Posted on 02/12/2004 12:37:37 PM PST by tallhappy
Parnell, 72, was arrested in January 2003 on charges of trying to persuade a woman to get him a young boy for $500.
A jury deliberated for less than two hours Monday before finding Parnell guilty.
Prosecutor Tim Wellman said outside the courtroom that Parnell could face up to life imprisonment under the state's "three strikes" law, but the defense plans to argue that the prior cases are too old to be relevant.
In addition to the Stayner kidnapping, Parnell was convicted of kidnapping 5-year-old Timmy White in 1980, serving five years for those two abductions. Parnell also has a 1951 conviction for committing a lewd act on a minor.
"I think he is a poster child for the 'three strikes' law," Wellman said. "He has been committing felonies since he was 19 years old."
After the verdict, defense attorney Deborah Levy said she will ask the judge to dismiss one if not both of the prior kidnappings. In her closing argument earlier Monday, she urged jurors not to focus on Parnell's past.
"What happened 30-some years ago doesn't help us here today," Levy said.
Levy stressed that Parnell never used the word "kidnap" and suggested that he was simply interested in raising an abandoned boy.
But Wellman said Parnell is a lifelong predator, introducing testimony from the Stayner and White kidnappings as evidence. The prosecutor also noted that Parnell, who used a more vulgar term, asked for a child with a clean bottom. That, said Wellman, indicated a sinister purpose.
"The defendant is a danger at any age," Wellman said. "The defendant is a threat to children of any age."
There was no actual child in the 2003 case. The woman, Diane Stevens, cooperated with police in setting up a meeting at Parnell's Berkeley apartment in which she was to give him a birth certificate in exchange for $100 and then bring in a child for $400 more.
At the meeting, Stevens gave Parnell the paperwork in exchange for the money. Then police moved in and arrested Parnell.
Levy portrayed Stevens as holding a grudge against Parnell over his treatment of her brother, who had been Parnell's caretaker but lost that position after falling ill with cancer.
But Wellman said Stevens was "honest to a fault."
In the Stayner and White kidnappings, Parnell was arrested shortly after White was abducted. The younger boy had asked Stayner to take him home and Stayner, by-then 14, took White to police, saying he didn't want the 5-year-old to go through the same ordeal he had.
Stayner's story was told in the book and TV movie "I Know My First Name is Steven."
Stayner died in a motorcycle accident in 1989. Another blow befell his family last year when Stayner's brother, Cary, was sentenced to death after being convicted of killing four women in Yosemite National Park.
Steven Stayner's testimony at Parnell's earlier trial was read to jurors hearing the attempted child-buying charges, and White also testified about the old kidnapping.
Wellman finished his closing argument by showing jurors a black poster board with the numerals 1, 2 and 3 printed in stark white. Above the numbers were flaps of black paper that he ripped off one by one, showing first a smiling picture of Stayner before his kidnapping, then a picture showing White and finally a silhouette of a young child in motion.
Thanks to Stevens, Wellman said, there is no name attached to the third picture.
"The defendant was looking for one last hurrah," Wellman said. "One last Steven Stayner. One last Timmy White."
Why in the world was he out of jail? This fellow and what he did was the subject of a TV movie years ago. He kidnapped and held a boy for years, toryuring him and lolesting him all the time. He kidnapped another boy and at that time the first boy, who had grown older, ran off and told police.
The piece of garbage was arrested. Apparently his first arrest on related charges was in 1951.
Why would he ever have gotten out of prison after kidnapping two children and compounding it with molestation etc..
How is our legal system so weak that such a truly depraved and evil-acting being was ever let out of prison?
But he only got five years! For two kidnaps and multiple uncountable acts of molestation.
What is wrong with our courts?
Now he's an old man and still at it. More than 50 years. He didn't change, he wasn't going to change, he was clearly shown to have committed enough crimes to be in prison for life.
In addition to the Stayner kidnapping, Parnell was convicted of kidnapping 5-year-old Timmy White in 1980, serving five years for those two abductions. Parnell also has a 1951 conviction for committing a lewd act on a minor.
If homosexual marriage passes, men like this can just adopt their sex toys.
What an absolutely outrageous and ridiculously insulting comment. This bastard had a history of kidnap and sexual abuse and it is SO blantantly obvious that he intended to do it again. He should be strung up by the figs, pardon my language. But he has been a menace to society for the past 32 years, at least. As for this lawyer-- she needs to back to supporting her man Edwards for President.
sw
Not when you are a criminal defense attorney and your client has a long history as a pedophile.
Amen. A buddy just sent me his agency's press release on a similar case he's been working on... I asked him to ask around, and see if his fellow agents agree that we need the death penalty for these perverts.
As far as I'm concerned, one strike and you're out. I can't think of any good reason this creep should still be sucking oxygen.
d.o.l.
Criminal Number 18F
Kerry's bimbo eruption is front and center.
We're losing our moral compass.
sw
Yes. I was outraged when I read this. Outraged that he was ever out of prison. And more so finding it was only five years.
Kidnapping itself used to be a capital crime. He kidnapped two children and then there are as many counts of molestation that could be used against him.
I actually feel these sort of things are bigger issues than even anti-American pro-communist 60's radicals like John Kerry being a potential president.
There was also this guy who chopped off a teenager's arms after raping her. He was out and not too long ago killed a woman. Why was he ever out? These are the most important issues facing our society and nation.
I remain shocked this pedophile not only kidnapped one small boy, but kidnapped ANOTHER boy as well, and only served FIVE YEARS???!
You'd have thought the men in prison would have castrated him? Strange days we live in.
sw
sw
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.