Cary Stayner

Cary Anthony Stayner (born August 13, 1961), also known as the Yosemite Park Killer, or simply the Yosemite Killer, is an American serial killer and the older brother of kidnapping victim Steven Stayner.

Cary Stayner was born on August 13, 1961, the first of five children born to Delbert Foy and Kay Stayner in Merced, California.

He had three sisters and a younger brother, Steven Gregory Stayner.

On December 4, 1972, 7-year-old Steven was abducted in Merced, California, by child molester Kenneth Parnell.

He was held by his abductor 38 mi away in Mariposa County, California, and later in Mendocino County, California, until he was aged 14, when he managed to escape with another of Parnell's victims, Timothy White.

Cary later said that he felt neglected while his parents grieved over the loss of Steven.

When Steven escaped and returned home, he received massive media attention which resulted in the 1989 release of a television miniseries based on his experience, I Know My First Name Is Steven (also known as The Missing Years), based on the true crime book of the same name, and Stayner once again felt overshadowed by the attention his brother got.

Steven, who had married and had two children, died in a motorcycle accident in 1989.

When he was 3 years old, Cary was diagnosed with trichotillomania (compulsive hair pulling; often leads to bald patches requiring the person to wear hats or wigs to hide it. Affected people can live with shame because they are unable to stop this behavior by will-power alone. This leads to social isolation and other psychological manifestations) and was put on medication, though the condition continued to affect him during his high school years; the consequential bald spots led to him being severely bullied and having to perpetually wear a baseball cap.

Although it is believed that his brother's kidnapping contributed to Cary's sexual deviancy, Stayner claimed to authorities after his arrest that he had begun fantasising about abducting and murdering women since he was 7, prior to the abduction of his brother.

Additionally, despite his intelligence being noted by his classmates and teachers and his being placed in accelerated classes in school, he continued having fantasies about women being gang raped before he was a teenager.

While his sister's friend was staying over at his house, he even exposed himself to her.

Due to his cartoon contributions to the school newspaper, Stayner was chosen as the "most creative" student in his graduating class at the age of 18 at Merced High School.

After graduating, Stayner worked as a window installer at a glass company which is where he allegedly developed a fantasy about ramming a truck into the workplace, killing everyone there, and setting the place on fire.

In 1991, Stayner tried to gas himself to death with carbon monoxide.

In 1995, he was admitted to a mental institution after claiming to have had a nervous breakdown and was released after receiving treatment.

He was also arrested in 1997 for possession of marijuana and methamphetamines, although these charges were eventually dropped.

In 1997, Stayner was hired as a handyman at the Cedar Lodge motel in El Portal, California, just outside the Highway 140 entrance to Yosemite National Park.

Stayner found all of his confirmed victims at the Cedar Lodge motel.

Stayner also admitted that he had intended to murder two Finnish girls in 1998 but fled when the girls' advisor arrived.

His lawyers claimed that the Stayner family had a history of sexual abuse and mental illness, manifesting itself not only in the murders, but also his obsessive-compulsive disorder and his request to be provided with child pornography in return for his confession.

Dr. Jose Arturo Silva testified that Stayner had obsessive-compulsive disorder, mild autism, and paraphilia.

He was convicted of the murders of four women between February and July 1999.

The murders occurred in Mariposa County, California, near Yosemite National Park.

Stayner was sentenced to death for the four murders, and is still on death row at San Quentin State Prison in California.

Between February and July 1999, he murdered at least two women and two teenagers.

Following his arrest, Stayner was suspected of being responsible for other homicides and disappearances in addition to his four known victims.

Given that similar offenders started their violent crimes at far younger ages, investigators have stated that they think Stayner may have additional victims.

Stayner was tried in federal court for Armstrong's murder since it occurred on federal land.

To avoid a possible death sentence, he pleaded guilty to premeditated first-degree murder, felony first-degree murder, kidnapping resulting in death, and attempted aggravated sexual abuse resulting in death.

During the sentencing hearing, Stayner stunned the courtroom when he suddenly broke down in tears and apologized.

"I wish I could take it back, but I can't," he said.

"I wish I could tell you why I did such a thing, but I don't even know myself. I'm so sorry. I wish there was a reason. But there isn't. It's senseless."

Lesli Armstrong, Armstrong's mother, started crying as she listened to Stayner, and said afterward that she believed his apology was genuine.

Stayner was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Stayner pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to the other murders in state court.

He was nevertheless found sane and convicted of three counts of first degree murder with special circumstances and one count of kidnapping by a jury on August 27, 2002.

After being sentenced to death for the brutal killings, Stayner has been housed at the Adjustment Center on death row at San Quentin State Prison in California since 2002.

Stayner remains on death row though there have been no executions in California since a 2006 court ruling over flaws in the administration of capital punishment in the state.