Cary Stayner is a convicted American serial killer whose crimes shocked the nation in 1999. He was the older brother of Steven Stayner, whose childhood abduction and dramatic escape years later had already made the family infamous. While Steven was once portrayed as a tragic hero, Cary’s life spiraled into darkness. Working as a handyman near Yosemite National Park, Cary outwardly seemed quiet and unremarkable, but he harbored violent fantasies from a young age. His troubled background, compounded by his brother’s notoriety, set the stage for his eventual eruption into brutal violence that would stain his name and overshadow the legacy of his family.


The Yosemite Village murders refer to the killings of four women in and around Yosemite National Park in 1999. Cary Stayner first targeted three tourists—Carole Sund, her daughter Juli, and Juli’s friend Silvina Pelosso—whom he abducted, sexually assaulted, and murdered, before later killing Joie Armstrong, a Yosemite park naturalist. These crimes terrorized the community and drew massive media attention, not only because of their brutality but also because they occurred in such a famed natural landmark. Stayner was arrested and confessed, later being sentenced to death. The case became one of the most infamous examples of serial murder in California history, forever linking Yosemite with a dark chapter of violence and betrayal of trust.



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