Confessions to Killings Allowed in Stayner Trial
Prosecutors seeking to have Cary Stayner executed for allegedly killing three Yosemite tourists won a significant victory Monday when a judge ruled that Stayner’s confessions can be used in his upcoming trial.
His attorneys argued that the FBI should have stopped questioning Stayner after he initially declined to talk, and that agents coerced him into admitting he had killed a Yosemite park guide and the tourists. They also said Stayner was pressured into talking to reporter Ted Rowlands and was not properly advised of his right to remain silent.
However, Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Thomas Hastings said there was “not a scintilla of evidence” that Stayner involuntarily confessed.
Jury selection is set to begin June 10, with the trial due to start in mid-July.
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