Naman Shrestha
ABC’s ’20/20: Evil in Eden’ chronicles the early life and crimes committed by the convicted serial killer, Cary Stayner, near the Yosemite National Park in the span of a few months in 1999. Thanks to witness accounts and physical evidence, the investigators were able to tie him to the crimes. The documentary also features exclusive and insightful interviews with his victims’ loved ones and the officials who helped solve the case and bring him to justice.
Cary Stayner Had a Troubled Childhood
Born on August 13, 1961, in Merced, California, to Kay and Delbert Stayner, Cary Anthony Stayner grew up alongside three sisters and a younger brother named Steven Gregory Stayner. When he was only three years old, doctors diagnosed him with trichotillomania and put him on medication. When his brother Steven was kidnapped by Kenneth Parnell on December 4, 1972, and held captive for several years, Cary admitted to feeling neglected by his parents, who grieved over losing Steven. When Steven escaped and returned home, he once again became the focus of media attention and his parents. Cary’s medical condition resulted in him having bald spots, for which he was allegedly bullied during his high school years.
Years prior, when he was around 7 years old, Cary admittedly began thinking about abducting and killing women. It was mentioned on the show that, at one instance, he also allegedly exposed himself in front of a friend of one of his sisters. While attending Merced High School, he submitted cartoons to the school newspaper and earned the title of most creative student. After graduating from high school, Cary reportedly landed a job as a window installer at a glass company. As per reports, he attempted suicide with carbon monoxide in 1991. A few years later, he was admitted to a psychiatric hospital after he allegedly had a nervous breakdown. In 1997, Cary was arrested for the possession of methamphetamines and marijuana. However, these charges were later dropped.
Cary Stayner Made a Chilling Confession After His Arrest
That same year, in 1997, he got employed at the Cedar Lodge motel in El Portal, California, as a handyman. A couple of years later, in February 1999, Cary killed three women — 42-year-old Carole Evon Sund, Carole’s 15-year-old daughter Juliana, and 16-year-old Silvina Pelosso — all of whom were staying at the Cedar Lodge motel at the time. About a month later, on March 18, the police discovered the burned remains of Carole and Silvina in the trunk of Carole’s rental car. A week later, they found Juliana’s remains, with the help of a hand-drawn map that revealed the location. As part of the investigation, they interviewed the motel employees, including Cary, who remained calm and composed and was not considered a suspect. On July 22, 1999, the authorities found the remains of a 26-year-old naturalist and Yosemite Institute employee named Joie Ruth Armstrong.
The investigators were told that a blue 1972 International Scout was seen outside her cabin the day before her remains were found. As they traced the car to identify its owner, they were led to Cary Stayner, who became the prime suspect. At the time, he was staying at the Laguna del Sol in Wilton, California, where the FBI agents took him into custody. During his interrogation, he confessed to killing Joie, Carole, Juliana, and Silvina. He admitted to entering the room where Carole, Juliana, and Silvina were staying. As per his confession, he killed Carole and Silvina and placed their remains in the rented car. He admittedly drove Juliana to a lake near Mocassin, California, where he killed her. Since he disposed of the remains of the women near Yosemite National Park, he was nicknamed “the Yosemite Park Killer” or “the Yosemite Killer.”
Cary Stayner is Currently on Death Row at a California Prison Facility
After his arrest, authorities investigated potential connections between Cary Anthony Stayner and several other homicides and disappearances, including Patricia Marie Hicks Dahlstrom, 42-year-old Jesse Jerrold Stayner, 24-year-old Sharalyn Mavonne Murphy, 34-year-old Denise Smith, and 20-year-old Michael Larry Madden. In 2001, he pleaded guilty to premeditated first-degree murder, felony first-degree murder, kidnapping resulting in death, and attempted aggravated sexual abuse resulting in death in connection with Joie Armstrong’s killing. During the hearing, he took the stand and apologized for his actions.
He stated, “I wish I could take it back, but I can’t. 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.” Although he avoided the possible death sentence, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. About a year later, he pleaded not guilty to the other murders by reason of insanity, arguing that he endured a mental illness that stemmed from the 1972 kidnapping of his brother, Steven. His defense attorneys told the jury that his family allegedly had a history of mental illness and sexual abuse, which resulted in his obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Ultimately, on August 27, 2002, the jury found him guilty of three counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances and one count of kidnapping in connection with the killings of Carole Evon Sund, Juliana Sund, and Silvina Pelosso. He was later sentenced to death for his crimes. Despite his appeals to get his convictions and sentence overturned, on April 30, 2026, the California Supreme Court denied his motion and upheld the convictions against him as well as the death penalty. As of today, the 65-year-old serial killer is awaiting execution at
Pelican Bay State Prison in Crescent City, California.
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