What happened to Kenneth Parnell? Captive Audience, a new Hulu documentary series, glances at a remarkable tale of a doomed family with a deadly climax.
Kenneth Parnell abducted Steven Stayner and Timothy White, resulting in the 1989 television film “I Know My First Name Is Steven.”
Reportedly, Parnell is most recognized for abducting Steven Stayner in 1972, but he was a child sex abuser long before that.
When he abducted Stayner in Bakersfield, California, in 1952, Parnell, a former hotel clerk, had already been condemned for abusing an 8-year-old child, according to SF Gate. He did, however, only face three years in prison for the crime.
Steven Stayner Kidnapper: What Happened To Kenneth Parnell?
Viewers are interested in learning what happened to Kenneth Parnell after watching “Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Story,” a Hulu documentary series that depicts the two boys valiantly testifying against Parnell at his trial.
To the public knowledge, Parnell was already a convicted child rapist when he kidnapped Steven, as per the SF Gate.
Stayner, a 7-year-old child, was persuaded into Parnell’s automobile as he walked home from the elementary level in Merced, California. Parnell was classified as a sex offender at the time.
He pretended to be Stayner’s primary caretaker for the following eight years, moving him across California. He continuously sexually molested Stayner until he left when he was 14 years old in 1980.
Where Is Kenneth Parnell Now?
On January 21, 2008, Kenneth Parnell passed away at the state prison infirmary in Vacaville, California, where he had been held since 2004.
Moreover, he perished of “natural causes,” according to the San Francisco Chronicle (now the SF Gate). Parnell was 76 years old at the time of his death.
He was found guilty of abducting both youngsters in 1981 and sentenced to seven years in state prison. His punishment, however, was only for five years.
In 2003, he was detained for the second time in connection with an abduction in Berkeley, California, after an aged and sickly Parnell attempted to get his caregiver to purchase him a 4-year-old child, according to the Associated Press.
A year later, he was given the worst term under the “three strikes” statute: life in prison.
A Look At Kenneth Parnell’s Family Members
Talking about his family members, Kenneth Parnell was conceived during the dust bowl period in Amarillo, Texas, to his parents, Cecil Frederick and Mary Olive (Pollard) Parnell.
Later, he relocated to Bakersfield, California, with his mom, two half-sisters, and half-brother.
Parnell spent much of his childhood without his father, who left the family when he was six years old. Parnell spent a significant portion of his youth in and out of juvenile jail and psychiatric hospitals.
Details On Kenneth Parnell’s Wife & Children
According to his Wikipedia profile, Kenneth Parnell had three wives and three children. He purported to have been married three times; however, only two marriage records are available.
Parnell wedded his first wife in 1950 and divorced in 1957. He had a daughter in 1951. He remarried and had another child later that year.
Parnell was accused of armed robbery in Utah more than a decade after the sodomy conviction.
His second wife asked for a divorce while he was in jail on this accusation. Parnell stated to have married for the third and last time in 1968, but no evidence of this was ever discovered.
