Kenneth Parnell

Arrest On February 14, 1980, Parnell abducted five-year-old Timothy White from Ukiah with the help of Sean Poorman, a minor and an acquaintance of Stayner. Weeks afterward, Stayner escaped Parnell's house with White; he later said he did not want the boy to suffer the abuse that he had endured. Stayner waited until Parnell had gone to his night shift job as a clerk at a local motel on March 1, 1980, and, carrying White on his back, hitchhiked 40 miles to Ukiah.

1981 trials Parnell was tried for kidnapping Stayner and White, but not for sexual abuse. He was convicted of both kidnappings and served five years of his seven-year prison sentence. Edward Murphy, Parnell's accomplice from the Stayner kidnapping, was sentenced to five years imprisonment and paroled after two years. Sean Poorman, Stayner's schoolfriend who abetted Parnell in the White kidnapping, was sentenced to a term in a juvenile work camp. Barbara Mathias, Parnell's girlfriend who lived with him and Stayner for some time, was never charged with any violation and cooperated with authorities in Parnell's trials.

Stayner died in 1989 of injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident.

2004 convictions In January 2003, Parnell was arrested again after trying to coerce his caregiver's sister, Diane Stevens, into buying him a four-year-old boy for $500. Parnell was, by this time, 71 years old and suffering from diabetes and emphysema, as well as other ailments brought on by an earlier stroke, requiring near 24-hour-a-day nursing care in his cluttered apartment in the 2600 block of Mathews Street in Berkeley.

Stevens was aware of Parnell's past and cooperated with police in setting up a sting operation that would lead to his arrest. According to Diane Stevens' testimony, Parnell requested that the child have a "clean" rectum, indicating sexual intentions. He paid $100 for a birth certificate and had $400 on his person for the completion of the transaction when he was to receive the child on January 3, 2003. Parnell was arrested that day, at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville, California. According to prison officials, Parnell died of natural causes. He had been under hospice care for some time.

Media adaptations Stayner's account of his time with Parnell formed the basis of a 1991 book by Mike Echols. Prior to publication, the manuscript served as the basis for the 1989 TV miniseries I Know My First Name Is Steven with Arliss Howard as Parnell.

Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Story aired on Hulu with all three episodes available immediately on the release date of April 21, 2022.