California Supreme Court Upholds Death Penalty for Yosemite Killer Cary Stayner

The California Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence of Cary Stayner, the former Yosemite lodge handyman convicted of murdering a Eureka mother, her daughter, and a family friend in 1999. The 64-year-old was sentenced to death in December 2002 for the killings of 42-year-old Carole Sund, her 15-year-old daughter Juli Sund, and 16-year-old Silvina Pelosso.

The victims were last seen on February 15, 1999, after renting a movie from the lodge where they were staying. Stayner used a ruse to enter their room, killed Carole Sund and Pelosso, and kidnapped and assaulted Juli Sund.

Their remains were discovered weeks later, with Juli's body found after Stayner sent a map to the FBI. Stayner later confessed during an interview related to another murder.

In his appeal, Stayner raised numerous issues, including violations of his Miranda rights, coercive interrogation tactics, judicial bias, and jury misconduct. The court's 200-page opinion, authored by Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero, rejected these claims, finding no prejudice from assumed errors.

Justice Kelli Evans dissented in part, arguing that the penalty phase was unfair because the defense was prevented from rebutting an inference that Stayner would pose a danger to female correctional officers. She also noted that two jurors failed to disclose their own experiences of childhood molestation, which they used to discount Stayner's mitigation evidence.

Despite the ruling, executions remain on hold in California due to Governor Gavin Newsom's 2019 moratorium. Stayner is currently held at Pelican Bay State Prison in Crescent City, Del Norte County.