Hearing Today in Killing of 3 Women at Yosemite

Prosecutors have rejected a request from convicted Yosemite murderer Cary Stayner to waive a hearing to determine if he can stand trial in the killings of three Yosemite tourists. Stayner is scheduled to appear today in Mariposa Superior Court, where prosecutors will outline evidence against him in the killings of Carole Sund, her daughter Juli and their friend, Silvina Pelosso. The preliminary hearing will be the first time witnesses have testified publicly since the three tourists disappeared in February 1999 from the Cedar Lodge, a motel just outside the national park, where Stayner lived and worked as a handyman. Stayner, 39, is already serving a federal life sentence after being convicted in the slaying of a woman who led children on nature walks in the park. He could face execution if convicted in state court of killing the tourists. Stayner confessed that he killed the three women after going into their room at the lodge to check a leaky faucet, according to court papers filed by investigators.