Hulu‘s documentary series Captive Audience tells the incredible true story of the Stayner family, which began in 1972 when Steven Stayner, then 7 years old, was kidnapped by child predator Kenneth Parnell.
Parnell sexually abused the child and manipulated him into thinking his family had deserted him. He was also given a pen name, Dennis Parnell. But in 1980, something miraculous occurred. Stayner was able to shape Parnell's treatment with the help of a 5-year-old named Timothy White.
Seven years later, after returning home without incident, Steven Stayner was inevitably elevated to the status of minor celebrity. However, there were some who were unhappy to see him again.
The Stayner family is still puzzling about the thoughts that 17-year-old Cary had. On his motorcycle in 1989, Steven Stayner tragically lost his life. Does anyone know if Cary Stayner, his older brother, is still alive? Let’s take a look at “Where Is Cary Stayner Now?”.
Who Is Cary Stayner?
Cary Stayner is the oldest of five Stayner children; he was born in Merced, California, in 1961. When his younger brother Steven was kidnapped & held for 7 years, the family made headlines in the early 1970s.
According to a 1999 article in the San Francisco Chronicle, Stayner was deeply affected by his brother Steven's ordeal. The article states that Stayner hoped desperately for Steven's safe return and felt overwhelmed by the circumstances afterward.
Stayner, who is now an adult and works as a handyman, said his family “neglected” him throughout the time they spent seeking his missing sibling. Targeting the motel where he had worked as a handyman since 1997, just outside Yosemite National Park.
Where is Cary Stayner Now? Is He Still Alive?
Cary Stayner has been at San Quentin State Prison since December 2002, yet he is still on death row. Misfortune has always followed the Stayners. After seven years in captivity, Carl Stayner's brother Steven managed to escape and return home in 1980, but he was killed in a motorcycle accident in 1989.
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Cary's uncle Jesse Stayner was murdered at their house in 1990. Cary Stayner had landed a job in 1997 as a maintenance man at Cedar Lodge in El Portal, California.
What Crimes Did Cary Stayner Commit?
Cary was apprehended in 1999 for the murder of a young woman named Joie Ruth Armstrong in Yosemite, California. Armstrong, a 26-year-old park ranger, was discovered beheaded in a forested region of the national park near her house.
Cary confessed to the killings of Armstrong, Carole Sund, 42, her daughter Juli Sund, 15, and her friend Silvina Pelosso, 16, during an off-camera interview in a Sacramento jail shortly after his arrest, as reported by The New York Times.
Cary was a janitor at the Cedar Lodge motel where the aforementioned Yosemite visitors were staying. As he explained to reporters in jail, he murdered the women “because they were at the wrong location at the wrong time.”
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According to The New York Times, Cary “said he had dreamed of killing women for 30 years until he found his moment this February,” meaning that he finally decided to act on his desire to carry out such a murderous act. He said he “could no longer resist the impulse to kill again” a week before he beheaded Armstrong.
How Was Cary Stayner Sentenced?
A news article from The Modesto Bee states that Stayner was arrested and charged with four felonies related to Armstrong's death. The prosecution agreed not to seek the death penalty in exchange for his guilty plea.
He received a life sentence with no chance of release. When he was on trial for the other three murders in state court, he reportedly tried to use the “not guilty by reason of insanity” defense.
But the court ruled that he was able to stand trial, and he was convicted in 2002. The news organization said he was executed for his offenses. Stayner is still awaiting execution at a California state jail.
