Stayner now awaits trial in a solitary-confinement cell in the Fresno County Jail. He could face the death penalty for the Armstrong murder and will almost certainly be charged soon in the Sund-Pelosso case. In a letter to the Fresno Bee that he sent from his jail cell in mid-August, Stayner wrote that "I truly am very sorry" for the pain he had caused and said that he hoped to sell the rights to his story to Hollywood to compensate the victims' families. (Earlier, in what seemed a twisted bid to match his late brother's celebrity, he had told the San Jose TV reporter that he wanted a "bidding war" for a "movie of the week" about his crimes.) "I realize that the money would be little consolation for the loss of their loved ones, but until the jury, judge and executioner fulfill their role in this matter, it's all I have to offer," he wrote.

Since Stayner's confession, police departments across the Yosemite region and the Central Valley have reopened several long-dormant murder cases—including the unsolved 1990 killing of Stayner's uncle. Some criminologists say it is highly unlikely that a serial killer would begin his spree by confidently targeting three victims at once, though Stayner insists that he had never killed before. Sources at the FBI—which has come under intense criticism for its work in the Sund-Pelosso investigation—say that the Bureau still considers the case open and that investigators are still not completely convinced that Stayner acted alone.