Joie Armstrong, an employee at Yosemite Park was packing her car for a trip she was leaving for. Cary happened to be driving by at the time and as Cary would say “wrong place wrong time.” Cary got into the cabin Joie was staying in and held her at gunpoint. Cary tied Joie up and threw her in the back of his vehicle. It is stated this is one of Cary’s “messier” murders. In his previous murders he had left little to no evidence definitely not enough to get caught and now there was evidence everywhere. Although there was evidence left behind and Joie was reported missing to police she wasn’t saved fast enough. Joie tried to put up a fight by jumping out of the moving vehicles window but Cary chased her and eventually caught up. Cary caught her and slit her throat as he had done some of his other victims. Although there had been lives lost justice still needed to be served and Cary made it possible. Cary left tire tracks as well as a mechanics hat. The cops were soon able to track Cary down and he was finally taken into custody after his terrible crimes. 

During questioning Cary surprised everyone when he offered to confess to his crimes in return for child pornography. Stayner stated, “It’s sick, disgusting, perverted. I know that. I can’t go to prison the rest of my life and be happy without seeing it.” When police refused he still proceeded to make a full confession. Stayner also stated that he never had the intention to kill Joie but when he saw her standing alone outside the cabin he could no longer resist killing. Despite his evil actions he claimed that he never sexually assaulted any of the girls he murdered to keep their deaths “as humane as possible.”

Cary Stayner admitted to even the most gruesome details of his killings and was charged with four counts of first-degree murder. His attourney argued with the court that Cary had mental illness because of the kidnapping and death of his brother as well as sexual abuse as a child. The court did not change any decisions and Cary was sentenced to death in August of 2002. Cary is still alive on death row at San Quentin State Prison located in California. There have been executions in California since 2006 but Cary is not eligible for parole. After four murders the killer was caught and he will pay for it in prison.