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In 2014, he completed a fellowship at Loyola Law School's Journalist Law School program. Suspicion had long fallen on Joseph McStays business partner, Chase Merritt, as he had been the last person to have contact with the family, and he also had a criminal record, albeit for small-time offenses. On June 10, 2019, a San Bernardino County jury found Charles 'Chase' Merritt guilty of murdering the McStay family and recommended that he be sentenced to death. It wasnt until November 2013 that the case moved forward. The skeletal remains . A new documentary series re-examines the trial and evidence in a 'comprehensive' look at the case, writes Sheila Flynn The McStay family, consisting of Joseph, 40, his wife Summer, 43, and their two sons Gianni, 4, and Joseph Jr., 3, were reported missing in 2010. There was a couple bowls of I believe popcorn that it looked like the boys were eating, possibly watching TV. I think its fair to say the show looks at other suspects, and its fair to say that, towards the end of the show, we will confront some of them.. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Tribune Broadcasting. The sledge hammer is the likely murder weapon. Please be respectful of the memorial and do not leave any trash when you . "The house was as if somebody just beamed them up to the Starship Enterprise," reporter Tony Shin, who covered the case for KNSD-TV, recalls in the latest episode of CNBC's "American Greed . CNN. Josephs father Patrick McStay, however, continues to be haunted by Merritts dark deeds. The McStay Family Memorial is located in a very rural desert area directly north of the I-15 Stoddart Wells/Quary Rd exit. He started as a crime reporter and went on to cover a variety of beats including courts and the cities of Colton, Highland and Grand Terrace. Please be respectful of the memorial and do not leave any trash when you visit. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! Investigation Discoverys Two Shallow Graves delves into a case that garnered national news headlines, eventually culminating in the killer being brought to justice close to a decade later. On the same day as they are broadcast, episodes will be available on discovery+. Although both instances raised investigators' suspicions, another glaring clue would ultimately put Merritt at the center of the investigation. Charles Ray Merritt has been named as the suspect in the murders of the McStay family in the San Diego area in 2010. The cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head. USA Spot News. With heavy hearts, we announce the death of Maria Carvalho (Providence, Rhode Island), who passed away on March 3, 2023. A 3-pound Stanley-brand sledgehammer, the suspected murder weapon, was found in one of the graves, and the skeletal remains indicated the McStay family had suffered multiple bone fractures to the . San Bernardino Superior Court Judge Michael A. Smith ruled Monday afternoon that there is sufficient evidence for Merritt to stand trial. However, the rest of the family thought it was unusual for them to just leave so abruptly. I think, normally when you [look at] a case, youre like, Oh, there could be one or two people involved., There were potentially more than one or two people involved when we started this. Investigators made a break in the investigation when a neighbors security camera caught the McStays car leaving their home on the evening of February 4. The paint was still fresh on the walls, the corners bordered by blue painter . There is reportedly a DNA match that links Merritt to the McStay May 27, 2021 The McStay family murders occurred on or near February 4, 2010, after the family disappeared from their home in Fallbrook, California, Mcstay family autopsy photos Merritt is on trial for the murder of the McStay family from Fallbrook tried to cover his tracks after the murders. Wright decided to hire Bobby and Willie Guillory to kill the couple in an attempt to claim their life insurance. Merritt is accused of killing his former business associate, Joseph McStay, McStay's wife Summer, and their two small children on Feb. 4, 2010. January 21, 2020 Merritt, 62, was sentenced to life in prison for murdering Joseph McStay, 40. Jun 15, 2015 Merritt has said there is no direct evidence linking him to the crime scene.. The shocking find led to even more mysteries and revealed a surprising number of suspects who seemingly had motives to go after the family, according to a new series premiering this weekend on Investigation Discovery. It didnt take this long. A bombshell witness upends the Merritt murder trial, claiming someone else confessed to the McStay murders. 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. Today, he is still imprisoned on death row at Quentin State Prison, where he has been held since the day he was arrested. District Attorneys Office spokesman Christopher Lee declined to comment Thursday, saying it would be inappropriate given the ongoing criminal case. The McStay family - whose bodies were found in a shallow grave in the Californian desert almost four years after they mysteriously vanished - could barely afford to pay $210 a week on rent just . Charles "Chase" Merritt, left, reacts after being found guilty of four counts of first-degree murder of the McStay family, in San Bernardino Superior Court in San Bernardino on June 10. The bodies of 40-year-old California businessman Joseph McStay, his 43-year-old wife, Summer, and sons Gianni, 4, and Joseph Jr., 3, were found . The defendant faces four counts of murder and the possibility of the death penalty if convicted. The video shows a male adult and a child walking in front of a female adult with another child. In addition, neither of the children had passports. There were no signs of foul play or any forced entry. The defense now moves to exclude certain expected testimony and evidence from the prosecutions case in chief on the grounds that this evidence is not relevant, and that the onlypurposes of the expected evidence are to sensationalize the alleged crimes and inflame the passions of the jury against Mr. Merritt, according to the Nov. 20 motion. Another two points would put us in good . At around 7:47 pm, part of the family car was captured on a neighbors surveillance camera, but there was no sign of the family after that. The discovery of the McStay family's remains in November 2013 brought an end to more than three years of speculation regarding what happened to them. Investigators believed that the family was willingly walking across the border, with no indication that they were in any distress. But there was an astonishing number of other people whod had significant run-ins with the McStays, according to the new series. Mr McStays friend, Gina Watson, and father, Patrick who called Merritt a ruthless mass murderer in court and told him to burn in hell are among the subjects interviewed in the series. Investigators found one of the birth certificates left behind in the home. The Selena autopsy photos have been temporarily removed from this site. About three days before the disappearance, Joseph emailed Chase regarding the money and was close to firing him. Two shallow graves contained the remains of Joseph, his wife Summer, 4-year-old son Gianni and 3-year-old son Joe Jr. Investigators say they have a lot of . A 3-pound Stanley-brand sledgehammer, the suspected murder weapon, was found in one of the graves, and the skeletal remains indicated the McStay family had suffered multiple bone fractures to the head, extremities and torso, likely from repeated blows to the bodies with the sledgehammer. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. The family had been savagely beaten to death. 'It was blow after blow after blow to a child's skull,' the prosecutor said. A motion filed in San Bernardino Superior Court on Nov. 20 on behalf of McStay family murder suspect Charles Chase Merritt by his attorney, James McGee, argued against the use of family photos and/or videos of the McStay family at trial, stating it could engender sympathy from the jury for the victims and prejudice the jury against Merritt. Copyright 2023 KABC Television, LLC. GUILTY. In February 2010, the McStay family vanished without a trace, propelling the authorities to investigate. February 4, 2010, was the last day anyone could contact a member of the McStay family. The sizes of the people appear to match the McStay family. Reports state that it was via Joseph's flourishing decorative fountain business and Earth Inspired Products that the two first became acquainted. The missing persons flier for the McStay family. Otherwise, the family looked identical to the McStays. How do you do that?. Merritt told detectives that during their last lunch meeting, Joseph had given him physical copies of checks to pay for some of the projects they were working on. What Happened to the McStays, Who Vanished 3 Years Before They Were Found Buried in the Desert? When Joseph needed to develop his bespoke company, he enlisted Merritt, a fabricator, for assistance. Merrit wasarrested a year after the McStay familysskeletal remainswere discovered in two shallow graves, west of the 15 Freeway and north of Stoddard Wells Road, near Victorville. Joseph had a newly successful business designing and installing water fountains. According to reports, denying his involvement in the murders, Merritt told the court. Its not all as simple as it seems; I think thats the point of the show, Mr Fitzpatrick tells The Independent. Around about February 4, 2010, the McStay family, Joseph, 40; his wife, Summer, 43; and their . Witnesses say those checks were backdated to the last day the family was seen. In December 2009, Summer inquired about buying software to learn Spanish. uncovered the bodies of all four McStay family members, he was arrested by the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Office. There was a huge sigh of relief. June 10, 2019 Merritt is found guilty of murdering the McStay family. The McStay family of Fallbrook were last heard from or seen on Feb. 4, 2010. Syd Field Four Screenplays Pdf 11 !!HOT!! A motorcyclist found human remains in a desert near Victorville, California. The McStay family mysteriously disappeared from their California home on February 15, 2010. To learn more about the case, tune into Monday's episode of "American Greed" at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CNBC. The autopsy revealed all four victims died from blunt force trauma to their heads. Publicly Merrittwho had several prior convictions on his recordclaimed to be Josephs best friend. They recognized that the children and Summer were the people in the video, but Josephs mother believed that if the man in the video were Joseph, his hair would have been much bushier.