No one can explain how a seemingly normal suburban family who only moved into their new home in Fallbrook, California, three months earlier, could be living a regular life one day and then vanish the next. June 10, 2019 Merritt is found guilty of murdering the McStay family. The 30 Best Shows on Netflix for Kids. called the investigation into his son's disappearance . (File photo by Kurt Miller, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG), In this file photo Susan Blake, mother of Joseph McStay, wipes her eyes at a press conference at the San Bernardino Sheriff Headquarters on Friday, November 15, 2013. Were they scared, Chase? I see its written, yes, she answered, confirming it was her signature. He was a big part of my life and my familys life. His attorney was arguing motions before Merritt was set to be sentenced. He had a son from a previous relationship, who he didnt get to see much of and he was terrified that would happen with his two boys if he left Summer. Just a monster., After a delay, the convicted killer of the McStay family of Fallbrook will be sentenced today. Two days later, two sets of remains were officially identified as those of Joseph and Summer McStay. ___ 12 a.m. In the McStay family murders, Judge listens to arguments that sentence should be reduced from death penalty to life in prison without parole. The two children were very young a three-year-old and a four-year-old. [9] In the surveillance recording, the vehicle's occupants could not be seen. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. [13] Dean stated in her blog she had just finished producing a radio show for San Diego station KNSJ when she received the call, and that she asked whether she could tell her followers what he had told her. Queen Letizia of Spain is polished in a recycled Reiss skirt as she joins King Felipe VI at Repli-Kate! [27], Prosecutors allege that Merritt had a gambling problem and killed the McStay family for financial gain. Patrick McStay, Joseph's father, was informed of the discovery and phoned missing person advocate Jerrie Dean to tell her what he knew. Note:A previous version of this story misidentified the prosecutor who questioned Michael McStay. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. The surviving McStay family members held an emotional memorial for. Charles "Chase" Merritt, 62, was convicted in June of killing his former business associate Joseph McStay, 40, McStay's wife, Summer, 43, and their two children, Gianni, 4, and Joseph Jr.,. A deep pause followed as Michael McStay tried to collect himself. Mystery:Joseph McStay, 40, his wife, Summer, 43, and their sons Gianni, 4, and Joseph Jr., 3, vanished from their home in Fallbrook, California, on February 4, 2010, Tragedy: Joseph'sparents, Patrick McStay and Susan Blake, have opened up about the murders on the second season of the Oxygen true-crime series Killer Motive. I would never have hurt him in any way. How could you beat two precious little babies? Merritt later told police that he ignored the voicemail because he was watching a movie. Around five months before his disappearance he started suffering terrible problems with his equilibrium and his stomach. They slept in the same bed, but were never intimate. #mcstay #nbc7 https://t.co/xNxV3CqRtr. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. This included Susan Blake, Joseph McStay's mother. Arent you tired, man? he asked. #nbc7 https://t.co/5tmfTOuzsD. Joseph and Summer McStay were found buried in shallow desert graves along with their two young sons nearly four years after they vanished from their suburban California home (San Bernardino. How the Princess of Wales recreated her 2006 outfit from Prince William's Sandhurst graduation Behind-the-scenes at fashion week with the Spencers! Charles "Chase" Merritt was convicted in June of killing his former business associate Joseph McStay, McStay's wife, Summer, and their 4- and 3-year-old sons, Gianni and Joseph Jr.. Now Merritt who actually took a voluntary lie detector test at the time of their disappearance and was the last person to see Joseph alive has decided to write a tell all book, in an effort to clear up the mystery. And then the family that was killed by their own friend?'" On the surface, while tragic, it may not seem all that crazy. Blake was followed in testimony by her son and Joseph McStays brother, Michael McStay who said Joseph gave him $2,000 to start his fire sprinkler system business. Upon his arrival, he noticed that Joseph's 1996 Isuzu Trooper was missing, but their dogs were in the backyard. Homicide investigators search the family's home on Avocado Vista Lane and found no sign of a struggle. His mother Susan Blake gave an interview to Myvalleynews.com six weeks after her sons disappearance, where she said she was very concerned about his health. [35], Last edited on 11 February 2023, at 23:11, "Business partner arrested in McStay family slaying, desert burial", "Trial underway for man accused of killing 4 from San Diego", "Charles Merritt Sentenced to Death for Killing McStay Family, Burying Their Bodies in Mojave Desert", "Authorities distribute 'endangered missing' flier pertaining to missing McStay family", "Buried bodies identified as members of missing McStay family", "Man last phoned by McStay father says he took polygraph test", "Author of McStay book criticized by victim's family", "After discovery, mystery of McStay family's disappearance deepens", "Investigators say Missing McStay family left voluntarily", "McStay Family Update: FBI Joins Search for Missing Family", "Search for Missing Fallbrook family continues", "McStay family Mystery: Who is Chase Merritt", "Tentative trial date set for McStay family murder suspect 'Chase' Merritt", "Backlash over book's new theory on McStay murders", "Merritt attorneys want McStay case dismissed", "McStay family murder suspect Charles 'Chase' Merritt fires attorneys", "McStay family murder suspect Charles 'Chase' Merritt wants new attorneys", "San Bernardino judge allows McStay family murder suspect to have more case files in his cell", "Lawyers for defendant in McStay family murder case want some evidence tossed", "San Bernardino judge delays ruling in bid to exclude key evidence in McStay family murder case", Charles Merritt Found Guilty Of Slaying McStay Family, "Jury recommends death penalty for man who killed McStay family", "Southern California man sentenced to death for killing family of 4", "ID's Two Shallow Graves: How did Charles "Chase" Merritt know the McStay family and where is he now? If I want to speak with him, I have to go to a gravesite," Michael McStay added. Ending my life for a crime that I did not commit," Merritt said. A year later,Charles 'Chase' Merritt, who was a partner in Joseph's water-fountain business, was arrested for bludgeoning the married couple and their children to death inside their home in Fallbrook because he owed them $30,000. [7] The McStay family murders occurred on or near February 4, 2010, after the family disappeared from their home in Fallbrook, California, United States; their bodies were found in the desert near Victorville, California, on November 13, 2013. The home had no signs of forced entry. His most recent felony conviction, in 2001, was for the theft of $32,000 worth of welding and drilling equipment from San Gabriel Valley Ornamental Iron Works in Monrovia, California. I loved Joseph. #mcstay #nbc7 pic.twitter.com/gDh8XuxqiV, Merritt said he has the "utmost disdain" for the investigators and prosecutors who "put them all in this courtroom" and for the people who, in his words, "manipulated the evidence.". Officers arrived at the home and requested a search warrant, executed on February 19, 2010. #nbc7 https://t.co/muZXjqJBFT. After three years of suspicion, the family's bones were discovered in a desert over a hundred miles from their house. I would never raise my hand to a woman or a child.". [3] Merritt was charged with four counts of murder, and the district attorney sought the death penalty. He maintains his innocence. The book will be released later this year. Merritt was found guilty on June 10, 2019, on four counts of murder. "[22], In January 2014, Merritt said that he might write a book about the family, alleging that Summer had anger issues and that Joseph had been ill for some time with a mysterious ailment. Vanished: Mike also discovered Summer's prescription sunglasses on the kitchen counter, Looking back: Summer is pictured wearing her prescription sunglasses prior to the family's disappearance, Case to crack:There were no signs of forced entry or any foul play, which baffled investigators and suggested the family left on their own accord, First clue: Their neighbor's surveillance camera had captured what appeared to be the family's Isuzu trooper leaving the cul de sac at 7:47 p.m. on the night they went missing. That family that went missing? Joseph was his older brother, by three years, two months, three days, he toldSan Bernardino County Supervising Deputy District Attorney Britt Imes. Joseph McStay and his wife, Summer, and their 4- and 3-year sons, Gianni and Joseph Jr., were a fun-loving, happy family who'd recently settled into a comfortable life in Fallbrook, California. NBC 7's Jackie Crea has more. [26], According to the arrest warrant affidavits filed in the case, autopsies concluded that all four victims had been beaten to death with a blunt object. In October 2009, Joseph McStay excitedly e-mailed a friend about the house he and his wife had purchased in the San Diego suburb of Fallbrook, Calif. Merritt was transferred to San Quentin State Prison until an execution date is scheduled. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. The McStay family disappeared from their Fallbrook home in San Diego's North County in 2010. Arguing, and Dan just wasnt going to budge, she said. [33] The court upheld the jury's recommendation, and Merritt was sentenced to death on January 21, 2020. Chase Merritt sobs and says I did not do this thing. Susanmade an equally emotional statement ahead of the sentencing being handed down, telling the court how the killings had scarred their lives. How they stalked the stalker: A gripping new true crime 'It did get weird': Couple who are in the middle of divorce Woman finds out her husband was cheating on her after he was made an equally emotional statement ahead of the sentencing being handed down, telling the court how the killings had scarred their lives. This despicable, evil monster. , updated Why? Imes asked, and Michael broke down on the witness stand. The bodies of Joseph McStay, 40, and his wife Summer, 43, along with their sons Gianni, 4, and Joseph Jr., 3, were found in a shallow grave in the desert north of Victorville in 2013. San Bernardino County Superior Court Judge Michael Smith upheld the jurys recommendation of death following a two-day sentencing hearing that included a flurry of last-minute motions from Merritt and his lawyer, who accused prosecutors of misconduct, Merritts earlier attorneys of incompetence and, on Tuesday, tried to remove the judge himself from the case. Joseph McStay, 43-year-old Summer McStay and their two sons, Gianni, 4, and Joey, 3, vanished without a trace in February 2010 shortly after moving to Fallbrook from Orange County. The shocking claims will stun everyone who has followed the McStay family disappearance since they first went missing back on February 4, 2010. Where were they? (Will Lester . [27] Merritt's trial was delayed as he had repeatedly fired his attorneys or attempted to represent himself. [15] Baker began following the case in 2013 after interviewing Michael McStay on his program. All of the motions were denied. You start calling his cellphones, her cellphones,' she said. "It's not just a Netflix documentary to us. The case initially puzzled. [29] Merritt's attorney filed a motion in San Bernardino Superior Court on April 7, 2018, arguing that Joseph's business and accounting records were hearsay evidence and therefore inadmissible. May 23, 2022 Investigation Discovery's ' Two Shallow Graves' follows the trial of Charles "Chase" Merritt, accused of murdering Joseph McStay and his family. He said healing will be a lifelong thing for his family, but he knows they can do it together. Then a few people started putting the idea in his head that maybe Summer was behind it. During her morning testimony, Blake also described heated arguments between Merritt and Dan Kavanaugh, both business partners in McStays decorative fountain business. It would take years for investigators to discover the family's grisly fate. "It is my deepest desire in my own life not to spread pain and suffering," said a. "The gruesome and brutal details of the crime that you committed are his family," she said to Merritt. I was just trying to keep the customers or whoever was calling calm and hopefully to keep the business going. "I did not do this thing. I did not know any of that part, Blake said. He didnt know what was wrong with him and he was desperate. Sorry because he was worth it, he told Imes. California has not executed anyone on death row since 2006 as current Gov. Joseph and Summer McStay were found buried in shallow desert graves along with their two young sons nearly four years after they vanished from their suburban California home (San Bernardino. Authorities said they traced his cellphone to the gravesite area. Three years later, the remains of the family were discovered in a shallow grave in a remote desert in Southern California. Im heading to San Bernardino and will keep you updated. When the McStays car was found in San Ysidro on the Mexican border four days after they were last seen and security footage of a family of four an hour later heading into the Central American country surfaced, the idea they had left of their own accord gained momentum. "Our family has already received a life sentence. The correct identity is San Bernardino CountySupervising Deputy District Attorney Britt Imes. The bodies of the McStay family were found buried in the Mojave desert in 2013, three years after the family vanished from their home in San Diego County. Mystery at the Border: With Christopher Crutchfield Walker, Joseph McStay, Summer McStay, Gianni McStay. The newly unsealed documents indicate Joseph McStay lent Chase Merritt money to cover a gambling debt before McStay and his family disappeared in February 2010. How scared were they, Chase? Three years later, their bodies were found in a remote desert location more than 100 miles (160 kilometers) away in San Bernardino County. The family had moved to Fallbrook, 45 miles north of San Diego, in November 2009 fromSan Clemente. You cannot get back time. We are scarred for life., Its been almost 10 years and the pain hasnt subsided, she added. Charles "Chase" Merritt was convicted in June of killing his former business associate Joseph McStay, McStay's wife, Summer, and their 4- and 3-year-old sons, Gianni and Joseph Jr.. . The attorney stopped Merritt, saying, "You can't.". The mother of Joseph McStay wept on the witness stand Tuesday as she recounted the moment in November 2013 when she learned the remains of her son, his wife, and their boys aged 3 and 4,. Prosecutors say he bludgeoned them with a sledgehammer. ", Missing McStay family killed, buried in desert, sheriff says, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=McStay_family_murders&oldid=1138842709, This page was last edited on 11 February 2023, at 23:11. His arrest was announced on November 7, 2014. She said it was not until six months later that she could bear to go out to the site, marked by four crosses. The attorney argued a motion to reduce Merritt's sentence in the killings of Summer McStay and the children to life in prison without the possibility of parole rather than the death penalty previously recommended by the jury that convicted Merritt. A neighbor's security camera was triggered at 7:47PM when the McStays . Soon, the family's car was found at a strip mall in south San Diego County near the U.S.-Mexico border. She also touched on the media attention and pressures her family has coped with for years, including questions from strangers. How can you take that all in?, Susan Blake, right, mother of Joseph McStay, reaches over and holds the hand of her other son Michael McStay, left, at a press conference at the San Bernardino Sheriff Headquarters, Friday, November 15, 2013. Michael McStay remembered the day detectives told him and his family that the bodies of his brother, sister-in-law, and nephews had been discovered in the desert. And the fountain designer told MailOnline how Joseph once said to him, Maybe I should start eating out more and stop eating her food. [34], On May 22, 2022, the case was looked at again on the Investigation Discovery docuseries Two Shallow Graves. Charles "Chase" Merritt interrupted his attorney Friday during legal proceedings. The court took a brief break. At that time, no one knew what happened to the family. The father's parents, Patrick McStay and Susan Blake, have opened up about the murders on the second season of the Oxygen true-crime series Killer Motive, which premieres on January 23. But when Rodriguez questioned her Tuesday, Blake said, Thats what was said, but I dont know for sure.. California has not executed anyone since 2006. And she recounted for Rodriguez how she gave $4,410 in personal checks to Merritt in the months after her son and his family disappeared, based on Merritts claims he needed the money to complete projects for the business. Summer had also ordered a Spanish-language education program a few months prior to their disappearance. Before the sentencing was handed down, six of the McStay family's loved ones delivered tearful, spine-tingling impact statements in court, staring straight at the face of the killer who took the lives of their family. He was the last known person to see Joseph alive, during an hour-and-a-half long meeting in Rancho Cucamonga, California just hours before the family vanished into thin air. Speaking exclusively to MailOnline Merritt who worked with Joseph in his fountain business - said: I was extremely close to Joseph. she said. DNA samples were collected from the McSays' family, friends, and associates, but investigators couldn't get a search warrant to access their financial records because there was no evidence of a crime at the time. After Joseph, along with his wife and kids, suddenly went missing in February 2010, the authorities didn't have many leads. ', Getting worried:Susan had her son Mike stop by the family's San Diego County home on February 13, 2010, nine days after her son was last heard from, Confusing: Upon Mike's arrival, he noticed that Joseph's 1996 Isuzu Trooper was missing, but their dogs were in the backyard, Abandoned: When Mike crawled through a window of the San Diego County home, he discovered food rotting in the kitchen. He was sentenced to death on January 21, 2020. By February 2016, he had gone through five attorneys. During the last stretch of Friday's marathon day in court, only one person was able to deliver a victim impact statement: Patrick McStay, Joseph McStay's father. 14:31 EST 05 Jan 2014. Two Shallow Graves takes a look at the murders of the McStay family: Joseph, Summer and their two young boys, followed by the shocking trial . Joseph was 40 years old while his wife Summer was 43 making them a rather young family.
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