That changed when he met Joie Ruth Armstrong, 26, last week and struck up a chance conversation with her. The judge said there was overwhelming evidence against Stayner and that the devastating emotional toll justified execution. In a jailhouse interview yesterday with a San Francisco television station, Stayner said he had dreamed about killing women for 30 years. He grew up, got married and had two kids. Although most of the stains were likely to include Armstrong's blood, Stayner was observed to have a laceration on his hand during his interrogation, and therefore may have been cut and bled during the attack. In his capacity, Stayner performed technical and housekeeping duties, everything from fixing electrical and mechanical breakdowns to delivering extra towels and bedding to guests. Knives were used in the slayings and the weapon suspected in Ms. Armstrong's death was recovered.". 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. Joie Ruth Armstrong, 26, an ebullient, strawberry-blond naturalist at the nearby Yosemite Institute and a casual acquaintance of Kidd's, had been planning to … I wouldn’t think that he would think of himself as one, but he is a hero.". @t2yes: Our thoughts are with Joe Armstrong's friends and family as we learn of his passing.Joe joined Ericsson in 1985, a… - 2 years ago @FoodfulSurrey: Music Announcement @GuildfordBeer @GuildfordTweets The line up for the Saturday Evening entertainment 6pm - C… - 2 years ago @thereal_RVa: RT @JohnOwning: Dorance Armstrong, Taco Charlton, Joe Jackson and Jalen Jelks: 4 … Hastings rejected new defense claims that juror misconduct prevented a fair trial. That evening, the group grabbed some videos from the lodge's service desk to watch in their room. The FBI also seized clothing stained with blood from her body. "In his statement to the interviewing agents, Stayner provided details about the (Armstrong) crime that are not generally known outside law enforcement, and which corroborate his confession," court records say. Stayner told KBWB Television in detail how he killed sightseers Carole Sund, her daughter Julie and family friend Silvina Pelosso in mid-February. In recent years, Jaxon has explored the circumstances behind the explosion and fire of Pacific Gas and Electric Co.'s San Bruno gas pipeline in September 2010, which killed eight people and destroyed 38 homes. The California Highway Patrol verified the car's license plate as the Sund’s rented vehicle and immediately notified the FBI. "He was somewhere else (when the uncle was killed)," Strength said. Management found him a hard-worker and honest. In that time, Steven had been forced to endure sexual abuse by his kidnapper, whom he finally turned in to the police. Cary Anthony Stayner (born August 13, 1961) is an American serial killer and the older brother of kidnapping victim Steven Stayner.He was convicted of the murders of four women between February and July 1999: Carole Sund, her teenage daughter Juli Sund and their teenage traveling companion Silvina Pelosso; and Yosemite Institute naturalist Carole and her husband, Jens, 43, owned a realtors business in the Stockton area. Victims Carole & Juli Sund, Silvina Pelosso and Joie Ruth Armstrong Masks aren't going anywhere even if you get the COVID... Newsom recall organizer calls allies 'leeches' over huge donation, 48-year-old SF gay bar in danger of closing. Stayner has not been charged in the three sightseers' deaths. The friend called police early the next morning to report Armstrong missing, and at 1 p.m. park rangers and FBI agents found her body. She was full of laughter and love, creativity and spunk; she gifted the world with her glowing smile and warm heart. Teresa Kay Gray, 36, of Modesto. John Balazs, an assistant public defender with the U.S. attorney's office, represented Stayner in court and said his mood seemed "fine.". Campbell, when first arrested on mail fraud charges, had in her possession Carole Sund's checking account and automated teller machine numbers. "'Deep in my heart I know something my mind does not want to learn,' said Gina,13. Then Carole's wallet turned up in Modesto, which included money and credit cards. He said he strangled Silvina Pelosso and Carole Sund in their rented cabin at the Cedar Lodge in mid-February, then took Julie Sund to a lake, where he killed her early the next morning. Check-out had apparently been done in advance and the keys were left on the room desk. Stayner was arrested Saturday morning at a nudist colony near Sacramento and questioned for hours about the slaying of Armstrong, an environmental educator whose beheaded body was found Thursday in a densely forested area of the national park, just a few hundred feet from her home and about four miles from the Cedar Lodge. Cedar Lodge, 9966 CA-140, El Portal, CA 95318. But, to no avail. (AP Photo/Courtesy of KPIX-TV). The Stayner family was made up of the two brothers, three sisters and parents Kay and Delbert. They finally caught up with him at the Laguna Del Sol nudist colony, which he frequently visited. After first flying to San Francisco, where Carole rented a red 1999 Pontiac Gran Prix, they stopped in Stockton, where Juli took part in a cheerleading contest at the University of the Pacific. That changed when he met Joie Ruth Armstrong, 26, last week and struck up a chance conversation with her. On Monday, July 22, the court heard the Stayner’s taped confession, which he had given to FBI agents. FBI agent Nick Rossi said on February 26, "At this point, we have not yet uncovered evidence to allow us to determine conclusively whether this was a tragic accident or a criminal act.” Two weeks later, FBI agent James Maddock, now placed in charge of the investigation, told the press, "We feel almost certain that the women were victims of a violent crime.". He said he thought he had gotten away with the crimes and did not leave the area for fear of drawing attention to himself. Armstrong was scheduled to visit a friend that night in Sausalito, but she never showed up. It was underwater forty feet downstream. You could see that he wanted to play and be with kids and be normal. 'I try to stay strong because I know that's what you'd want your baby to be, but, Mommy, I don't want you to leave me.'". Cary always wore a hat because he was compulsively pulling his hair out. "He was spunky. AP Photo by The Modesto Cary Stayner, a hotel maintenance man was arrested in the Cary Stayner, a hotel maintenance man was arrested in the murder of Armstrong and named as a suspect in the killings of three tourists earlier this year, the FBI said Sunday, July 25, 1999. It seemed as though he had a compulsion with trying to get close to women or be sexual with them, but he was unable to develop any sort of interpersonal relationships with any women. It … 6753355, citing Pleasant Hills Cemetery, Sebastopol, Sonoma County, California, USA ; Maintained by Ja Nell Harris Daddy's Girl (contributor 46528798) . Joie Armstrong, a NatureBridge educator at Yosemite National Park in 1999, was a bright light to all who knew her. He had talked his way into the room under the guise of fixing a leak, and then sexually assaulted both girls and brutally murdered Carole Lund and Silvina Pelosso in the room . Kenneth Parnell stops the car and goes to a payphone, he comes back and tells Steven, “Your parents, I just spoke to them. Instead, his bag had a copy of a novel about a crazed serial killer named 'Black Lightning' by horror novelist John Saul. I did murder Carole Sund, Juli Sund, Silvina Pelosso and Joie Armstrong ...None of the women were sexually abused in any way.". ", Stayner's apartment was searched later in the day and the authorities discovered evidence that linked him to Armstrong's murder. Joe Armstrong was born on October 7, 1978 in Hammersmith, London, England as Joseph Armstrong. Darrell Gray Stephens, 55, Strange's roommate. On Saturday, July 24, FBI agents announced at a press conference that a man was in custody on strong suspicion of murder and that a "significant announcement" would be made shortly. In May, 2002, Stayner pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity in the 1999 murder of Pelosso and the Sunds. Ruth has 6 jobs listed on their profile. Sandy Cox, whose husband owned the window company where Stayner worked for in Atwater, says, "We've known Cary since he was a little boy...It just doesn't match up. Cary looked out for Steven, according to Cary Stayner's former classmate Jack Bungart. Had no interest in girls, had no interest in people, he was just a creepy loner. An uncle, who asked to be identified only as Jim, said, "We're exhausted. July 24th Cary Stayner is arrested at Laguna Del Sol Nudist Camp. On days off he would escape to Laguna Del Sol, a nudist colony in Sacramento County. The Sund family's worst fears were confirmed when a hiker wandered onto the site of a burned-out red 1999 Pontiac, hidden off the Highway 108, in the Stanislaus Forest region on March 18. I never did tell anybody about it, but I remember wishing on a star that my little brother would come back home.". I was the oldest and all that. He said he could not resist the urge to kill her when he realized she was alone. She was seen that day at the Institute offices and was planning to visit a friend in Sausalito, California, that day but never made it. For two weeks, Steven watched Timothy suffer the separation from his family. The FBI task force investigating Yosemite issued a federal warrant for her arrest after she failed to appear in Stanislaus County drug court in June. He was known to take refuge in nearby Yosemite, where he’d drive up and get lost in nature. 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. It had been washed there by the current after it was sawed from her shoulders. Simpson case, the Rodney King beating and the Los Angeles riots as well as numerous local stories, ranging from Your Black Muslim Bakery to Fajitagate to the dog mauling death of Diane Whipple and the ensuing trial of the dog's owners. Agents are trying to corroborate Stayner's statements that he killed the tourists, said a federal official who asked not to be named. Joie Ruth Armstrong, a naturalist at Yosemite National Park, is shown in this 1998 file photo. Special agent Maddock said "During the last 24 hours, we have developed specific information linking Stayner (also) to the Sund-Pelosso murders.". The FBI said little yesterday about the killing of Armstrong or the Sund-Pelosso case. In his interview, Stayner claimed that hair from his body was left on the bedspread in their motel room, but he returned later and changed the bed. After Steven said his mother would be interested in donating, Murphy offered to take the boy home. On July 22nd her body is found. ”I’ve never seen anything that’s so close to black and white and evil and good as Stayner and our children,” said Francis Carrington, the father of Carole Sund and grandfather of Juli. It was the last time the women were seen alive. On December 4, 1972, at the age of seven, Steven was approached after school by Edward Ervin Murphy, who claimed he was collecting money for church. 1999-07-27 04:00:00 PDT SACRAMENTO -- The handyman charged yesterday with decapitating a Yosemite naturalist has confessed that slaying as well as the February killings of three park sightseers, authorities said. "The only time Steve would kill anything like a fish is because we were gonna eat it. By the end of June, the FBI had reviewed the testimonies of and the evidence linked to the suspects in custody. Soon after, he confessed to murdering Carole Sund, Juli Sund and Silvina Pelosso once in custody. Stayner told KBWB he was the person who tipped the FBI to the whereabouts of Julie Sund's body by sending an anonymous letter. Parnell, along with Murphy, took Steven to a cabin in Catheys Valley, where he was brainwashed to believe his parents no longer wanted him. The other Sund children believed their mother and sister Juli would be returned. He befriended a co-worker named Ervin Murphy to assist him in the abduction. Convicted in 1978 for rape and robbery, he was jailed March 14 for failing to register as a sex offender. Restrictions will remain in effect in San Francisco even if the state order is lifted on Jan.... SF extends stay-at-home order, travel quarantine indefinitely, Girl dies as truck is moved at Bay Area auto dealership, Stolen car driven by parolee kills 2 women in San Francisco, Some Calif. health care workers refuse to take COVID vaccine, Around the world, many are having 'the quietest' New Year's Eve in memory, Questions linger over Newsom pal who threw French Laundry party, Popular NorCal casino defends upcoming 6,000-person indoor party, UCSF doctor makes case for single-shot COVID-19 vaccinations, Two dead after vehicle hits pedestrians in downtown SF, 70-year-old Bay Area Mexican restaurant to shutter for good, This mysterious beach is covered in thousands of broken ceramics, Your guide to purchasing KN95 and NIOSH-approved N95 masks. While he attended his meeting, the women were to tour the Grand Canyon. One of those arrested, and later released, was Cary Stayner, who worked at the Cedar Lodge as the handyman. . Stayner said he thought he had gotten away with the earlier crimes, but could not resist the urge to kill Armstrong after he struck up a chance conversation with her. He also struggled in high school where he was bullied for the abuse he had endured. on July 22, with the disappearance of another woman — Joie Ruth Armstrong, 26, a pretty redhead who worked for the Yosemite Institute teaching children about nature. One brother was subjected to just unspeakable horror for years, but by all appearances he was a happy-go-lucky, jovial kid with a girlfriend. Steven Stayner had a new father figure, and it was Kenneth Parnell , who by day, was his father, and by night, was his rapist. Ruth Armstrong Head of content and social strategy at iceberg-digital.co.uk London, United Kingdom 135 connections 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. . Acting on a tip from a caller who was worried about the whereabouts of his friend, Joie Ruth Armstrong, 26, park rangers found her decapitated body on the morning of July 22, 1999. The two hitchhiked to Ukiah, California. Arrested on an unrelated drug charge, he has been questioned about the Yosemite case. "They're not off the hook yet," said the source. By the time Steven was 14, he had been abused and manipulated by Parnell for seven years and Parnell and Steven together realized that Steven was growing up and that he was no longer going to be controlled by Parnell and they would need to find someone else that they could sexually abuse. The book was about two brothers — eerily similar to his real life — one of them being a stone-cold killer. Larwick, who grew up in Tuolumme County near where the bodies of Carole Sund and Silvina Pelosso were found, was jailed March 16 after he allegedly shot a Modesto police office. Upon examination by the FBI Laboratory, some items have yielded trace evidence. 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. He had given the FBI details "only the killer would know in such specificity that agents were able to recover evidence confirming his confession. "I did murder Carole Sund, Julie Sund, Silvina Pelosso and Joie Armstrong. https://casefilepodcast.com/case-161-the-yosemite-sightseer-murders-part-1/, https://murderpedia.org/male.S/s/stayner-cary.htm, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cary_Stayner, https://abcnews.go.com/US/steven-cary-stayner-tale-brothers-horror-heroism/story?id=60529944, https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/me-timothy-white10-2010apr10-story.html, https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/a26040174/cary-stayner-steven-yosemite-murders/, https://abcnews.go.com/US/video/july-25-1999-cary-stayner-arrested-murder-yosemite-60263995, https://abcnews.go.com/US/woman-recalls-moment-family-learned-target-1999-yosemite/story?id=60364987, https://www.theunion.com/news/local-news/stayner-sentenced-to-death/, Tagged: The Yosemite National Park Sightseer Murders, Carole Sund yosemite murders, Juli Sund yosemite murders, Silvina Pelosso yosemite murders, Cary Stayner yosemite murders, Yosemite park murders, Joie Ruth Armstrong, The Yosemite National Park Sightseer Murders and the two faces of evil, The Yosemite National Park Sightseer Murders, The disturbing death of Fiona Torbet in the Scottish highlands, The unsolved Williams and Winans camping murders in Shenandoah National Park, The real Wolf Creek - The Backpacker Murders in the Australian Outback, The disturbing story of David Shearing and the Wells Gray Park camping murders, The mysterious death of Carol Laughlin in Yosemite National Park, The frightening case of the Trailside Killer David Carpenter, The mysterious Koh Tao - Death Island in Paradise, The disturbing disappearance of the Beaumont children on Glenelg Beach, The Kamloops Triangle - The British Columbia murders and disappearances, The Delphi hiking murders - Abigail Williams and Liberty German, The Peter Falconio disappearance in the Australian Outback, Scott Lilly - unsolved murders on the Appalachian trail, James Jordan - The Appalachian Trail Murderer, Previous True Crime posts from the Mysterious Stories Blog. 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