Cary Stayner was just 11 years old when his younger brother Steven was abducted in 1972. The Stayner family struggled for years to figure out what had happened to Steven. During this time Cary was emotionally neglected by his parents, as they focused solely on finding Steven (or what remained). In 1980, Steven miraculously returned home after escaping his captor. As much as it was great Steven came home, the Stayner family spend much of the early 80s as subjects to media attention. This was hard on Cary, who hadn't received attention like this from his own parents, let alone an entire nation. Steven passed away in 1989 and things went downhill for Cary. He was arrested in 1997 for possession of Methamphetamines and Marijuana, but those charges were later dropped. He took a handyman job at Cedar Lodge Motel, near Yosemite National Park. In February 1999, Cary murdered three female guest of the motel. In July of the same year, he murdered a female backpacker. He was caught and charged with for counts of first degree murder. He was sentenced to death in 2002. In 2006, California overturned the ruling on Capital Punishment, which abolished the death penalty. Cary Stayner has spent the past 20 years in San Quentin State Prison.
Cary Stayner was just 11 years old when his younger brother Steven was abducted in 1972. The Stayner family struggled for years to figure out what had happened to Steven. During this time Cary was emotionally neglected by his parents, as they focused solely on finding Steven (or what remained). In 1980, Steven miraculously returned home after escaping his captor. As much as it was great Steven came home, the Stayner family spend much of the early 80s as subjects to media attention. This was hard on Cary, who hadn't received attention like this from his own parents, let alone an entire nation. Steven passed away in 1989 and things went downhill for Cary. He was arrested in 1997 for possession of Methamphetamines and Marijuana, but those charges were later dropped. He took a handyman job at Cedar Lodge Motel, near Yosemite National Park. In February 1999, Cary murdered three female guest of the motel. In July of the same year, he murdered a female backpacker. He was caught and charged with for counts of first degree murder. He was sentenced to death in 2002. In 2006, California overturned the ruling on Capital Punishment, which abolished the death penalty. Cary Stayner has spent the past 20 years in San Quentin State Prison.