Killer Stories with Harvey Guillén - “The Yosemite Murderer” Cary Stayner Pt. 2

Episode Date: August 26, 2021

As an adult, Cary Stayner finally turned his darkest fantasies into reality. Using TV crime shows as textbooks, he killed his victims, then laid out a path of false clues to confuse investigators. But when he eventually slips up, it all comes crashing down. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Due to the graphic nature of this killer's crimes, listener discretion is advised. This episode includes graphic discussions and descriptions of murder, mutilation, sexual assault, and rape that some people may find offensive. We advise extreme caution for children under 13. In the summer of 1999, 37-year-old Kerry Stainer was enjoying the peace and tranquility in a little slice of the Yosemite National Park Forest. Except he wasn't exactly alone. He was lurking in the shadows of the trees, watching a woman outside her cabin.

For Carrie, Joey Armstrong seemed like the perfect target. She was young and she was alone. But he didn't want to rush into an attack without making sure there was no one around. So he approached her and said hello. They made small talk about the forest, while Carrie silently plotted out his next steps. He was waiting for the right moment to reach for the weapon he was. always kept in his backpack. Joey was polite and friendly, so she seemed happy to chat with Carrie for a few minutes, even when he asked strange questions about Bigfoot. Of course, what she

didn't realize was that Carrie was stalling for time, waiting to make his move. Then the attack came when Joey turned her back for a second. In the blink of an eye, Carrie pulled a gun out of his bag and pointed it at her. As he ordered the stunned woman into her own home, Carrie Mary felt certain that this time wouldn't be like the last. He was going to make sure of it. Hi, I'm Greg Poulson. This is Serial Killers, a Spotify original from Parcast. Every episode, we dive into the minds and madness of serial killers.

Today we're finishing the story of Carrie Stainer, the infamous Yosemite Killer. I'm here with my co-host, Vanessa Richardson. Hi, everyone. You can find episodes of serial killers and all other Spotify. originals from Parkast for free on Spotify. Last time, we discussed Carrie's traumatizing upbringing and the violent delusions and dreams that began when he was just seven. Then, after more than three decades of fighting his escalating impulses, Carrie moved

to Yosemite National Park. Today, we'll follow Carrie as he finally turns his darkest fantasies into reality. Using TV crime shows as textbooks, Carrie killed his victims, then laid out a path of false clues to confuse investigators, but when he eventually slipped up, it all came crashing down. We've got all that and more coming up. Stay with us. This episode is brought to you by Shopify. Bonnie and Clyde, the lonely hearts killers, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. These are infamous criminal duels. But you don't need to break any laws to find your perfect

business partner because you have Shopify. It's the Commerce Platform. platform that can help you with literally everything, website design, marketing, shipping, and more. So start your business today with the best partner, Shopify, and get that. Sign up for your $1 per month trial today at Shopify.com slash killers. That's shopify.com slash killers. This episode is brought to you by ZipRecruiter. Whether you're hiring for a role or searching for a killer, the hunt can be exhausting. When detectives looked and searched to find any kind of evidence to find the person they were looking for, like Jack the Ripper, the Golden State Killer, the Unit Bomber.

It's tedious work to find what you're looking for. So, if you're hiring, I've got news for you. You can skip the lengthy investigation and the tiresome process of sorting through hundreds of resumes. Just use ZipRecruiter. Try it for free at ZipRecruiter.com slash killers. because not only does ZipRecruiter have the technology to match you with potential candidates quickly, it also just added a new feature that pushes candidates who are qualified and interested in your role to the top of the list. They can even tell you why they're interested, making it easier for you to get a sense of who they are.

Cut through the standard and get to the standouts with ZipRecruiter. Four out of five employers who post on ZipRecruiter get a quality candidate within the first day. And now, you can try it for free at ziprecruiter.com slash killers. That's ziprecruiter.com slash killers. Meet your match on ZipRecruiter. Own it all. Pay off your home, travel for life, drive a Ferrari. In celebration of the world premiere of the Monopoly,

big board buck slot machine by aristocrat gaming, Yamava Resort and Casino at San Manuel is giving one person a $1.6 million dream package. The biggest prize in Yamaba's history. Club Serrano members can earn daily instant prizes and secure a spot in the finale May 29th. Don't pass go and own it all. Only at Yamava, celebrating its 40th anniversary. You win?

Details at Yamava.com must be 21-20. Please gamble responsibly. Monopoly is a trademark of Hasbro. Hasbro is not a sponsor of this promotion. In 1997, life was going well for Carrie Stainer for what felt like the first time. He'd moved to Yosemite National Park to work as a handyman at the Cedar Lodge Hotel,

and he had freedom, friends, and a job, all at the same time. He also had something he'd always wanted, a girlfriend. Carrie had several short-lived romances in the past, but never made a lasting connection with anyone until 1998. That's when Carrie started dating a waitress who worked in Cedar Lodge's restaurant. We don't know her name, so we'll call her Isabelle. Isabel had two little girls who adored Carrie. He made drawings for them, gifted them beanie babies, and played with them at the hotel pool. They loved spending time with him in the park and hearing his stories about Bigfoot.

But despite his newfound happiness, Carrie felt something dangerous rising inside of him. He'd always had violent fantasies about women, but he could usually self-soothe by spending time outdoors or smoking cannabis. But now, after a lifetime of fantasizing, he had women and young girls within his grasp, and the temptation was too great. Vanessa is going to take over on the psychology here and throughout the episode. As a note, Vanessa is not a licensed psychologist. psychologist or psychiatrist, but we have done a lot of research for this show. Thanks, Greg. Carrie had a good relationship with Isabel and her kids, but couldn't shake the feeling that

the only way to keep their love was to take it. This was perhaps because he felt neglected by his parents during childhood, which left him feeling powerless. But instead of seeking help to deal with these issues, Carrie nursed them, spending a lifetime just letting them fester. Of course, this wasn't the best course of action. Perhaps Carrie felt powerless against all women, his mother, the women he dated, even strangers on the street, and it seems like every day his frustration about that grew and grew, until eventually he couldn't ignore his twisted daydreams any longer.

In February of 1999, 37-year-old Carrie filled a backpack with duct tape, rope, a knife, and a gun, his very own murder kit. Then on the 15th, he was ready to strike. That day, Carrie jumped in his truck and drove to Isabel's house on a 10-acre piece of land. Initially, Carrie's plan was to rape and kill Isabel and her kids. But as he approached the house, he noticed a man was with them, the property's caretaker. Carrie faltered. In his fantasies, the little family was alone. He wasn't prepared to to kill this other man, so faced with this unforeseen obstacle, Carrie abandoned his plan

and headed back to Cedar Lodge. Despite this failure, Carrie had still gotten a thrill out of coming so close to living out his fantasy. When he returned to the lodge, Carrie cruised through the empty parking lots. The hotel was made up of several buildings, and Carrie noticed that one of them had just one car parked outside, a red pottyac. The car sparked his interest, not because of its color, but because it was alone. A quick scan of the windows told him which room in the building its owners were in. 509. Through the window, Carrie saw two teenage girls and a woman watching TV.

They were Carol Sund, her daughter Julie, and Julie's friend, Sylina Paloso, who was from Argentina. Unlike Isabel's family, these women were alone, so Carrie quickly formulated a new plan. First, he dumped his murder kit into his toolbox. Then, according to Carrie, he knocked on the door surrounding room 509, armed with his weapons, shouting that he was the handyman and needed to check on something. He wanted the women to expect him to let down their guards. When he got to 509, 42-year-old Carol answered the door, and Carrie explained that he needed to check a leak in the room upstairs.

At first, Carol didn't want Carrie to come in, but he, in said, As part of his act, he walked to the bathroom and fiddled around for a couple of minutes. Then when he was ready, he took a breath and pulled out his gun. Carrie emerged from the bathroom, pointing his weapon at Carol. He announced that he was there to rob them, then used duct tape to bind and gag all three women. Once they were restrained, Carrie put Julie and Sylvina in the bathroom and returned to Carol, who was on the bed. He wasted no time.

took the rope out of his toolbox and wound it around her neck, pulling it tight. It was more difficult than he expected, but finally, the 42-year-old mother went limp. He carried her dead body out to the Red Pontiac and put her in the trunk before returning to the room to attend to his next victims. Once back inside, Carrie led Julian Silvina back into the bedroom, where he sexually assaulted and tortured them. He was excited, but as the night went on, the experience didn't live up to his lifelong fantasies. Sylvina was too scared to follow Carrie's orders, and her constant crying upset him.

In his fantasies, the women were always compliant with his demands. This wasn't what he wanted, and eventually he decided that if he couldn't control Sylvina, he would silence her. Just like he did to Carol, Carrie wrapped the rope around Sylvina's neck and strangled her to death. He returned to Julie, moving her to another room so she wouldn't see Sylvina's fate. At some point, Carrie took a break to throw Sylvina's body in the trunk of the Pontiac. Julie was more cooperative with Carrie's demands, which pleased him. But the fantasy still wasn't perfect.

Much to his frustration, he struggled to maintain his erection, an issue he'd faced since adolescence. Still, he spent hours sexually assaulting Julie. but at some point in the night, Carrie decided he'd had enough. So he cleaned the room, then placed wet towels in the bathroom to make it look like the girls had showered. He even packed their belongings and put them in the pottyac. He wanted it to look like they'd showered, packed, and left without checking out. Carrie's reasoning was borrowed from crime shows he had watched on the Discovery Channel. He figured his interest in true crime would help him get away with the murders.

However, a 2018 study published in the Internet, National Journal of Law, Crime, and Justice found that there's no correlation between watching crime shows and getting away with real-life crimes. Did you hear that, listeners? Don't even think about it. Of course, Carrie didn't know that. So, satisfied with his cleaning, he wrapped 15-year-old Julie Sund in one of the resort's pink blankets and carried her to the Pontiac. He gently placed her in the passenger seat, then slid behind the wheel. At first, Carrie drove around aimlessly talking with Julie. In a twisted way, he felt a bond with the teenager. He wanted to keep her alive, but he knew how dangerous it would be. If she escaped, he'd go to prison,

and he couldn't let that happen. After driving north for about two hours, Carrie decided it was time to end things. He parked at the Don Pedro Reservoir Overlook, got out, and opened Julie's door. She wouldn't walk in the blanket, so Carrie took the teen in his arms and carried her to the lookout. Though Julie was likely terrified, Carrie thought it was a romantic moment. At the top of the hill, Carrie took the blanket off of Julie and laid it on the ground, almost like a lover's picnic. He hugged and kissed her, declaring that he loved her. Then he sexually assaulted her again. By then, the sun was coming up, and Carrie realized he was running out of her. of time. So he took out his knife and slashed Julie's throat, wanting to spare her the suffering

of strangulation. But his plan backfired. The cut didn't kill Julie right away. It took Julie an agonizing time to die. As Julie struggled, Carrie claims he couldn't bear to look. He just listened to her until she went silent, finally dead. Carrie turned to watch as her body slumped, then tumbled down the hill, landing under a bush. Deciding to leave her there, he got into the Pontiac and drove away, with Carols and Sylvina's bodies still in the trunk. Carrie eventually hid the Pontiac in a remote area where locals dump junk, like old refrigerators, washing machines, and cars. People also burned their garbage there, so the foul metallic stench of burnt trash lingered in the air. He figured he could leave the bodies there for a couple of days, then come back to destroy the evidence.

From there, he walked to a payphone and called a cab to take him home. He was exhausted, but his mind was racing. Killing had made him finally feel in control of his life, and he couldn't wait to do it again. Coming up, Carrie's strange obsession leads him to his next victim. Hi there, it's Carter from Parcast. If you have, haven't had a chance to check out the riveting true crime series Solved Murders, there's no better time to tune in. Throughout the month of August, Solved Murders is featuring four celebrations that took a turn for the deadly in a special series we're calling party fowls. From a murder in the New York nightclub scene and the house party gone horribly wrong to a terrifying evening at the Tate residence and a sex party

with sinister results, go deeper inside Four Affairs remembered for all the wrong reasons. And if you like what you hear with party fowls and want to uncover more of history's most captivating cases, be sure to follow Solved Murders on Spotify. There you'll find a new episode released every Wednesday. Solved Murders is a Spotify original from Parcast. Listen free only on Spotify. Now back to the story. On February 15th, 1999, 37-year-old Carrie Stainer gave in to his darkest desires. That night, he murdered a woman and sexually assaulted and murdered two teenagers staying at the Cedar Lodge Hotel. Two days later, Carrie returned to the stolen car, containing two of his victim's bodies, carrying gasoline and either matches or a lighter.

Carrie doused the Pontiac in gas and set it on fire. While the blaze burned, he carried out the next step in his plan to cover his tracks. Carrie drove his blue International Scout to the city of Modesto, just over 50 miles away. At the time, the town was home to a number of convicted sex offenders, and it seemed Carrie was counting on that to work in his favor. He tossed Carol Sun's wallet into the middle of an intersection, hoping to draw suspicion far away from his home in Yosemite. As Carrie planted a trail of false clues, Carol and Julie's family noticed something was wrong.

Carol had missed an appointment, which was rare. Plus, Carol's husband, Yance, called the car rental service only to find out that the Red Pontiac hadn't been returned. Frantic with worry, Carol's family called Cedar Lodge and were told that the women had checked out a few days ago. Knowing this, Yance came up with his own theory about what had happened. He suspected that Carol and the girls died in a car accident. Yens and Carol's father set out for Yosemite to try and find them. They also notified Yosemite authorities who launched a large search. But because of Carrie's evasive steps, they searched all the wrong places.

At some point, Yosemite Rangers realized they needed help. Luckily, U.S. national parks are under federal jurisdiction, which allowed the FBI to join the search. At this point, local authorities and the FBI weren't convinced of Jens' car crash theory. No, now they wondered if there was foul play involved. Following the hunch, they went straight to where the missing women were last seen, Cedar Lodge. In a fateful twist, Carrie was the one to assist the officers. He dutifully unlocked the doors and showed them around the facility. Carrie didn't raise any suspicion at all, even when the FBI

interviewed the entire Cedar Lodge staff. It secretly thrilled him to be right under the nose of federal agents. To him, it probably felt just like the crime shows he watched, and that wasn't the only part of his plan falling perfectly into place. On February 19th, four days after the murders, someone found Carol's wallet in Modesto. Just as Carrie hoped, officials took this as a sign that someone killed the trio in Yosemite, then fled to the other town.

Working with that theory, investigators combed through the records of every parole violator and known criminal in Modesto, which gave Kerry time to relax. Carrie was exhausted from the stress of the FBI agent swarming Cedar Lodge, so in early March he drove three hours to Laguna del Sol, a clothing optional resort near Sacramento. There, he soaked up as much sun as possible, while keeping a close eye on the news. And it's lucky he did, because despite his careful cleanup, officials were about to find their first big clue. On March 19th, Hunter Jim Powers walked on a slope off an old road while target shooting. In doing so, he came across a charred vehicle.

Jim looked in the window. The seats had crumbled, giving him a clear view of a pile of ashes in the trunk. He reeled back in horror at the distinctively human-shaped. mounds and called authorities immediately. The corpses were so burnt they couldn't be identified by sight. But once the DNA testing confirmed that the bodies were Sylvina Pelosi and Carol Sund, the media exploded. And Carrie was right along with them. He sat with his co-workers at Cedar Lodge,

sipping drinks and wondering aloud who could have done something so horrible. Of course, now that Sylvina and Carol had been found, everyone wanted to know when Julie's body would turn up, especially Carrie. Carrie had a fondness for Julie over his other victims, but it's also likely his own experience with missing person investigations increased his anxiety over the discovery of her body. As we discussed last time, when Carrie's brother Stephen was kidnapped as a child, Carrie and his family had to wait seven years to discover Stephen's fate.

At one point while the Fed swarmed Cedar Lodge, Carrie bitterly remarked to a friend that the FBI never helped to look for his brother. After his own history, it seems he didn't want Julie or her loved ones to experience the same disrespect. About a month after his murders, Carrie grew impatient and decided to take matters into his own hands. He drew up a map of Lake Don Pedro and marked a trail from Highway 120 to a large X where Julie's body was. Carrie made it clear this was no treasure map. He included the message, We had fun with this one,

suggesting that a group of people was responsible for the crime. It was yet another red herring to confuse the authorities. Then, Carrie paid someone else $5 to spit into a cup. He used the kid saliva to seal the envelope and apply stamps before mailing the letter to the FBI office in Modesto. With all his intricate decoys and red hair, herrings, it's likely Carrie took pleasure in duping authorities. And that wasn't unusual. In 2001, constitutional law scholar Thomas E. Baker published an article in the Law and Order

Journal about the personalities of serial killers, their methods, and the best way to investigate them. In his research, Baker found that serial murderers who communicate with investigators about their crimes feel a rush of superiority by humiliating the police. When Carrie's letter arrived at the FBI's Modesto office, it set off a renewed frenzy of police and media activity. The federal agents followed Carrie's map right to Julie's body. But after a month and a half in the open, her decomposed corpse didn't have many clues to offer, except for one key finding. Julie's body was covered in pink fibers from the blanket Carrie had wrapped her in. In theory, these fibers would lead back to the motel and dangerously close to her.

But thanks to Carrie's misleading antics, the blanket fibers led the FBI down a completely different path. For weeks, the FBI had been rounding up individuals with prior criminal records in Modesto, hoping to find out who was responsible for the murders. During the search, two men stood out, Michael Larwick and his half-brother Eugene Dykes. Michael had previously been convicted for various violent crimes, while Eugene had a record of unlawful sex and weapons and drug offenses. The pair had been on the authorities' radar for a while,

but their suspicion grew for two reasons. One, the pair didn't have alibis. Two, they soon discovered Michael once lived near where the burnt Pontiac was found. When police interviewed the pair about the triple homicide, Larwick insisted he was innocent. However, for some reason, according to a law enforcement official, Dykes admitted to taking part in all three murders. However, Dyke's self-incriminating statements weren't the most damning connection between the Modesto Pair and the Yosemite murders.

Somehow, the blanket fibers on Julie's body matched fibers found in Dykes and Larwicks' cars exactly. The FBI and media were convinced that the brothers were the killers. But as Larwick and Dykes were already in jail for other offenses, officials didn't seem in a rush to charge them. Still, in early June, officials announced the suspect, would be brought to justice soon. As he watched the news back in Yosemite, Kerry was completely dumbfounded. He had only meant to throw the FBI off his scent,

but now there was someone else taking credit for his murders. It was too perfect, far from desiring credit for his crimes. Carrie was delighted to be in the clear, because he wasn't done yet. A month later, on July 21, 1999, Carrie drove his truck to the small community of Forresta, a Yosemite spot where he once claimed to see Bigfoot. He had a habit of returning to the site, hoping to try to catch another glimpse of the beast.

While exploring the area, Carrie spotted a cabin where 26-year-old Joey Armstrong was packing up her car. He watched her carefully as she finished, realizing that she was alone. At that moment, Carrie's desire to kill surged through him. According to Carrie, he approached Joey and introduced himself, asking if she'd ever seen Bigfoot in the area. While Joey politely chatted with him, Carrie prepared to attack. When Joey had her back turned, Carrie seized the opportunity, pulled a gun from his backpack, and pointed it at her. He led her into the house, tied her up with duct tape, then bundled her into the passenger seat of his car. Carrie wanted to take Joey somewhere to rape and kill her, just as he done with Julie.

But she put up a fight. At one stage, she jumped out of the window of his moving car and ran into the woods. Carrie slammed on the brakes, pulled over to the side of the road, then chased her down. Even when Carrie caught up with her, his knife in hand, Joey fought him. He placed the knife against her neck, but she shoved her chin down into her chest, trying to protect her throat. Joey's struggled challenged Carrie's cherished fantasies of dominating complicit women. and this reality infuriated him.

In scensed, he cut Joey's head off right there in the forest. Picking up her head, Carrie considered keeping it. He'd always had visions and dreams of floating and decapitated heads. But he knew the skull could cause him problems. If such a damning piece of evidence was ever found, no excuses or explanations could save him. So Carrie dropped the skull in a nearby stream and left Joey's body on the forest floor.

The scene was messier than he would have liked, and there were trails of evidence through the woods that he needed to take care of. He likely wanted to head back to Joey's cabin to start the clean up there, but his car broke down, leaving him stranded. Frustrated, Carrie had to change tack. He cleaned himself up as best he could

and flagged down a passing park ranger for a ride back to Cedar Lodge. He probably figured he would just return to the cabin when he had time later. What he did next isn't totally clear, but it seems he got his truck working again. However, he didn't go back to the forest and cover his tracks, and that decision would cost him his freedom. Coming up, Carrie's actions finally catch up to him. Now back to the story.

On July 21, 1999, 37-year-old Carrie Stainer decapitated 26-year-old Joey Armstrong in the woods near Foresta, California. But unlike his previous murders, he didn't bother to cover his tracks at all. Perhaps he was counting on no one to notice the murder for a few days, but that wasn't what happened. Before she died, Joey was on her way to see a friend in Sausalito. But when Joey never arrived, her friend got worried and reported her missing.

Park Rangers visited Joey's cabin on July 22nd and quickly recognized that something was amiss. The front door remained. opened and a neighbor had reported that music had been left playing in the house. Her car was also still there, with luggage packed inside. Within a few hours, officials found Joey's body near a stream and discovered her head in the water about 40 feet away. While police pulled Joey's body out of the forest, FBI agents swept the area for clues. Joey's struggle with Carrie had left plenty of evidence, a broken pair of sunglasses, a red mechanics had

hat and a clear set of tire tracks. Carrie's truck had a different brand of tire on each wheel, which made for distinctive treadmarks in the ground. Realizing this could be key evidence, investigators asked locals if they'd noticed any unfamiliar vehicles the day before. One or two witnesses recalled seeing a blue international scout. The alert went out to look for the truck, and two park rangers spotted it almost immediately.

It was parked on the shoulder of a highway. and its owner, Carrie, was nearby, sunbathing naked on the bank of the Merced River. When confronted by the Rangers, Carrie pulled his clothes on and went to talk to them. There, he calmly explained that he'd never been in the area where Joey was found. However, investigators weren't convinced. So they looked through his backpack, hoping to find grounds for a search warrant. Instead, all they found was a camera, a beer bottle, sunflower seeds, sunscreen, and harmonics. Interestingly, they also found a novel called Black Lightning, which was about a fictional serial killer,

but with nothing more incriminating than that, they let Carrie go. Meanwhile, investigators at the scene talked with more people, and two witnesses claimed to have seen a man matching Carrie's description in the area, which threw suspicion on him once again. The next day, officials visited Carrie at his apartment in Cedar Lodge. He maintained that he'd never been to Joey's cabin, and investigators took photos of his truck's tires. As soon as the cops left, Carrie started packing. He knew the authorities were onto him

and wanted to get away from Yosemite as quickly as possible. So we headed to the nudist resort, Laguna del Sol. His departure was well-timed. Officials compared the photos of Carrie's tires to the unique prints at Joey's house and realized they were a perfect match. But when they returned to Cedar Lodge to talk to Carrie the next day, he was already gone. With their suspicion seemingly confirmed, investigators gave Carrie's information to the media,

naming him as a person of interest. Unaware of the news alert, Carrie set up his tent on Laguna del Sol's campgrounds. Then he went to the bar and struck up a conversation with one of the regulars, a woman named Janet. She recognized Carrie from a previous visit and they chatted for. for a while. The next day on July 24, Janet saw on the TV that the FBI was looking for Carrie, so she called the hotline number and told them exactly where he was. Around the same time, Carrie went to eat breakfast at the resort's restaurant, but he didn't

get to enjoy a peaceful meal. Not long after he sat down, a group of FBI agents entered the restaurant. Seeing them, Carrie stood up and put his hands over his head. seems he knew the jig was up. In the car ride to the headquarters, FBI agent Jeff Reineck tried to get Carrie to open up. He asked if Carrie was related to Steven Stainer, the famous teen who was kidnapped and held captive for seven years before escaping. Usually, Carrie didn't like talking about his brother, but Reineck was easy to talk to and

asked all the right questions. Carrie's eyes even teared up as he talked about the traumatic event. At the time, Rineck felt that Cary's emotion was real, but since then, experts have debated if it was just a ploy to draw pity from his interrogator. Whatever the truth, the exchange inspired Rinek to show Carrie compassion. He even ordered him a pizza for them to share. It's important to point out that Rineck was no chump or someone easily played. He was a veteran FBI agent, and his kindness was very strategic.

He wanted Carrie to feel comfortable speaking to him. The move seemed to work, but Carrie had strategies of his own. While interrogators set up a polygraph, Carrie asked if he could speak to Rineck alone. With no one else around, Carrie told the agent that he'd done bad things and that he could provide closure on all the violence happening in Yosemite, but he didn't offer any details just yet.

Carrie offered to give a full confession on three conditions. First, he wanted to be in a federal prison close to his family. Second, he wanted his parents to receive any reward money because he was admitting to his crimes. But the last request was far more disturbing. Carrie seemed bashful when he asked for this final request and said he knew it was sick. He wanted a stash of child pornography. He knew the FBI dealt with such cases and that they'd had to be. have pictures on file as evidence.

Despite Carrie's horrible request, Agent Rineck saw the possibility for redemption within this killer. So he took a gamble. Reinek asked Carrie if he would confess without any of his terms. He suggested that perhaps he could find peace if he allowed justice to be done. Carrie listened, but told Rinek that he knew the death penalty awaited him if he confessed. Still, but two men continue to talk. and eventually Kerry was convinced. It's impossible to say why Carrie agreed to confess.

Perhaps he thought that cooperating would eventually get him the pornography he wanted, or maybe he really did want credit for the murders after all. However, Agent Rineck believed that Carrie's guilty conscience got to him. He couldn't take the weight of his own actions. Whatever his reasons, once Carrie made his decision, he sought through. Over several hours he described each of the murders, sobbing occasionally, and drawing caricatures of the FBI agents the whole time. Afterwards, he was charged for all four of his murders,

once in federal court over Joey Armstrong's murder, and again in California for the slings of Julie and Carol Sund and Sylvina Peloso. Then he awaited his days in court. However, he wasn't idle during the wait. From his cell in the Fresno County Jail, Kerry wrote a letter to a Fresno newspaper, saying he planned on selling his life rights to make a book or a made-for-TV movie, just like his brother Stephen did after his kidnapping. He promised he would donate all the money to the families of his victims.

However, many wondered if Carrie just craved the spotlight after years of being overshadowed by his famous brother. If that was his true intention, Joey Armstrong's family were determined to deny him, that indulgence. Joey's family didn't want to give Carrie a platform. So instead of a trial, they convinced the prosecution to offer Carrie life in prison without parole. Wanting to escape execution, Carrie accepted the deal and pleaded guilty in September of 2000. But the Sund and Pelosi families didn't think this punishment was enough, and they wanted their time in court.

Two years later in 2002, Carrie stood trial for the murders of Carol, Julie, and Sylvina. He pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. His defense attorneys admitted that Carrie killed the three women, but called into question whether he had control over his actions. Psychologists spent days examining Carrie attempting to determine his level of sanity. At the same time, experts trace depression, pedophilia, and other sexual deviances back through Carrie's family for several generations. Eventually, doctors diagnosed Carrie with mild autism and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

They also found signs of schizophrenia and a psychotic disorder. These last two conditions might explain his atypical interests like Bigfoot, his social impairment, mood swings, and most importantly, the violent hallucinations that Carrie experienced since childhood. But despite these diagnations, Cary's calculated decisions during and after his crimes indicated that he was in control of his actions. Because of that, the jury declared him guilty as charged. The judge then sentenced him to death and sent him to San Quentin prison to await execution.

However, his punishment has never been carried out. California hasn't executed any prisoners since 2006, and a 2019 moratorium on capital punishment in the state resulted in the dismantling of San Quentin's death chamber. So as of this recording, Carrie Stainer is alive, but going nowhere, left with nothing but his fantasies. Thanks again for tuning in to serial killers. We'll be back soon with a new episode. You can find more episodes of serial killers and all other Spotify originals from Parcast for free on Spotify. We'll see you next time.

Have a killer week. Serial Killers is a Spotify original from Parcast. Executive producers include Max and Ron Cuddler, sound design by Michael Motion, with production assistants by Ron Shapiro, Trent Williamson, Carly Madden, and Joshua Kern. This episode of Serial Killers was written by Kit Fitzgerald,

with writing assistance by Mallory Cara and Joel Callan, fact-checking by Adriana Romero, and research by Brian Petrus and Chelsea Wood. Serial Killers stars Greg Poulson and Vanessa Richardson. Hi listeners, it's Carter. Here's a quick reminder to check out the Solved Murders four-part special party fowls. Every Wednesday in August, take a closer look at four celebrations that ended in horrific fashion. Follow the Spotify original from Parcast, Solved Murders.

Listen free only on Spotify. A beloved 75-year-old. man washing up getting ready for bed is brutally beaten and killed. Despite an exhaustive investigation, the killer avoids arrest and then strikes again. I'm global news crime reporter Nancy Hicks. You might listen to a lot of true crime podcasts this year, but they're not crime beat. Search for and follow the award-winning podcast Crime Beat on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and wherever you find your favorite podcasts. Do you want to hear something? Spooky? Some monster

It reminded me of Bigfoot. Monsters Among Us is a weekly podcast featuring true stories of the paranormal. One of the boys started to exhibit demonic possession. Stories straight from the witnesses' mouths themselves. Something very snakelight lifted its head out of the water. Hosted by me, your guide, Derek Hayes. Somehow I lost eight whole hours.

Listen now on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.