The Fresno Bee Experts on serial killers say there's more to Stayner story Confessed murderer fits pattern in some ways, but not others. Cary Stayner's resume as a part-time worker subject to periodic layoffs fits a trait common to some serial killers, an expert in the study of mass murderers said Thursday. Most people in their generation, he said, are settled and have a good idea what they will be doing for the next 20 years. Criminologists and psychiatric experts say most serial killers aren't mentally ill.
Patterns usually emerge But there usually are hints.
If Stayner is a serial killer, experts find it difficult to believe the Yosemite tourists were his first victims. That makes me think he has been doing this for some time. Serial killers usually begin by slaying one person at a time before moving down the more risky path of multiple victims. The sophistication of Stayner's reputed killings at Cedar Lodge also makes Macdonald think he may have killed before. In his confessions, Stayner said he bound the three sightseers at gunpoint in their room, threw their bodies into the trunk of their rental car, then moistened towels in the bathroom to make it appear they had taken a shower and checked out.