About Cary Stayner
Cary Stayner, born August 13, 1961, an American serial killer and former motel handyman, unleashed a wave of terror in Yosemite National Park in 1999, earning him the monikers ‘The Yosemite Killer’ and the ‘The Yosemite Park Slayer’.
His crimes horrified the nation—not just for their extreme violence, but also because of his unsettling family history. Stayner’s younger brother, Steven Stayner, was himself the victim of a notorious kidnapping in 1972, escaping after seven years in captivity. The tragic irony of one brother surviving abduction only for the other to become a predator made Cary’s case both deeply unsettling and intriguing.
NAME: Cary Anthony Stayner
ALIAS: The Yosemite Park Killer, the Yosemite Killer
DOB: August 13, 1961
COUNTRY: California, United States
VICTIMS: 4
ARREST: July 24, 1999
SENTENCE: Sentenced to death on August 27, 2002. Reduced to life without parole in March 2019
PRISON: Pelican Bay State Prison, Santa Clara, California. Previously San Quentin State Prison, California.
WHERE IS Cary Stayner NOW?
- Sentenced to death on August 27, 2002. Reduced to life without parole in March 2019
Cary Stayner is currently incarcerated in the Pelican Bay State Prison, he was relocated there after spending over 20 years on death row in San Quentin Prison, California.
March 2019: His sentence has been commuted to life without parole due to a moratorium on executions in California. California had not conducted an execution since 2006. Governor Gavin Newsom imposed a moratorium on executions in March 2019. Cary Stayner, was one of the 638 prisoners removed from death row since the moratorium was imposed.
- March 2024: Relocated to Pelican Bay State Prison, Santa Clara [1]
- March 2019: His sentence has been reduced to life without parole
[1] CDCR: California incarcerated records and information search (CIRIS)
CRIMES COMMITTED
Cary Stayner is an American serial killer responsible for the brutal murders of four women in Yosemite National Park in 1999. His crimes shocked the nation, particularly because his younger brother, Steven Stayner, had been a famous kidnapping victim years earlier.
February 15, 1999 – Carole Sund, Juli Sund, and Silvina Pelosso
Carole Sund, 42, her 15-year-old daughter Juli Sund, and their 16-year-old exchange student, Silvina Pelosso, were staying at Cedar Lodge near Yosemite National Park when they were murdered. The grisly discovery of Carole and Silvina’s bodies—burned and stuffed into the trunk of Carole’s rental car—shocked investigators. A month later, Juli’s remains were found 40 miles away.
Cary Stayner, had worked as a handyman at Cedar Lodge for less than two years. Investigators determined that Stayner strangled Carole and Silvina inside their motel room before abducting Juli. He later took her to the Lake Don Pedro area, where he slit her throat.
In a chilling twist, Stayner sent the FBI a letter containing a map leading to Juli’s body, along with disturbing hints that he had sexually assaulted her after her death.
July 21, 1999 – Joie Armstrong
Joie Armstrong, 26, was staying in a cabin near Yosemite National Park when she became Cary Stayner’s final victim. Her decapitated body was discovered near a wooded stream, roughly half a mile from her cabin. Investigators found her head submerged in the water several feet away—officials confirmed it had been severed from her body.
Stayner later confessed to kidnapping Armstrong, revealing that he had bound her and forced her into his car. In a desperate act of defiance, she managed to escape—only for Stayner to chase her down and brutally murder her.
CAPTURE & INVESTIGATION
The day after Joie Armstrong’s murder, park rangers received a tip about a suspicious car spotted near her cabin. Witnesses identified the vehicle as belonging to Cary Stayner, prompting the FBI to seek him for questioning.
As investigators pieced together the crime, Stayner failed to show up for work at Cedar Lodge. He was eventually tracked to a nudist resort in Sacramento County, where he was a known visitor. A guest recognized his name after he introduced himself, and security discreetly monitored him until authorities arrived.
Under interrogation, Stayner confessed not only to Armstrong’s murder but also to the killings of Carole Sund, Juli Sund, and Silvina Pelosso months earlier. He had become a suspect in Armstrong’s case after being seen near her cabin before her disappearance.
Stayner stunned investigators by offering to provide “closure” on Armstrong’s murder—and “more”—but with a grotesque demand: he wanted access to child pornography in exchange.
Once his request was denied, he proceeded to describe in horrific detail how he murdered the Sunds and Pelosso. Even more disturbing, Stayner revealed that he had originally planned to kill three other women before encountering his victims at Cedar Lodge.
TRIAL & CONVICTIONS
Cary Stayner’s trial captivated national attention as it unfolded in two separate courtrooms. His defense team presented a troubled psychological profile, citing his lifelong mental health struggles and the profound trauma stemming from his brother Steven Stayner’s infamous 1972 kidnapping. Prosecutors, however, painted a starkly different picture, emphasizing the calculated brutality and sexual sadism evident in his crimes.
The legal proceedings reached their conclusion through two landmark verdicts:
– In 2001, Stayner accepted a federal guilty plea for Joie Armstrong’s murder, receiving a mandatory life sentence without parole.
-The following year, a California jury convicted him of the triple homicide of Carole, Juli, and Silvina, resulting in a death penalty sentence.
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REFERENCES / CITATIONS:
1. CDCR: California incarcerated records and information search (CIRIS)
2. ABC News: How a nudist colony helped FBI agents find a Yosemite serial killer and how the agents got his confession – January 24, 2019
3. ABC 10: Need to Know: Who is Cary Stayner, the Yosemite Killer? – January 23, 2019
BOOKS ABOUT Cary Stayner
Cary Stayner: The True Story of The Yosemite Park Killer
While some would say that American serial killer Cary Stayner was influenced by family tragedy – his already-troubled family was shattered when his brother was abducted for seven years and held as…
The Yosemite Murders
Since he was seven, Cary Stayner had dreamed of capturing women…and killing them. They were crimes that grabbed headlines around the world and stunned America. Four women dead, their bodies charred and horribly mutilated…
The Yosemite Killer: Life of Serial Killer Cary Stayner
Yosemite National Park is a great place to take in the fresh air of nature and is filled with plenty of great tourist sites. In the late 1990s, however, a local handyman by the name of Cary Stayner forever marred this…
Ultimate Prey: The True Story Behind The Yosemite Sightseer Murders
Cary Stayner was found guilty of the Yosemite Sightseer Murders, but some people closely associated with the investigation believe that Stayner did not act alone…
TV SHOWS & DOCS FEATURING Cary Stayner
World’s Most Evil Killers S2.E5 – Cary Stayner
Also known as the Yosemite Park Killer, Cary Stayner murdered four women in 1999 before his capture.
TV Series / Documentary | 2017
Born to kill? S5.E10 – Cary Stayner: The Yosemite Park Slayer
Two women and two teen girls died within Yosemite National Park, California, murdered at the hands of a maintenance man acting on homicidal fantasies he held onto as a child.
TV Series / Documentary | 2011
YOUTUBE
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MORE ARTICLES ABOUT Cary Stayner
A selection of interesting articles about Cary Stayner, sourced and curated from around the web:
The Untold Truth Of Serial Killer Cary Stayner
Grunge | Author: Paris L. | October 10, 2020
How a nudist colony helped FBI agents find a Yosemite serial killer and how the agents got his confession
ABC News | Author: Keren Schiffman | January 24, 2019
Need to Know: Who is Cary Stayner, the Yosemite Killer?
ABC 10 | Author: Eric Escalante | January 23, 2019
