted of four counts of first degree murder by a jury in 2001. In 2002, during the penalty phase
Sentence (law)
In law, a sentence forms the final explicit act of a judge-ruled process, and also the symbolic principal act connected to his function. The sentence can generally involve a decree of imprisonment, a fine and/or other punishments against a defendant convicted of a crime...
of his trial, he was sentenced to death
Death Sentence
Death Sentence is a short story by the American science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the November 1943 issue of Astounding Science Fiction and reprinted in the 1972 collection The Early Asimov.-Plot summary:...
. An appeal
Appeal
An appeal is a petition for review of a case that has been decided by a court of law. The petition is made to a higher court for the purpose of overturning the lower court's decision....
is pending. Stayner is housed in the Adjustment Center on death row at San Quentin Penitentiary in California.