Stayner guilty of Yosemite murders

The San Jose Mercury News ^ | Posted on Mon, Aug. 26, 2002 | AP

[runningbear]

SJMN

Breaking News

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Posted on Mon, Aug. 26, 2002

Stayner guilty of Yosemite murders

ASSOCIATED PRESS

FILE

Cary Stayner

Yosemite killer Cary Stayner was convicted Monday of murdering three park tourists in a crime that spread fear through Central California and shattered the serene image of one of America's most treasured places.

The 41-year-old former motel handyman faces the death penalty after being convicted of three counts of first-degree murder and additional felonies in the killings of a Eureka mother, her daughter and a teenage friend from Argentina in February 1999.

Defense lawyers conceded that Stayner killed Carole Sund, 42, her daughter, Juli, 15, and Silvina Pelosso, 16, but they said he was crazy and asked jurors to convict him of second-degree murder, a verdict that would have spared him the death penalty.

Stayner, 41, confessed to killing the trio who were staying at the rustic motel where he worked as a handyman outside Yosemite National Park. The disappearance of the three gained worldwide attention and spread fear through Central California as the culprit remained at large.

The crime was unsolved for nearly six months until Stayner struck again, snatching Yosemite nature guide Joie Armstrong and beheading her near her cabin in the park in July 1999. He's serving life in prison without chance of parole after pleading guilty in federal court to first-degree murder in Armstrong's death.

The sightseer case is being held in state court because the Sunds and Pelosso were slain outside the park.

Stayner's lawyers plan to present an insanity defense to try to spare his life. Jurors have already heard extensive testimony from experts that Stayner was impaired by a medley of mental illness symptoms and a deformed brain. At this stage in the trial that evidence was used by the defense to show he didn't kill intentionally.

[runningbear]

Click the link to finish the rest of the breaking story.

[Eva]

I find it very disconcerting that this guy is so good looking. You can easily understand why the victims let him get close enough to kill them. He just doesn't look dangerous.

[not-alone]

at last I know a member of the victims family and it has been very hard on the family.

[45Auto]

This presents a strong compelling argument for a national reciprocal CCW law that REQUIRES the state of California to institute a shall issue law. In this case, the outcome might have been the same, but we will never know if a .357 in the purse would have saved these women.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Give this guy a choice of hanging or firing squad and do it tomorrow.

[Eva]

By the way, I don't know if your name has anything to do with the old song, or if it's just meant literally, but I saw the guy who sang the old song, this summer at a business conference. It's amazing that he is still around.

[.38sw]

The murders of the Sund women, and the Yosemite naturalistist by Stayner is the very reason I bought my first firearm - a .38 revolver.

Stayner is the face of evil.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Yep, just like Ted Bundy. People think that a guy is safe if he looks good and that the bad guys look like Snidely Whiplash. Forget about it, you never really know.

[cricket]

"I find it very disconcerting that this guy is so good looking. You can easily understand why the victims let him get close enough to kill them. He just doesn't look dangerous."

That was my first thought. . .kept looking at the picture; looking for a even a hint of evil. . .

. . .like maybe if he smiled; we could see something missing in his eyes or something.

. . .but the reality is that real evil has it's own asthetic and is never easily recognized and hence it's power.

[cricket]

This should not have taken two years. . .

[runningbear]

The Mercuy News is playing tag problems with the internet link. Try this.

SJMN

SAN JOSE, Calif. - A former motel handyman was convicted today of the 1999 slayings of three Yosemite park tourists in a crime that shattered the serene image of one of America's most treasured places.

[OldFriend]

Staynor's young brother was kidnapped. He was finally returned to the family YEARS later. He was later killed in a motorcycle accident. This brother is already in jail for another murder.

No one could make up a family story like this.

[runningbear]

And another image

Cary Stayner was found guilty Monday of the murders of Yosemite visitors Carole and Julie Sund and Sylvina Pelosso by a San Jose jury.

[Hildy]

Isn't this guy the brother of the famous kidnapped boy who was returned to the family 10 years after being kidnapped? They made a TV movie about it.

[Hildy]

Yes, he's the brother of stephen Stayner, the boy who was kidnapped by a man and lived as the man's son for something like 10 years. Cary was 11 when it happened.

[livius]

It took this long? I haven't been following the case and I thought it was already over.

Is this the same Stayner (Staynor?) family who had a child kidnapped north of Santa Rosa many years ago? The Staynor child (at that point, a teenager) escaped and turned up years later with, if I recall correctly, a younger child kidnapped by the same person who had kidnapped the Staynor child.

[ladyinred]

Thank God! I was afraid that the jury in liberal San Jose might fall for the defense teams antics!

[ladyinred]

Yes, alhough the family lived in Merced, which is way south of Santa Rosa.

[runningbear]

You know, I had a hard time finding a relating article on what you posted, and knew I saw it on numerous online newspapers, but can't find it now, but here on www.newsmax.com I found it. Here is something interesting you may get heated over!

California Passes Bill Making Gun Lawsuits Easier

Christine Hall, CNSNews.com

Monday, Aug. 26, 2002

California's Democratically controlled General Assembly Friday passed a bill making it easier to sue gun makers. The bill, sponsored by Assemblyman Paul Koretz, D-West Hollywood, changes a 1983 law that explicitly exempted gun manufacturers from liability in suits alleging willful or negligent acts or omissions in the design, distribution and marketing of firearms and ammunition.

"This is a legal earthquake for the gun industry," said Luis Tolley of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence united with the Million Mom March, which sponsored the bills and organized dozens of gun victims to lobby legislators.

"Gun manufacturers are facing judgment day," said Tolley. "They will no longer be able to hide from the courts and escape legal accountability when they engage in dangerous and irresponsible conduct that hurts and kills people."

The Brady Campaign is hoping to replicate an Ohio Supreme Court ruling in June that reinstated Cincinnati's lawsuit against the industry and allowed the city to proceed with product liability, negligence and public nuisance claims against fifteen gun manufacturers. Similar suits are pending in twelve California cities and counties.

NewMax

[runningbear]

LOL..... are you talking about Hamm's Beer?