In 1972, a Young Boy Was Kidnapped and Abused for 7 Years Before Escaping — Where Is His Torturer Now?
By Jennifer TisdaleApr. 21 2022, Published 12:17 a.m. ET
The definition of a predator is "an animal that preys on others." Kenneth Parnell is a predator, and his prey is young boys. In 1972, he approached 7-year-old Steven Stayner in his place of origin of Merced, Calif. and beckoned the young boy over. Back then, the idea of not talking to strangers used to be pretty foreign, especially in a small the town. Parnell wasn't on my own. He brought alongside his friend and co-worker, Edward Ervin Murphy.
Once Parnell was in a position to get Steven into his car, he instructed him that his folks not wanted him and that Parnell was once adopting him. Seven years later, Steven would make his way back house with another little boy.
What happened all the way through the ones seven years and where is Kenneth Parnell now? A new Hulu documentary series, Captive Audience, appears again at a remarkable tale with a terrifying twist, about a family that could very best be described as cursed.
Where is Kenneth Parnell now?
Kenneth Parnell died on January 21, 2008, in the state jail medical institution in Vacaville, Calif. where he have been incarcerated since 2004. The San Francisco Chronicle (now the SF Gate) reported that he used to be Seventy six years old and died of "natural causes." But how did he in the end get to jail?
Kenneth Parnell in court.
According to the SF Gate, by the time Parnell took Steven, he was already a convicted kid rapist. Within a week after taking Steven, Parnell advised the boy that his new identify was once Dennis and convinced him to start calling Parnell dad. Obviously the 2 could not stay in one place for very long, so Parnell moved them around Mendocino County in California. During this time Steven used to be being horribly abused and raped by way of Parnell, yet one way or the other nonetheless managed to do neatly at school when he used to be there.
At some point, Steven was once a freshman in Mendocino High School where he dated Lori Duke. In talking to ABC News, Lori said that Steven "had a great personality. He was spunky. You could see that he wanted to play and be with kids and be normal."
By February of 1980, Steven was nearly 15 years previous and would soon be sturdy enough to overpower Parnell must the will rise up. Parnell used to be also becoming bored in Steven, who at this point was once "too old" for him. It was time to go back to his previous conduct. Parnell drove to the tiny town of Ukiah, Calif. where he paid a local high school child to assist him to find a younger boy.
Soon they stumbled throughout 5-year-old Timothy White, who was once strolling house from faculty. In no time at all, Timothy was back house with Steven, however this didn't sit proper with him. Steven would later inform Lori that, "I was not going to let that child go through what I had already been through. And if I didn’t take care of it now, it would just get worse."
On March 1, when Parnell used to be out for the night, Steven took Timothy and fled the home.
Steven Stayner along with his parents
They hitchiked back to Ukiah and headed immediately for the police station. Steven was touted as a national hero and even went on Good Morning America in March 1980 with his parents. Parnell was once stuck and sentenced to seven years in jail, for which he handiest served five. Per CNN, Parnell can be arrested again in January 2003 whilst attempting to shop for a child.
In some other CNN article, Parnell's lawyer, Deborah Levy, felt that his prior convictions were not related to this situation as they had been over 30 years in the past, and he should not be judged for his past errors. She additionally discussed that Parnell never known as what he was doing "kidnapping." Deborah Levy stated Parnell was "simply interested in raising an abandoned boy." Of route, none of these boys have been ever deserted.
In 2004, Parnell was once sentenced to twenty-five years to life below California's three strikes law (one of the crucial few occasions it was once in truth useful, and naturally later died in 2008. Hulu's Captive Audience will pass into higher detail about Kenneth Parnell, the kidnappings, and naturally Steven Stayner who would unfortunately pass away in a motorcycle accident in 1989. This series will also reveal shocking information about Steven's brother Cary, who would later observe now not in his brother's footsteps, but one thing nearer to Parnell.
Captive Audience premieres on Hulu on Thursday, April 21, 2022.
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